Page 31 of Savage Reign

His eyes were on me the whole time he undressed. There was never anything awkward about his movements.

He was sure and confident in everything he did, and I knew that was one of the things that first drew me to him. I didn’t look away from him either.

Once he stripped down to his boxers, he climbed back into the bed, took the side closest to the door, and pulled me in close to his arms.

I didn’t resist.

What was the point anyway? I craved his arms, even when I wished I didn’t. Even when I knew I shouldn’t. And my exhaustion was back. I had no will to fight him. At least, not tonight.

I rested my head on his naked chest and closed my eyes, counting his heartbeats. His skin and hair were slightly damp, and his breath smelled like toothpaste.

“Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here to protect you through the night.”

I didn’t say anything to that. I snuggled in closer to him and closed my eyes.

I believed him.

11

MILA

I wokeup when I felt the sun shining down on my face.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I had slept so deeply. I didn’t want to admit that it was probably when I was still at the Tiernan mansion.

Maverick was still sleeping beside me, his scent invading my senses and making it hard for me to think straight. One arm was thrown around my middle, holding me close to him while he spooned me from behind.

Slowly, I turned back to face him.

I pulled up short when I found his eyes open; the brightness in the blue hue told me he had been awake for a while. I blinked slowly, my eyes roaming over his features. They didn’t change, but he tightened his arms around me.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked.

He shrugged. I eyed him suspiciously. I was wrong. There wasn’t a brightness in his eyes because he had woken a long while ago. It was awareness.

My voice was still soft from sleep when I spoke. “Did you sleep at all?”

He let out a little smile. “On and off. I like watching you sleep.”

I should probably be a little creeped out by that, but at this point, I didn’t think him watching me sleep was even the worst of all he’d done.

I shook my head, and his smile widened.

“Can’t you sleep?” I asked.

“Very little.”

Wasn’t what I asked, but something about his answer teased my mind of a memory. “Insomnia?”

“On and off,” he answered casually, as if this was just another part of his night, and he had just accepted it.

I shot him a look.

He tapped the tip of his finger on my lip. “Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart.”

“Haven’t you ever thought about seeing someone about this?”

“Seeing someone? You mean a shrink?”

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