He kissed her forehead tenderly. This moment almost hadn’t happened; they might never have been in each other’s arms again.
Mac shifted so he was no longer on top of her, moving them to their sides as he tucked her in next to him. She snuggled in close, hiding her face against his chest. Her arm encircled his waist as he caressed her back. After a few moments, her hand slipped down and grasped his thigh, urging it over hers.
He smiled at her gesture and accommodated her, placing his leg over hers, cocooning her. She needed to feel surrounded by him. Fucking fine with him. Surrounding her was pretty damn awesome, even if he was scared this entire episode was a trauma response back to another time.
Not that it could be anything more. He knew that. Fucking hated that he knew it, but he did. Just needed to make sure she didn’t regret this; didn’t blame herself for it, and it didn’t fuck up her future.
He felt like he was on a precipice, about to receive everything he had ever wanted.
It was fucking terrifying.
Chapter sixty-seven
Cassidy
DO NOT PROMISE ME FOREVER
IfCassidycouldhavecrawled inside of him, she would have. For the first time in her life, she envied a man’s ability to insert himself inside a woman because she needed reassurance. Crawling into his skin, in her mind, would be the best way to get that assurance. She’d had to content herself with being as close to him as physically possible, the strong, steady beats of his heart beneath her ear sending her to sleep, her energy sapped.
The crash after the storm.
But he had her, and she had him, so she’d let go.
She slept for hours.Theyslept for hours. Hard, and so deep, neither moved.
Mac’s breathing was steady and regular, his leg still thrown over hers, one arm pillowing his head, the other hanging across her hips. With every breath, his chest teased her breasts; his stomach collided with hers, her hair stirred as he exhaled. Her body went up in flames.
This man.
She dragged her hand along his waist, her goal was his even now rising cock, waking in response to her caress and intent. Before she could wrap her fingers around him, her wrist was caught, startling her.
“No,” came the gruff, sleepy order.
Shocked, Cassidy looked up at him.
Mac opened his eyes and stared down at her. “We need to talk.”
Confusion, hurt, and a touch of panic swarmed in her eyes. Those weren’t words she ever expected to hear from Mac, especially when they were naked in bed, he had a hard-on, and she was reaching for him. “What? No. Just—” She rolled her body against his, a clear invitation and indication of what she wanted, rubbing herself against his cock.
With a tortured groan, Mac pushed her away and sat up.
“I don’t understand. Are you upset about something?”
He let out a frustrated laugh. “Sweetheart, this isn’t mad,” he indicated his rigid penis. “But you and me, we need to have a conversation. And as long as you’re naked, that’s not going to happen.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes prowling her flesh. “Fuck.”
Cassidy moved to her knees, which spurred him away, not closer. He was agile in vacating the bunk and slipping down onto the bench beneath. Another step and he was off the bench, scooping up her dress. He flung it toward her. Without looking at her, he snatched up his pants, opened the refrigerator, and withdrew a beer, then headed up the steps.
She sat there, stunned, her body still throbbing and aching for his touch.
He’d deserted her, so she drew her dress over her head as she scooted off the berth, as well. She made use of the head; the benefit of short hair was that it was less messy after sex and trauma sleep; no snarls to work out.
She made her way topside, the realization sinking in that while the events of the morning had solidified in her mind who and what she wanted, there was someone who still hadn’t weighed in: Mac. It was one thing for her to make declarations, but as she scrambled through her memories, she realized they had all been one-way.
Mac was sitting on the padded bench at the back of the boat, watching her as she emerged. He’d donned his pants but was without his shirt. Her eyes went to the overhang of trees to ensure he was well enough protected from the sun.
He held out a hand to her. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Walking over to him, she took his hand. With her other hand, she reached for the beer as she sat sideways on the bench, facing him. She watched him as she drank the beer, drinking faster than she should have. The carbonation made her burp as she handed it back. She slapped her hand over her mouth and rolled her eyes.