Page 82 of In Safe Hands
“No.” She blinked. “No. It wasn’t my mom. Wow. This is the first nightmare I’ve had in years that wasn’t about her.”
“What was it about?” His hand brushed her hair again, but she didn’t think he was dealing with unruly strands anymore. Instead, it was almost like he was stroking her.
“Someone was in the house.” When he lifted his eyebrows, she shook her head, starting to smile. “Not you. Someone…scary. I wasn’t screaming, was I?”
“No. It was more like whimpering.”
When she eyed his face and saw no signs of teasing, she groaned in embarrassment. Falling back so her head hit the pillows, she pulled the covers over her face. Despite the muffling effects of the blankets, she heard him laugh as he tugged them from her grip.
“Shove over,” he ordered. “It’s only been an hour since everyone left. That’s not enough rest to keep from going insane from sleep deprivation.”
Too startled to protest, she scooted to the side as he slid into bed with her. Even with a few inches between them, she felt his warmth, and it was tempting to curl into his side and use him as an oversized heating pad.
“What are you doing?” she finally organized her half-awake and scattered thoughts enough to ask.
“Trying to sleep,” he grumped. “If I’m here, maybe you won’t wake me up with your sad little noises.”
“Sad little…” She poked him in the side, hard. “Soon you’ll be the one whimpering.” She jabbed him again. Laughing, he caught her hand.
“I don’t whimper,” he said, making her even more determined to reduce him to tears. He reversed the assault, though, finding all her ticklish spots and showing no mercy, even as she shrieked with laughter. He rolled her beneath him, holding her down with his body weight as his fingers dug into the sensitive places on her sides.
“Okay,” she panted, an occasional hitch of leftover giggles interrupting her words. “You win. No more. I give up.” Obviously, she wasn’t going to win in a tickle fight with Chris. She vowed to find his weakness eventually, though, and fully exploit it.
Although she’d expected triumphant crowing from Chris, he’d gone serious. His breath was coming fast—she could see his chest move—and his expression was intent. The look in his eyes made her heartbeat speed up from something other than exertion, even before his gaze dropped to her lips.
He lowered his head slowly, checking her expression every few seconds, as if expecting her to protest. All she could manage to do was lie still and wait for his mouth to descend to hers. For a second, she wondered if her dream had just shifted topics, since she’d never truly believed her relationship with Chris would reach this point.
When his lips touched hers, however, she knew she was awake. It was too intense, too incredible, too real for something created by her imagination. Even though he kept the contact light, the sensations radiating from her mouth made her dizzy. She slid her fingers into his hair. That way, she could play with the silky strands while also making sure his lips didn’t leave hers.
The kiss got a little deeper, a little harder, and Daisy discovered that his hair was just long enough to grab. From his heavy breathing, she was pretty sure he didn’t mind the light tugs on his scalp. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed, since the fumbling experiments in high school, but she didn’t worry about her technique. Her brain was completely occupied with feeling, so there was no room to think.
When he nipped on her bottom lip, she sucked in a quick breath. Chris took advantage of her parted lips, invading her mouth with his tongue, and she groaned. As if that sound was a trigger, he went wild. Rolling them so they were on their sides, he freed his hands to roam—and roam they did. Despite being distracted by his lips and teeth making their way down the side of her throat, Daisy was intensely aware of the placement of those hands.
With her head tilted back to give his mouth access to her neck, she moaned as both of his palms slid under the hem of her tank top. That motion gave her hands the green light to explore, and she slid them over the back of his head and down his neck. His bare back was hot beneath her touch. She was fascinated by the shifting of his muscles under his skin.
She stroked his shoulder blades, making him shiver as he nipped right above her collarbone. Jerking in his hold, she unintentionally dug her short nails into his back, and he made a hungry noise in response. Surprised by his reaction, she curled her fingers again, and he made the same sound. Daisy smiled, liking that she could drive him just as crazy as he’d been making her for years.
His head rose, and her happy expression changed to a frown. “Why are you stopping?” She cringed at the slight whine in her voice, but it couldn’t be over so soon. She’d waited such a long time for Chris to make a move, and they’d barely started kissing. Daisy wanted more time—much more. Even if her issues meant they would never have a future together, she at least wanted the present.
“You okay?” His voice was hoarse and breathless, his pupils dilated more than the dim room required.
“Not if we’re stopping,” she said.
He laughed, just a short huff. “You’re sure you want this?”
“Yes. Now quit trying to talk it to death and get back down here.” Both of her hands returned to his head so she could pull his mouth down to hers. His chuckle was cut off abruptly, but she still felt it against her lips. Then the intensity returned, and neither of them were laughing.
He pulled back, attempting to peel her tank top over her head. Once she figured out what he was trying to do, she quit chasing his lips and pushed up to a sitting position. His expression turned wary, as if he thought she might be pulling away, but he relaxed when she grabbed her bottom hem and yanked it up and off.
Chris made another one of his wordless sounds. “You’re beautiful.”
The cool air hitting her skin made her realize how exposed she was, sitting in just her panties, but the feeling was short-lived. Chris grabbed her, pulling her over him as he turned onto his back so their bare chests were pressed together. It felt like an electric shock when their skin connected, only without the pain.
Daisy sucked in a breath, her eyes closing as she absorbed the unfamiliar sensation.
“Okay?” Chris asked, and she nodded, her eyes still shut.
“Mm.”
