Page 45 of Since Day One

“Let’s go to bed, Princess,” he mumbled against the top of my head, his lips brushing next to my hair. I wanted him to kiss me. Badly. And I think he wanted to as well, but my boundaries continued to restrain him from doing so and I wasn’t wanting to change it and make him think I don’t have any self-respect.

Groaning, I pried myself off of his warm body and sat back against my heels. He smiled softly and reached forward, gently pushing some hair behind my ear. Gunnar left his hand against the side of my head, gazing deeply into my eyes. Oh, how this man was changing things in me.

His eyes drifted toward my lips and stayed there, his brows twitching as he fought some internal battle. And then he took a deep breath and let his hand fall from my face. Silently, he stood from the couch without a smile and quietly padded into the bathroom without a word to me.

I stared in confusion at the space he’d just left, wondering what I’d done wrong. Wondering what the hell we were doing. Wondering what I was doing. So much unknown and confusion, so much curiosity that was beginning to consume me. Pulling my lips between my teeth, I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes.

Counting to five, I exhaled and let everything I couldn’t control escape with that breath. Opening my eyes, my gaze slid over to the coffee table where Gunnar’s phone was still sitting. My curiosity exploded the moment I connected with it, and I snatched it off the table. The screen roared to life—a picture of Luke was his lock screen—and I swiped up, prepared to attempt to figure out his passcode.

Except he didn’t have one, and I stared at the picture that he’d set as his home screen. Blatant and obvious because he’d sorted his widgets into little categories that only covered the top two rows.

It was me.

On the couch and barely recognizable. The lighting was absolutely amazing, firelight sending shadows across my body in the most alluring way. He’d edited it to be black and white with a very soft gray hue; honestly, I’d never seen myself look more powerfully feminine. Nothing inappropriate was exposed, even with the collar of the shirt still tipped off my shoulder, yet somehow he’d captured me in the most elegant and provocative position I’d ever seen.

I badly wanted a copy of this. But I couldn’t ask because then Gunnar would know I looked at his phone. Quickly locking it, I returned it to its place on the table and stood up from the couch. I quietly made my way into the bedroom alone and scooted to the far side of the bed. Slipping beneath the sheets, I tucked myself in and waited in the cold emptiness.

Gunnar took a while, to the point that the sheets had become a little warmer and my exhaustion was kicking back in. Finally, the bed dipped, and his body heat engulfed mine. There was no hesitation as he reached around my stomach and pulled me against his steel frame, cocooning me in safety. My body finally released the tension that I’d been holding, and I melted against him. Sleep would never be the same after experiencing it with him.

I was dreaming before I could say anything.

Chapter 16

Burying my nose into Gunnar’s chest, I reluctantly peeled my eyes open, not wanting to leave this serene bliss, and was met with a groggy Gunnar watching me.

“Morning, Princess,” he rasped, and I smiled. This wasn’t that bad to wake up to—not at all. Though he could use a shower, I didn’t mind his musky scent, which was a little strange. I knew I didn’t smell the best, seeing as a simple sponge bath wasn’t quite as efficient as an actual shower.

Light pierced through the window, brighter than it had been since we ended up here. I hummed in blissful contentment and pressed tighter against Gunnar’s frame. Every inch of him was covered in hard-earned muscle that I wanted to have surrounding me all the time. Gunnar attempted to roll away, and I grunted, pouting before tugging him back into me.

He chuckled softly before suddenly rolling deliberately toward me and flipping himself on top. I stared at his towering figure that hovered above my body. Gunnar smiled, his eyes slowly tracking down every inch of me. I watched him with intensity, feeling the heat dial up within me.

A small part of me thought I shouldn’t like the way he was looking at me, but I did, and I wanted it. His tawny gaze reconnected with mine, and I tipped my head back, giving him silent permission. I closed my eyes as Gunnar’s lips pressed softly against my neck, making me groan and finally giving me some idea of what his actual kiss might feel like. It was toe-curlingly tender and sensual as he gently worked his way from below my ear down toward my collarbone leaving a hot, wet trail in its wake which elicited such intimate, desirable yearning for him.

Soft and sweet, it caused every part of me to become lost in his world. Fingers found a top button that was still done up, and he popped it open, giving enough room to slide the other side of the collar off of my shoulder. The fabric fluttered down my arms, and my body flushed warm. The shirt rested above my elbows, barely covering the peaks of my breasts as he braced with one arm and trailed warm kisses across each side of my collarbone.

Down each shoulder.

Tender and slow, he made his way back to my chest. Every placement of his lips was deliberate, controlled, as he pressed them against the top of my breasts, the skin tingling in the wake of his mouth. His hand slid down my side, gripping tightly around my waist as I felt a rush of empowered desire crash through me. My fingers threaded through the hair along the nape of his neck, tangling in the curls and around the back. I arched beneath him, feeling as if I was going to lose my mind, not sure how long I could resist what he was so clearly asking.

Time stood still as he whispered those lips across every inch of exposed skin and then slowly rose upwards back toward my face. Electrified, I kept my eyes closed, soaking in his every little touch.

His lips left my neck and hot breath draped across my mouth. Through my lashes, I saw him watching me, his face close to mine, waiting for permission to truly kiss me. So close. It would be perfect; there wasn’t anything holding me back. So, I smiled, our lips almost touching. This gave him the permission he had been waiting for. A smile of his own twitched just as he leaned forward.

Then, a voice ricocheted through the cabin, freezing us in our tracks more effectively than a bucket of ice water.

“YOUR SAVIORS ARE HERE!” Ruger shouted as a door crashed open. I clamped a hand over my mouth as Gunnar whipped his head toward the bedroom door, eyes wide in shock.

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath as footsteps clomped into the living area of the cabin.

“Where the hell are you guys?” Ruger said, and Gunnar rolled off of me just as the bedroom door slammed open. Startled, I wrenched the sheets up over my head.

A low chuckle rolled from Ruger as I peeked over the top of the covers. Gunnar was already out of the bed, standing by the door, blocking his brother from entering.

“Soooo,” Ruger drawled, wiggling his eyebrows.

“We haven’t done anything, shithead; now get out,” Gunnar barked, and Ruger laughed.

“Sure you didn’t.” I could see his hands wave at the bed behind Gunnar, who had nothing but shorts on.

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