“Next time.” I bite on her earlobe. “You’re going to ride me bare until I become a part of your fucking DNA.”
We just enjoy the moment, basking in it a little longer. But it doesn’t last long before there is a knock on the door. I jump out of bed and stand, pull on my pants, and crack it open. Gideon is standing on the other side.
“Not a good time.” I groan, doing my best job not to kill him right now for ruining the moment.
“Sorry,” he responds. “When you didn’t answer . . .” he trails off. I shake my head at him, leveling him with a stare. One that says leave, but since he’s already here, I have one question.
“Update? All good?”
“Building is down.”
“Good.”
With that done and settled, I close the door and head back to bed, where Skye is waiting for me.
“Everything okay?” she asks as she rolls over to look at me.
“Yes,” I say, my voice soothing, not wanting to bring that shit into the bed. “Yes, it’s all good.” I kiss her, then lie down next to her.
I look at her and see the sadness creep into her eyes. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“Of course, I do,” I say, sitting on the bed and reaching out to touch her face. “But I don’t want to talk about that now.”
“And what do you want to talk about?” she asks.
I grin, drawing her closer. “How I’ll never get my fill of you.”
“Is that so?” she asks, her voice rising playfully.
“It is.” I move until my face is nestled in her neck, making her giggle.
I stay pressed against her soft skin, allowing myself to breathe her in. We lie there for a few minutes before I feel her stir.
“What are we going to do?” she finally asks, running her hand through my hair. I pull back and look into her eyes. Her gaze penetrates me. So many unspoken words. So many questions.
“What do you want to do?” I ask her.
“I don’t know,” she says, shrugging. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” I lean in and place my lips on hers.
“And for that, I am thankful. But for now, I want you to trust me.”
“Okay. I can do that . . . for now.”
“Good.” I nod. “Okay. Enough talk. Time to rest.”
I lean back onto the pillow and open my arm for her to get closer. She snuggles into my chest as my arm drops around her small shoulders to hold her.
On my back, staring at the ceiling, I focus on her breathing, listening to the moment she falls asleep. When it levels out, I allow my own breath to calm, letting me drift off as well.
41
Skye
I stretch my arms over my head and let out a long, drawn-out yawn. For a moment, I forget where I am, blinking my lids to remember.
Then, with a jolt, it all comes back to me.
The car. The fighting. The bomb. The rushing to get to the safehouse.
I still can’t wrap my brain around everything.
It’s been crazy. Surreal. I always knew that something didn’t make sense with my father’s story, and now I know why.
He wasn’t dead.
Tobias, the boy, wasn’t dead.
But despite the revelation, my brain and my heart are having a hard time grasping it.
I’ve spent years mourning him. And now one night of loving him has changed me. But how long will it take for me to feel safe and grounded again?
I roll over to see that Tobias is still sleeping next to me. He has a peaceful look on his face and I just want to keep this momentary calm, regardless of the mountain of unknowns awaiting us.
We still need to figure everything out and talk about what happened. Talk about Felix, talk about what Dad could know, and where we go from here. There has to be a we now. I cannot go back to a time without him again. No one has found us yet, but our time is running out.
“Morning.” Tobias stretches his arms above his head. The blanket lowers with the movement, giving me a view of the V of his abs.
“Morning.” I bite my lip, not exactly knowing where we stand today or even what we are going to face. “So . . . ?” Looking away from him, I focus my attention on the window. The rolling hills have a whimsical quality that makes me want to escape here forever.
“So?” he quips, and I know if I turn to face him, he’ll be smiling. Something I’m still not used to seeing but can’t help but crave.
“What’re you up to today?” I ask lamely.
“I should call a meeting with my men.”
“Okay.” I’m waiting for the but.
A hand lands on my shoulder. My pulse accelerates. Tobias’s touch is enough to have my heart catapulting into overdrive.
“But I’m not going to do that just yet . . .”
Thud. Thud.
“What are you going to do, then?”
His fingers start to work their way down my back. “Spend time with you.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
And then, without warning, he grabs hold of me, flips me over, and pounces.
“You really have to ask?” He smirks. “But first, breakfast.”
Tobias crawls down my body. Teeth and tongue nipping and licking as he makes his way down to where I’m desperate for him.
A moan escapes my mouth as his hands land on my thighs and opens them.
Then his mouth is on me.
Fuck. I love breakfast.
I sit at the table while Tobias pours us both coffees.
“I feel like we need to talk about what happened,” I blurt out.
“Negative,” Tobias replies. “After breakfast, we can talk.” He returns to the table with two mugs. I lift mine and take a sip.
“Fine.”
Tobias smiles at me. A few minutes later, there is also a plate of eggs and a piece of toast in front of me. I could get used to this, I think. Except this isn’t what life would be like. This is us avoiding the truth.
I eat silently, waiting for Tobias to finish his food so we can talk. He gulps down the last of his breakfast, and then he sighs.
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“You want to talk? Let’s talk,” he mutters.
“Well, when you say it that way . . .” I deadpan.
Tobias smiles, then leans forward and takes my hand in his. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk. I just want to enjoy you. I’ve looked for you for years, then I found you, and you didn’t remember me. Now that I have you, I don’t want to ruin it. Give me a few days with you. Let me live in this bubble for more than a second, please.”
“Can you do that?” I ask. “Can you put everything aside and enjoy yourself?”
“Yes, I can. And I’m going to start now.”
I have no idea what he means, but then I understand when he pushes the plates out of the way, and I’m lifted by my ass and placed on the kitchen table.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going for a walk,” he deadpans before he places his hands on my chest, pushing me until my back hits the table. Next goes the thong. Once they are gone, he’s pulling my legs apart.