Page 40 of Wandering Closer

“Hmmm.”

“How are you feeling after everything today?”

I take a deep breath, mulling it over. I was hoping for things to be settled outside of court, so hearing that likely won’t be the case was rough. It feels nice to have a plan in place, though. Meeting River and Vanessa surprisingly brought on a lot of nerves for me, too. I realized I wanted River to like me. That his opinion matters simply because he is Thoren’s brother. “Overwhelmed. Good. Scared. Overwhelmed some more. It was all a lot.”

It’s his turn to hum in response. “Hey, Lily?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I hold you?” his soft voice asks.

“Like right now?”

“Like all night, baby. You’ve had a long day, and I just want you to feel secure. Let me take care of you?” Now that my eyes have adjusted to the dark, I watch as he lifts the covers and scoots back.

There it goes. Thoren just took down the last barrier I had around my heart. Without hesitating, I slide out of my bed and crawl into his. He drapes the blanket over me, pulling me into his body. His strong arms wrap around me, securing me just like he promised. Warm hands gently rub up and down my back as his legs tangle in between mine. My body doesn’t know how to respond; my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest while my muscles completely succumb to him.

“I can feel your pulse racing,” he whispers into my hair. “Relax, I’ve got you now.”

“You called me baby,” I whisper back. That little sentiment didn’t escape my notice, and I like how it felt.

“I did.”

My chin lifts as his lowers, our faces hovering inches from each other. I watch every flutter of his lashes, the slight uptick in his lip as he takes me in. His chest breathes deep against mine, rubbing my sensitive nipples against him every time. When the look in his eyes changes to something headier, I close that small gap between us and press my lips to his.

It’s soft. Sweet. His lips part slightly, deepening the kiss, his short beard scratching deliciously against my skin. I lick along the seam of his lips, begging for entrance. I need more of him like I need my next breath. He parts our lips further, taking control of the kiss as one hand glides into the base of my hair, gripping it tight.

A soft whimper escapes me as his tongue strokes against mine. His minty breath mixes with mine as his tongue languidly explores my mouth. All too soon, he pulls back, panting for breath. His forehead leans against mine until our breathing isback to normal, his warm breath tickling my face. Ever so slowly he shakes his head, dropping a lingering kiss to my forehead.

“Go to sleep, Lily. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

I should be upset that he pulled away, but I’m too exhausted to fight it. I wiggle in closer to him, wrapping my arms around his strong back. His erection nestles heavily between us and I fight the urge to reach down and stroke him; to feel the weight of his soft skin as it hardens under my hand.

His hands move down to my back again, this time kneading into my muscles. His woodsy, amber scent envelops me, his soft lips brushing tender kisses onto my forehead and in my hair. I realize as I’m falling asleep that I was wrong earlier. This is what heaven must feel like.

I’m warm, wrapped tight in heavy blankets that cocoon me in place. There’s a bone deep comfort that I feel in this bed, and I know it’s not the mattress I have at home. My brain catches up to my body, remembering that I’m at a hotel in Seattle with Thoren.

Thoren.

Thoren that I kissed last night. Thoren that is currently wrapped around me, not just the blankets. His chest is to my back now, his skin warming mine in all the places my pajamas don’t cover. Blinking against the bright morning light, I see one of his hands stretched out from underneath my pillow. There’s a tingle between my thighs seeing evidence of his hard work written all over the rough calluses. They lead up to forearms wrapped in corded muscle, and I get the urge to run my fingers through the hair on them.

His other arm flexes around my waist, pulling me further into him. His erection digs into my ass as he buries his head in my neck and inhales.

“Good morning, how’d you sleep?” His sleepy voice is raspy, adding to the growing heat in my core.

“Like a rock. How’d you sleep?”

“Best sleep I’ve had all year. I want nothing more than to stay in this spot all day, but I have morning activities planned before we need to head to the stadium. Want to order us room service while I go shower? Get anything your heart desires,” he says, slipping out of the bed already.

I feel the loss of him immediately. I’ve never been great at flirting or expressing what I want sexually. With Thoren, though, I don’t want to be this quiet, timid woman. I want to do things that make him call me a good girl again, and feel his lips on mine. No time like the present to take those steps, right?

“Are you going to take care of that in the shower?” I ask, letting my eyes trail down to his hard cock straining to break free from the confines of his shorts.

He chokes, trying to cover it with a cough. “Yes,” he says as a blush rises on his cheeks.

“Will you say my name when you come?”

Waking up in his arms solidified the fact that I want this man. Body and soul, Thoren is the best man I have ever known and I want this small ownership of him. This small claiming, that for one moment, with his hand wrapped around his hard cock, saying my name, he will be mine.

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