Page 63 of Sloth
But not like this.
Later. He gathered his fly and went to zip up.
She stopped him with a hand to his wrist, furious. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
“My turn.” She reached for his pants.
He jerked back. “No.”
“No?” She blinked, shocked. “Why not?”
Always so demanding. “I can’t be gentle right now. Next time.”
A sound caught between a purr and a growl came out of her throat. “Who said I need gentle?”
He pushed her away. “I say you do. I want to give you gentle. You deserve diamonds and satin sheets.”
“Max,” she protested.
“Please. Let me do this.”
She stared defiantly, but in the end, she nodded.
It was the hardest thing he’d had to do in months, but it was right. When he got his time with Sloan, he wanted it to be special. It would be how she deserved, and not when she was still recovering from being bitten by genetically modified beasts.
“I’m tired,” he said. His finger hooked her under the chin with a finger and pressed his lips gently to hers. “I’m going to set up a place to rest.”
He knew she was disappointed, but in the long run, she’d thank him. And it wasn’t a complete lie, exhaustion filtered in as his lust seeped out. He really needed to rest, and so did she.
* * *
Sometime later,they’d cleaned off and set up a makeshift bed using a combination of clothes and a bedroll at the opening of the cave. In only his boxer shorts, Max collapsed beside Sloan on their bedroll, hands possessively around her despite her reacting stiffly. Tugging her body to his side, he hoped she was listening with her heart and her sixth sense, because then she’d know the truth. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, he blacked out, falling into a deep dreamless sleep.
When he woke, stiff and sore, the sun shone brightly into the cave. Disorientated, he struggled to get his bearings. A glance around told him they were now deeper into the cave, avoiding the direct sun. Sloan must have moved him in his sleep. Considering he’d not noticed, he must have been out cold. Cursing at his sore ribs, he searched and found her close to the entrance, keeping watch.
“Did you sleep?” he asked.
She gave him a sweet smile. “I don’t need as much as you. Well, not anymore.”
“Oh?”
“Before you, I slept all the time. Now… not so much.”
“How long was I out?”
“About four hours. You needed it.”
Dressed back in her clothes, she used a tiny screwdriver to poke at the insides of her device out. She was trying to fix the damaged thing. Incredible. Clever, beautiful, and funny. He was a lucky man.
But she wasn’t feeling the same love. A frown marred her face and she looked out at the scenery with concern.
Finding his clothes, he put them on, watching her intently, wishing he had an ounce of her ability so he could understand where that frown came from.
“What is it, Sloan?” he asked.
“Do you think I’m a whiny bitch?”
