Page 45 of Can't Help Growling in Love
June is a secret cuddler.
My heart twinges with the realization that she must have been completely burned-out last night since she barely twitched when I got into bed beside her. I never would have suspected she was this cuddly, given how respectful she was of my initial aversion to touch, but it looks like her barriers are down now that she’s out.
I love it.
Before June, I never shared a bed with anyone. I’ve shared rooms or tents with my old teammates, yes, but we had our own bunks or sleeping bags, depending on whether we were on a mission or at base. But this…
Nothing has ever been more intimate than having a sleeping June in my arms.
Slowly, I shift to my side and tuck her more firmly to me. She mumbles in her sleep, something unintelligible, and ducks her head. Sighing deeply, she sinks back into sleep. Her thigh fits perfectly between mine, and her waist feels like it’s been made for my hand, the dip and swell of her hips so enticing, even under the covers.
I’ll never be able to sleep.
Not with my mate cuddled next to me like this. I’m half hard, and June’s scent teases my senses with every breath.
But after a few minutes, my heartbeat levels out, and I realize with a tired sort of wonder that I’m about to fall asleep.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” I murmur, kissing June’s forehead.
I want to say more, to tell her how much she already means to me.
But she wouldn’t hear me, and my last thought is that I’ll tell her soon.
I’ll have to, before the full moon.
I wake up to a twitch and a gasp, limbs flailing against my body.
“Huh?” I blink in the low light.
“We’re late!” June scrambles away from me and rolls over the edge of the bed. “Asher, come on, we forgot to set the alarm. I have to be at the hospital in twenty minutes!”
I groan inwardly but catapult myself to my feet. One thing I haven’t forgotten in the years since I left the Army is how to jump-start my body at a sudden wake-up call.
“Shit, sorry.” I scramble over to the dresser and grab a pair of underwear. “I should have?—”
“Webothshould have,” June answers curtly from the other side of the bed, where she’s tugging on her panties. “I need at least five minutes to get ready. Can you drive me? I hate to put you out, but…”
I lift my hand to stop her. “Go. You do your thing, and I’ll be ready at the door in five.”
I snag a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and race into the kitchen. We might have fucked up and slept late, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let June out of the house without breakfast two days in a row.
Flinging open the fridge, I take out the baby carrots, a bunch of grapes, and some cream cheese, then scrounge up a bagel from the bakery on Main Street. Its owner, an orc called Dorvak, might be a grump, but he makes the best damn bread in town.
I slice the bagel in half and pop it in the toaster, then rummage in the cupboards for a protein bar and a baggie of salted nuts. The bagel pops out, so I slather it with cream cheese, then add some prosciutto I bought at the grocery store the other day.
I pack everything in a tote bag for June. It doesn’t look like much, so I add an apple and a wrapper of cookies, just to be sure.
I don’t want my mate to go hungry.
The bathroom door opens, so I hustle into the hallway and slip on my shoes, just in time to see June emerge from my bedroom.
Her eyes are wide, her scent going haywire, but her hair is plaited neatly, she smells of her deodorant, and her clothes match, so I grin at her and motion at her boots.
“Perfect timing. We’ll get you to the hospital with time to spare.”
We run for the car, and when she’s safely closed in and puts on her seat belt, I shove the bag of food into her lap. “Here, you can get a few bites in before your shift. Can’t save people on an empty stomach.”
June stares at me, then peers into the tote bag. “Oh my God. You made all this? When?”
