Page 81 of Tameron

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DAYTON

I felt deliciously satiated in more ways than one. Waking up with Tameron in my arms was not only amazing, but it was rare. Most of the time when we dozed off together, he slipped out of bed and either went home, or I found him sitting on the couch, curled up in the curve of the L with Knives purring on his chest.

I understood insomnia. We were old friends, and she often visited me when I was particularly stressed. But I hated that Tameron had to go through it.

The nights he did fall asleep in my bed, he often woke startled and disoriented and didn’t always like to be touched. So that morning, when he rolled over with a slight groan and nuzzled into my neck, I basked.

I savored.

I allowed myself long, lush, glorious minutes with him gently rubbing against me.

“Morning,” he finally said, his voice a thick rasp in the back of his throat.

I waited until his eyes were clear enough, then lifted my hand. ‘Morning.’

‘Signing is great,’ he answered as he rolled back. ‘No need to open your mouth and smell morning breath.’

Bursting into laughter, I pinned him and kissed him. ‘How about now?’

He grimaced and shoved me off. ‘Gross. Bad.’

Grinning, I kissed his neck one more time, then stretched my arms above my head. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, slightly hungry, slightly curious. He lifted a hand and traced one of my more vicious scars, the one on my stomach. We’d already talked about them a little, and he didn’t seem eager to ask for more details, which I appreciated.

There was no big story about them—not really. A bad call and a stint in the hospital to combat the infections, which was the worst part of it. But I didn’t mind the way they made me look. The scars gave me character—a tactile map of the life I’d lived for so many years.

“Can I use your shower?”

It was clear by the look on his face that he wanted some time alone, so I nodded and kissed his jaw. ‘Yes. I’ll make breakfast. Hungry?’

He made a C and ran it up and down his throat three times. My stomach warmed.

‘Mistake?’

He grinned and shook his head.

I was horny for him too—and the feeling never went away. It was starting to become a problem. He was a drug, and while I’d never dealt with addiction, I was starting to see how people did. I wanted him all the time.

‘Later,’ I signed.

He nodded and sat up, grabbing my wrist and pressing a kiss to my palm. “Thank you,” he rumbled against my skin.

I wanted to ask him for what, but I knew it was probably a bigger answer than he wanted to give me right then. He had so much to deal with, and I wouldn’t be the complex thing in his life he had to work out.

I would just be…here. Whenever he wanted me. Whenever he needed me.

Simple as that.

I felt his gaze on me again as I dressed, and I tossed him a wink before heading into the kitchen. I was grateful I’d put on my boxers because Dax was lounging on the sofa on a video call with one of his oldest friends. Jamie and Dax had become pen pals years back through a school program.

He’d grown up in Kauai and Dax had gone to visit a couple of times before Jamie moved to the mainland. He lived in SoCal now and worked as his station’s only Deaf firefighter. We didn’t see him enough, especially now that he and his husband Danny were married and had two ankle-biters running around.

‘Morning,’ I signed, leaning over Dax’s shoulder.

Jamie waggled his brows at me. ‘Busy night?’

I shrugged and grinned. ‘Something like that. How are you?’

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