Page 65 of After Tonight

“Yeah.”

He tightened his hold on her, tucking her more firmly under his chin. She took a big, deep breath, then let it out. Her body stopped shaking and she finally turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled close.

Her naked breasts pressed into his chest, but all he could think about was that she was here. She’d come to him when she was feeling shaken. That seemed right. And amazing.

“How can I help?” he asked.

“Can I stay over? I don’t want to sleep alone in the basement.”

He opened his mouth, but before he could reply, she said, “And can you tease me a little bit or something? Like call me a wuss for needing to be held or something. I just don’t want anything else serious tonight.”

Yeah, it didn’t get a lot more serious than sex trafficking. He wanted to tell her that he was proud of her. He wanted to point out that she’d helped save lives tonight. He wanted to ask about what all had gone down, honestly. But that wasn’t what she needed from him.

So he ran his hand across her lower back and said, “Damn, I really am amazing. I’m going to sleep all night with a half-naked woman who I want more than anything, and all I’m going to do is hold her.”

Okay that wasn’t the best teasing he’d ever done, but hopefully it would work.

She wiggled a little. “Do you want me to put a shirt on?”

“I most definitely do not want you to put a shirt on.”

She turned again, so her butt was against his cock. “So you’ll be okay?”

In spite of the position, and how much his cock liked it, Derek could hear the smile in her voice, and he felt a knot of tension ease in his shoulders. “Yeah. But I’ll probably deserve a reward in the morning.”

“Do you like chocolate chips?” she asked.

“I think I could come up with a few ways to incorporate chocolate chips, yes.” He nuzzled her hair.

“Well, it’s not hard,” she said. “You just mix them into the pancake batter.”

“Ah, chocolate chip pancakes,” he said. “That’s my reward?”

“Yes.”

He was pretty sure he could change her mind about that.

“After we have sex in your shower.”

That was more like it. “Fair warning, I have a loofah and I’m not afraid to use it.”

She wiggled again, and he heard a soft giggle. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt better.

“’Night, Ry,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

She gave another of those soft, happy sighs. “’Night, Derek.”

He waited a few seconds, then he said softly, “And if you wake me up before eight a.m. tomorrow, I will spank your ass.”

His hand was resting on her stomach, and he felt the little hitch in her breathing.

“Not sure that’s the deterrent that you think it is,” she replied.

He grinned. “Okay, how about this…I’ll spank you for letting me sleep past nine.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Deal.”

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