Page 70 of Love Without Control

When we finally extricated ourselves, we went in and transferred Dane’s clothing and personal items to my suite. It looked strange to see men’s clothing hanging on one side of my closet, but I didn’t mind. My friend and her precious little boy needed a safe place to stay, and that was all that mattered.

We’d just gone back outside when we saw Mimsy escorting an exhausted Charlisse across the street. Dane jogged out and took a sleeping Cooper from her arms while I curled my arms around her and squeezed her.

“I’m so happy you’re safe. How is Cooper?”

A small smile broke through her tears. “The little stinker slept through the whole thing, including a tree falling through the damn house and all the banging and chainsaws.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I was so scared, Eden. That tree came within a couple feet of landing right on us.”

I swiped at the tears on my face as I led her inside. “But it didn’t. You’re both fine and safe. That’s all that’s important.”

She cast one last glance at her house across the street, and I thought the poor woman was going to collapse, but she straightened her shoulders with resolve.

“You’re right. A house is just a house, and my baby is okay.” Her hand gripped my upper arm as I closed the door. “Thank you both so much for letting us stay here.”

“As long as you need,” I assured her, guiding her to the bedroom where Dane was laying Cooper on the bed. “Let me grab you some pajamas.”

It was three in the morning by the time we were ready for bed. Dane showered first, and when I came out from the bathroom, I noticed he’d set the overhead light on the dimmest setting.

“We can turn that off if you can’t sleep with it on,” I told him.

“Nah, I could sleep with the light of a thousand suns on me right now.”

I could see the fatigue etched onto the planes of his face, and I suddenly felt bone tired as well. It had been a long-ass day. Feeling the awkwardness like a dense fog between us, I climbed onto my side of the bed and faced the veranda door, away from Dane, before tapping the touch lamp to turn it off.

The mattress sank with his weight, and from the sound of his breathing, I could tell he was facing me. He was so big, I could feel the heat of his body against my back—even though we weren’t touching—and my breathing picked up.

“What’s wrong?” he said into the darkness.

“Nothing,” I lied.

A second later, I heard the soft click of one of the push lights and twisted my head to see Dane resting on one elbow, the blue haze of the light forming a halo behind his head. He was so close, and one of my hands fisted in the sheet as I attempted to control my heart rate.

“Remember what Dr. Lynch said. I won’t know the things that trigger you unless you tell me.”

He was right. Exhaling through my mouth, I turned until I was on my back, looking up at Dane. “When I was taken, Ethan grabbed me from behind. I guess it just makes me… nervous.”

Dane nodded like he understood. Like I wasn’t acting crazy, even though sometimes I felt like it. He never made me feel like that, instead validating my feelings at every turn.

“M’kay,” he murmured. “I can take the floor. No biggie.”

“No,” I said sharply. “It’s my issue. I can sleep on the floor.”

His lips crooked up on one side. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, babe.” He slowly reached for my left hand and tugged, rotating until we were both resting on our right sides, me behind him instead of the other way around. Then he placed my hand on his hip. “That better?”

I breathed out a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in my lungs, the air gusting against his broad back. This was better. I didn’t feel confined like this.

“It’s… good. Thank you.”

Dane reached up and turned off the small light before burrowing down into his pillow. “You’re in control, Eden. Never forget that.”

And as I closed my eyes and drifted into the first comfortable waves of sleep, I felt like it.

Chapter 23

Iawokewithasmall, warm body plastered to my back. With my eyes still closed, I smiled, loving the feel of Eden’s warmth and her arm wrapped around my waist. Tightly. Some time during the early morning hours, she’d closed the gap between us and cuddled against me, turning me into “the little spoon.”

A quiet noise escaped her, a tiny “hmmm” of contentment that mirrored my own. It had been a long time since I’d slept in a bed with a woman.

Eden’s hand rested against my abs, and I reached down to stroke my fingers over it, taking the opportunity to appreciate the softness, like expensive silk beneath my touch. When her hand absently moved up and down the ridges of my abdomen, I linked my fingers between hers to stop her before she could accidentally go lower and find the morning wood tenting the front of my briefs.

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