Page 60 of Chosen By Swift

He felt her relax in his arms. Her breasts deepened, and she let loose a little sigh that signaled she was completely out. He wasn’t so lucky. His brain tormented him with guilt and shame and images of Alys with Shear that turned his stomach.

He finally had the life he had craved so long, but his past mistakes and arrogance threatened to ruin it. If he couldn’t get Shear to cancel their trade, he would lose Alys. He would destroy her trust, and she would see him for the monster he was.

She would leave him—and he would be crushed.

And he would deserve every painful moment of it.

Chapter Thirteen

Panting and trembling with the aftershocks of her orgasm, Alys draped her forearm over her face and tried to catch her breath. Swift dotted kisses along her neck and cheek before falling onto his side next to her, equally as out of breath. He nuzzled into her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist. With a rough laugh, he said, “I think we’re getting really good at this.”

She giggled and cuddled into his soothing heat. He wasn’t wrong. They really were good together.

“We should—.” A chime interrupted Swift, and he let loose an annoyed sigh. “That’s not good.”

“What is it?” She hadn’t heard that particular chime yet and wasn’t sure what kind of alert it was.

“That’s the sound that means I’m being called back to duty,” he grumbled. After another quick kiss, he grunted and shoved out of bed. He snatched a pair of shorts from the floor and hopped into them before leaving the bedroom.

Completely unmotivated to move, Alys remained in bed, cozy in the cocoon of sheets. She wished she had one of her mother’s quilts to draw up over her head and block out the fake sunlight streaming through the fake windows. She tried not to think of home very often because it caused feelings of homesickness that twisted her gut and squeezed her heart. She missed her siblings and her mother and worried about all of them.

The guilt of running away and leaving her mother in the lurch ate away at the happiness she felt here with Swift. She had never been a selfish person. She had always been the first to offer to help, to sacrifice her needs and wants for others, but now? After getting a taste of real happiness, of feeling precious and protected and wanted, the thought of going back home was unimaginable. She would visit, of course. If her father would allow it. But she could never go back to that life. She could never be that girl again.

Swift returned with a grumpy look on his handsome face. “I’ve been called back to duty.”

Sitting up, she held the sheet against her bare breasts and asked, “Is it serious?”

He shook his head. “Patrols.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Swift scowled, and she sensed he wanted to say much more. Whether he kept his thoughts to himself because he was doing something that qualified as secret or because he didn’t want to talk badly about his superiors, she couldn’t say. Regardless, she wasn’t going to pry. The pamphlets and booklets she had read all stressed how important operational security was to the ongoing safety of their mission.

“Do you have time for breakfast?” She couldn’t imagine sending him back to work on an empty stomach or with only those disgusting nutrition bars to satisfy his hunger.

“I have time for more than breakfast.” His handsome grin made her stomach do flips. “I don’t report for another four hours.”

“Well,” she said, flushed with excitement and desire, “I definitely need something to eat before we do anything else.” When he leered, she rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him before he could make a dirty remark about eating something much more intimate than breakfast. “Stop!”

Swift laughed and caught the pillow before it impacted his head. He brought it back to the bed and leaned down to kiss her. Of course, one kiss wasn’t enough. It led to two and three and four and then she lost count until her stomach growled loudly. Chagrined, Swift pulled away. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

“I don’t mind,” she murmured, sneaking in one final kiss before throwing back the covers.

“Here.” Swift handed her the night gown that had been thrown on the floor earlier. After she slipped into it, she ducked into the bathroom for a few minutes and then passed Swift in the bedroom on her way to the kitchen. He joined her not long after and helped make breakfast. She enjoyed these simple domestic moments with him.

They shared a quiet breakfast, and once the kitchen was tidy again, Swift began to go over the rules for her safety. Most of them were common sense, but she sat quietly and let him talk, certain it would make him feel better to get it all out before he left.

“You’re humoring me,” Swift remarked, his finger hovering over the big screen that controlled much of their home. “I can tell by the little twitch of a smile you’ve got right there.” He gently tapped the corner of her mouth. “See? You’re doing it again!”

“I’m sorry. Would you rather I roll my eyes and sigh?” she asked rather sassily.

“I might if it gives me an excuse to heat up that incredible ass of yours.”

She flushed. “Swift!”

“It would be a very loving spanking,” he promised and then continued adjusting the controls to give her more access. “Just a few light swats to pink up your bottom before I use my tongue to—.”

“Stop!” She begged, her face burning hot at the memory of all the places his tongue had visited only hours earlier in the semi-darkness of their bedroom. “You’re awful!”

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