Page 40 of His Forever

“You’ll be comfortable, Marleigh, I promise.”

They shared the desserts and when the waitress came by, he asked for to-go cups for their drinks. He had brought a cooler but knew all that was left was water. Once she returned with their drinks, he handed her a tip before helping Marleigh out of the booth and back to the truck. Before getting in, he got her a pillow and the throw from the backseat, then helped her up and nudged her toward the middle. “I like you cuddling up with me, mi siempre hermosa,” he told her at her questioning look.

While she waited for him to get in, she took a pill and set the heating pad up for the long ride home. “You all set?” he asked as he climbed in and started the truck.

“Mmhmm,” she replied as she curled next to him before buckling up. “Don’t let me go to sleep, that’s poor form on a date, don’t you know?” she teased.

He burst out laughing before leaning over her and kissing her soundly. “Marleigh, how many times have we fallen asleep together now?”

“Quite a few.”

“And I’ve not minded any of those times,” he told her as he kissed her once more before starting the truck. “You relax. I know you may fall asleep and it’s okay.”

***

Once again, she woke up as he laid her on her bed. “I did it again, didn’t I?” she said sleepily.

“Si, but it’s okay. I’m going to take care of the animals and will be right back,” he told her.

She got up and went to the bathroom and changed into pajamas before she brushed her teeth. She came back out to find him already in bed with her side pulled down. When she crawled in next to him, he pulled her close and covered them both before saying, “Enjoyed today, Marleigh. Sleep well, mi siempre hermosa,” before he kissed her.

“Good night, Zeus. Thank you for today,” she replied once their kiss ended. Cuddled up close to him, it wasn’t long before she was sleeping once again.

Chapter Fourteen

Waking up slowly, she smiled to herself. Harry was snuggled up in front of her, head on the pillow like usual and a strong, well-muscled arm was wrapped around her waist. A slight wiggle had her blushing as she felt his hard-on against her lower back and ass. She carefully eased out of bed and smiled again when she saw Nabisco and the newest addition, Sheba, curled around Duke on the bed in the corner. Gathering her clothes, she made her way into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

She came back out and saw he was still asleep. Watching him, she sighed inside. He was one hundred percent man and she was beyond grateful that he had come into her life. She got all the animals out and closed the door so she could work on breakfast.

***

Engrossed in cooking eggs, she didn’t hear his footsteps behind her but only jumped slightly when those strong arms wrapped around her and he kissed the side of her neck before whispering, “Good morning, mi siempre hermosa.”

Turning, she looped her arms around his neck and leaned up to place a kiss on his lips. “Good morning, Zeus. You were sleeping so well, I didn’t want to wake you up. I was going to get this finished so we could eat before we both had to go to work.”

“Do you need me to do anything?” he asked.

“Nope. All the four-legged kids are outside on the deck communing with nature and Duke has already been put out and come back. I got them all fed as well.”

He went to the cabinet and grabbed a mug before pouring himself a cup of coffee. Leaning against the counter, he drank the first cup quietly before pouring a second cup and getting their plates ready. Once the food was served, they walked out onto the deck to enjoy the early morning. “Oh my goodness, look at her, Zeus,” Marleigh said, pointing to Sheba. She was still tiny but had been cleared for her shots and was now the youngest member of the feline crew. She was trying to make her way up to the lowest perch but couldn’t quite jump that high. Before either of them could do anything, Duke ambled over and gently grabbed her by her scruff and put her up on the perch. The kitten turned around and head bopped the hound before licking between his eyes. Duke woofed softly at the kitten before he did his version of turning three times and plopping down right below the perch so he could keep an eye on Sheba.

“I think he misses her, mi siempre hermosa. He wanders the house checking everywhere.”

“You know, he could stay here during the day, Zeus. I wouldn’t mind at all,” she told him as she worked on getting her caffeine level up.

“Are you sure? We would have to move their food.”

“We can put it down in the spare room or the other bathroom and put up a gate. Even Sheba should be able to climb over it.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Who knew he would like cats?”

“Right? I laughed this morning when I got up because he was in his bed and Nabisco and Sheba were curled around him and he looked beyond content.”

Looking at his watch, he said, “We need to get going, Marleigh. How busy is your day?”

She mentally thought about her calendar. “Um, I think it’s one of those days. Because of everyone coming in this weekend, I’ll be switching folks around a bit. Speaking of, is Friday your late or early day? I need to do your massage then if it’s the early day and will have to do the running Friday night.”

“Early day so I’ll see you around four and we’ll do dinner and then our shopping afterward if you want,” he told her.

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