Lowering her head to my chest, Nara sighed. “I’ve been miserable without you, too, Brone. I won’t lie. This whole bonding process thing terrifies me, but I’m done fighting whatever this is between us.” She yawned, snuggling deeper into my frame. “And I could get used to this.”
I grinned. Coming here had been the right choice. I knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy. Whatever was blossoming between us was new and fragile, but I was determined to work as hard as I could to help it grow. I may have started the bonding process inadvertently, but Nara deserved to be wooed properly. I wanted to learn everything about my female, but for now, she needed to rest.
“Sleep, Nara.” I rubbed soft and steady circles over her back, wanting her to know I was here as well as helping soothe the part of me that had ached without her.
“Stay,” she whispered sleepily, her body relaxing as her breathing evened out.
I placed a kiss into her hair. “For as long as you want me.”
If I had my way, it would be for forever.
Nara
Awonderful warmth rested under my cheek, and I nuzzled closer with a soft sigh.I don’t want to wake up.I shut my eyes tighter, content to stay on top of this very warm and…hard mattress?
The bed in the cabin was far from the softest I had ever slept on, but what was under me had no give whatsoever.
Had I fallen asleep on the floor?It wouldn’t have surprised me. I had been exhausted after Brone had shown up.
My eyes popped open as everything came flooding back. I hadn’t fallen asleep on the floor…I had fallen asleep onBrone.
Oh god.I had totally used the Tank Class like my own personal mattress.Don’t forget the kiss, my mind added, and heat raced along my spine. I had never been so bold in my entire life.And I don’t regret it.
Life was short and my future uncertain. I never did anything without over analyzing or meticulously planning every step along the way. The day the rebellion came knocking had been the first day I’d thrown caution to the wind.
Since then, I had been tossing all my best laid plans to the wayside. The biggest one being that I had believed I could resist the cyborg I was currently using as my bed.
The voice that usually told me this was a horrible idea was suspiciously quiet this morning. Brone and I still had a ways to go. And our future wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
Being the Global Allegiance’s most wanted threw a wrench in any kind of happily ever after.
But you want it, don’t you?
I raised my head and found Brone gazing down at me with warmth shining in his blue eyes. Gentle fingers cupped my cheek. “Good morning.”
If my happily ever after was with him, then the answer was yes.
“Good morning.” I turned my head so I could put a kiss to his palm, loving the way his cheeks darkened.
A soft knock had my head whipping around to the door. Ion stood there, a tray of food in his hands. “I have breakfast.” His eyes scanned from the destroyed bed to where I rested on top of Brone, his lips twitching in amusement.
My stomach gave a loud rumble at the delicious smell of eggs, bacon, and toast. Mouth-watering. I was happy that my appetite had returned, seemingly with a vengeance. Fingers gripped my waist as Brone lifted me off his frame and put me down carefully beside him. I missed his warmth immediately, wanting nothing more than to crawl back on top of him and make myself at home.
Another rumble had him chuckling and I shrugged, settling myself back against the wall. The headboard had been split down the middle, the mattress a heap on the floor. The wooden frame that had held up the bed was utterly wrecked.
Ion walked over slowly, placing the tray into my hands before raising an eyebrow at the aftermath of our snuggle session.
“Not one word, Ion.” I scooted over until I was pressed against the side of Brone’s frame. Scooping up a bit of eggs, I took a bite and sighed happily. For the first time since I had been banished to the cabin, I wasn’t exhausted, and food didn’t taste like ash in my mouth.
Eating, along with trying to sleep, had become a chore. Something I had to do to keep functioning. With Brone here, no nightmares had haunted my dreams and even if they weren’t gone for good, I was going to enjoy the reprieve while I had it.
Reaching over me, Brone snagged a piece of bacon from my plate, shoveling it into his mouth with a happy groan. My whole body flared hot at the sound. I wanted to hear him make it again, and not due to a piece of bacon.
I awkwardly shifted my hips, biting down on my lip as I felt an ache bloom between my thighs. Butterflies fluttered inside my chest as I worked to tamp down this sudden flare of desire.
As a scientist, I knew all about the mechanics of sex. I understood lust, I just had never been so viscerally affected before.
And never by something as simple as a groan.