“I’m not opposed to sitting my ass on a stool and watching yours while you make me one.”
Heat flares in her eyes. “All this time while I thought we were just friends, you’ve been checking my ass out, haven’t you?”
“I’m a man. It’s a ten. Where the fuck else was I gonna look?”
“Shit,” she mutters. “This is going to be hard, isn’t it?”
I nod, eyes glued to hers. “Yeah.” But so fucking worth it.
She comes to me and takes my hand, the electricity between us blazing hot. Leading me into the kitchen, she says, “I’m gonna cut you some cake. If you feel the need to get your fill of my ass, go for it. After that, we’re gonna find a new show to watch. And then I’m gonna fall asleep on you.”
I’ve avoided relationships my entire life, but this right here, this feels exactly where I’m meant to be. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing than spending time with her.
25
Zara
* * *
When I wake up with Fury on Sunday morning, he’s wrapped around me again, like the last time he slept over. Again, I feel safe with him. Even with his erection pressing against me, I know I’m safe.
It’s frustrating that I freaked out when he kissed me. I’m looking forward to discussing this with my psychologist on Tuesday because I want nothing more than for Fury to be able to kiss and touch me. I want nothing more than to be normal again.
As I move, his arms clamp down, holding me in place, and he growls, “Don’t wiggle that ass, princess. I’m only just holding myself back.”
I smile to myself. How was I so lucky to find a good man like him? “I want to roll over so I can look at you.”
He removes his arms and lets me roll over.
He shifts onto his back and as I snuggle up to him, his arm comes around me to hold me close.
I meet his gaze. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I got a few hours.”
“Is my bed uncomfortable for you?” A few hours aren’t much.
His arm squeezes me and he shakes his head. “No. I don’t ever sleep well. I seem to get more sleep when I’m with you than when I’m not.”
It sucks that he doesn’t sleep well, but I love that he sleeps better when he’s with me. As I wonder why he doesn’t sleep well, my thoughts turn to what I know of him. He told me he wasn’t close to either of his parents. He also told me how violent his father was, that his brother is a piece of shit, and that he’s never lived with a woman. I’m intrigued as to how he became so aware of how to care for someone, because it doesn’t sound like his family showed him what love really is.
“How did you get so good at this?” I ask.
His brows furrow. “At what?”
I slide my arm out across his chest. “At caring for someone like you have me. And like you have for your niece.”
“I’m not good at it, Zara. You need to know this going in; I’ve only ever cared about myself and about making it through each day. Getting into a relationship like this is the last thing I ever planned on.”
I smile at him. “Well if this is you not being good at it,” I tease, “I can’t wait to see what you’re like when you pick up some skills.” When it’s clear he still doesn’t believe me, I say, “Seriously, somewhere along the way, you’ve figured out how to look out for people. Someone must have shown you how.”
“The only person who gave a damn about me was King. And Violet’s mother. And then my brothers.”
“When did you join Storm?”
“When I was nineteen.” He only gives me a quick answer until he realises I’m waiting for more. He should know by now that I’ve got all the questions for him. “I used to fight to pay the bills, and King turned up every now and then to watch. One night, he pulled me aside and offered me a job that paid well. We went from there.”
I trail my fingers over his chest, not wanting to think about King and the fact he doesn’