Page 167 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

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Laine

Balcony

Smiling in the quiet dawn, I bask in the gentle kiss Ang presses to the back of my shoulder.

“Are you tired?”

The cool breeze from the open balcony tickles my hair, relaxing me until my eyes drift mostly shut. The sun’s already coming up, but we haven’t slept yet. We spent the night in each other’s arms while Ang replaced every bad memory I own with something much more beautiful.

He couldn’t know the way men treated me before – not the exact details, not the bruised hips or rushed moves – but he kissed away every single ache. Everywhere someone touched before him, he replaced with a tender caress and a declaration of love.

Jesus. He loves me – for real?

“Laine?”

I lay my head back on his shoulder. “Hmm?”

“Are you tired?”

“Not really.”

His heart beats against my back. It moves at a fast thump that contradicts the gentle patterns he traces against my thigh. “Are you okay? You’re really quiet. Kinda freaking me out a little.”

I snicker and burrow deeper into his lap. “No need to freak. I’m good.” I nod toward the horizon. “Another day in a row we get to see the sun rise.”

“I didn’t see it yesterday.” He slides his nose along my shoulder. “I was too busy watching you stretch in that tiny bikini.”

My stomach – covered only by a bedsheet – bounces as I laugh. “Downward dog on a paddle board. It was one of my smartest ideas ever.”

“It was evil!” He tickles my thigh. “A guy is trying to be a gentleman. He drags his sorry ass outta bed before the sun, comes down to the beach with you because you ask with puppy dog eyes, and you repay him by doing yoga in front of his face. Pure fucking evil.”

“I wish we did this sooner.” Sighing, I burrow in deeper. “I’ve been crushing on you for a while, Angelo. You give a girl a complex when she’s in a bikini and you’re not tearing it off with your teeth.”

A low growl works its way up his throat, vibrating through his chest and against my back. But all that fades away when he grows beneath my ass; his dick hardens and his hands tighten on my naked thighs. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and close my eyes, allowing myself to float away on the sensations.

Forget the sunrise.

Everything I’ve been wishing for is currently holding me in his lap.

“Are you really okay? About last night?”

“Yeah.” I slide my hand along my thigh until our fingers twine. “I didn’t freak out. I don’t regret it. You need to relax.”

“No takebacks?”

“Nope.” Leaning forward and twisting around, I catch sight of his wary eyes and press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “I promise. This is me giving you permission to enjoy what we did. You’re not the big bad wolf. I’m not a little girl. I went to you willingly. I trust you, Ang, and there’s not a man on this earth I’d give that trust to.”

His silver eyes were wary, but now they’re soft and gooey as he brings me closer and slides his tongue against my lips. “I wish we did this sooner, too.”

“I should’ve listened to Kane.”

His body jolts, from gooey to startled. “Huh?”

“Jess and Kane have been on me about us for ages. She’s a lot more subtle about it; ‘wear a short dress, bat your lashes, pop your ass, wear a pretty lipstick.’ But Kane’s more in the ‘transfer your lipstick to his dick’ camp. He said that you’d take a hint faster if I did that.”

“Fuckin’ asshole.” His words say one thing, but his growing dick says another. “They’ve been playing both sides of the field, did you know that?” Smiling, I stretch my neck to invite his lips. “When you’d leave the room, he’d call me a pussy and tell me to jump you. When youwerein the room, he’d push me toward you and mention how pretty you are.”

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