He said he only wanted to sleep. Does he want more? Does he want me?
Devlin’s nose buries against the back of my neck. His stiffness relaxes and he hugs me tighter. He nudges his knee between my legs and I can feel his half-hard cock against my ass.
I shift my hips, rolling them against his length.
Devlin growls, his arm locking tighter around me. He presses his hips against mine in response, his dick growing harder.
“Sleep, troublemaker.”
I bite my lip. The spark of fire he ignited in my stomach leaves my skin tight and my clit throbbing. We’re really going to sleep like this?
“What about—”
Devlin cuts off my question about his cock with another grumbling sound, nipping at my neck. His tongue follows, making me arch against him.
“Christ,” he groans into my neck. “Go the fuck to sleep.”
My body protests. I want him to stop teasing the curve of my breasts with absent touches because it’s driving me crazy.
“You wanted me in here.”
His teeth and tongue graze my neck, torturing the same spot. Is he giving me a hickey? How can he touch me like this and ask me to go to sleep?
“I want you to sleep.” Devlin settles, tucking my body into his.
When he exhales, it sounds content. Almost happy.
I lick my lips and try to slow the rapid beat of my heart as I curl up to sleep. I’m surrounded by his scent, the hint of ginger wrapped in leather tickling my senses. It’s in the sheets and all around me with Devlin holding me close.
As drowsiness quells the rush of lust, sleep eludes me. Devlin drops off into unconsciousness with his lips pressed to the crook of my neck.
I’ve never sold my body. It’s the one line I have left. But somehow this feels different, sleeping in his bed. Maybe it’s the thing growing between us that changes everything.
It’s what I tell myself to finally drift.
Devlin’s lips move against my neck in his sleep, like he hasn’t had enough.
I think I understand the way he was tense, then able to relax once we were tangled in each other. It soothes me, too. It’s…nice.
Cuddling with Devlin, I’m able to fall asleep, no longer feeling so alone without Mom.
* * *
When I arrive at Mom’s hospital room with an armful of books, she’s alone. Mom is propped up in bed, looking better than I’ve seen her in years. There’s healthy color in her cheeks and her eyes are bright.
Nothing was more terrifying than running into our trailer to find her passed out on the floor.
“Hey,” I greet brightly as I enter.
“Hi, baby girl.” Mom’s smile is full of radiance. She pats the bed. “Come sit.”
“I brought you some entertainment.” I perch on the side of her bed, setting the books from my collection on the tray table. “I figured you might be getting bored and need something to occupy the time. Will the doctor discharge you yet?”
“Not yet. We’re waiting on the latest results from the blood test.”
I hold back a sigh. Things at Devlin’s house have been better than I expected, but I miss Mom. I pick up the brush from the side table and get to work with our routine. I visit, brush her hair, and do my homework as we talk.
When she holds her arms open, I lean in for a hug. She pets my hair and for a minute everything is okay in the world.