Page 94 of Hidden By His Side

“You’re important.” He kissed her nose. “How are you feeling? Did making lunch bother you?”

“It was fine.” She’d had to breathe through her nose when the chicken came out of the oven, but she didn’t want to talk about anything that reminded her she hadn’t yet taken the next step toward the adoption.

Ramiro’s forehead was wrinkled when he pulled back, and she soothed her thumb over it. “Whatever is going on with the cartel, you’ll figure it out. You always keep us safe, me and those men of yours that you took in just like you did me.”

He frowned. “Not just like. No one is like you, Summer. All the men who work for me are assholes.”

She shook her head, running her hands through his hair and behind his neck.

“I’ll take another kiss instead of the couch cuddle. Then you can get back to work.”

He let out a hum, capturing her lips all over again.

He worked the rest of Sunday away. It bothered her when she went to bed alone again, but she pushed the sludgy feeling down, telling herself not to be so needy. It was one night. Well, two. If she complained, he’d get annoyed with her.

Summer didn’t wake up alone. She woke up already gasping and with her legs shaking as an orgasm ripped through her.

Ramiro rose from between her legs, his mouth glistening, his eyes hot on hers. “Good morning,” he said huskily, crawling up to collapse beside her, his arm draping over her breasts. “Was that okay? You didn’t like my mouth on you last time, but I thought you might not mind so much if you were sleeping, and I needed to taste you.”

Summer liked the result. She flushed as she imagined what he’d been doing. His mouth and tongue and face had been buried between her legs, and she hadn’t been aware enough to feel self-conscious about it. Her body had no complaints as her mind raced.

She rolled toward him, his erection poking her in the stomach. He’d gotten hard from using his mouth on her. She should offer to reciprocate. Her breath choked in her throat as she thought about doing that.

“Hey,” he murmured, cupping her head and bringing her eyes up to meet his. “I’m sorry. I crossed a line.”

“No, I’m not upset.” She leaned forward but hesitated to kiss him with her smell all over his beard and lips. Pulling backwithout kissing him, she wriggled against his erection. “But you didn’t get to come.”

“It’s not about keeping score. I got exactly what I wanted, you coming all over my face.” He rolled away from her, climbing out of bed. “I should get cleaned up, so my baby girl won’t hesitate to kiss me anymore.”

Watching his back made her chest ache. “Wait!” she called, struggling to sit up.

Ramiro turned around immediately, padding back to the bed. “What is it?” he asked, running a hand over her shoulder.

Summer’s body still felt limp, residual pulses tugging inside of her. “I like waking up like that. You can do it again, if you want.” She swallowed, looking up at this man who couldn’t really be hers. “You can do anything you want to me while I’m sleeping.”

“What about now? Can I bury my face between your legs again right now?” he asked.

Nerves twisted in her stomach even as heat slid inside her, but Ramiro leaned closer, his torso blocking the light from the window.

Summer’s fingers curled into the comforter, needing to grip something. “M-maybe not right now,” she mumbled.

Ramiro eased away, and she couldn’t meet his eyes. “Look at me, Summer,” he said.

Her head felt so heavy. She struggled to lift it, finally forcing herself to meet his eyes. As soon as she did, her body relaxed. She was with Ramiro.

“You’ll always be safe with me.” His spoken words echoed her thoughts.

Ramiro always wanted to make her feel safe. She expected him to promise her again that they’d work on her triggers, that he’d help her with them.

He gripped her chin instead, his grip firm. “But be careful how much freedom you give me. I’m obsessed with making you feel good.” His tongue slid over his bottom lip, as if tasting her there. “Let me do whatever I want, and you’ll be coming all day long. I’ll make you come until you beg me to stop because you can’t take any more.”

Summer flushed under that predatory look in his eyes. He’d never looked at her that way before, not that she’d ever noticed.

He turned away, humming in his throat in that way he did whenever he was thinking through something. The thought that he was considering what to do to her made her thighs squeeze together.

She scrambled from the bed, picking up her bottoms from the floor and dragging them on. Her steps felt light as she went to the kitchen to prepare his coffee. She was still stirring the cream in when he placed a kiss on the side of her neck, crowding her against the counter and making her heart speed up.

“You always make it the way I like it.”

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