Ivy didn’t stir. She’d been asleep in Damian’s arms for almost two hours, her head tucked into the curve of his shoulder.
By now, his shoulder ached but he wouldn’t have moved her for anything in the world.
How could sleeping with a woman, sleeping with her in the most literal sense of the word, feel so wonderful?
Damian turned his head, breathing in Ivy’s scent. Silky strands of her hair brushed against his lips. He closed his eyes and thought about staying here with her, just like this, until she awakened.
Impossible, of course.
They had to return to reality eventually. It might as well be now.
But he could wake her quietly. Show her that every moment they were together didn’t have to be a battle.
Gently he rolled her onto her back, bent to her and kissed her.
“Kalimera,” said softly.
Ivy sighed and he kissed her again.
“Ivy,” he whispered. “Wake up. We’re home.”
Her lashes fluttered open to reveal eyes were dark, still clouded with sleep.
“Damian?”
His name was soft on her lips. She’d never spoken it that way before, as if he and she were alone in the universe.
“Yes, it’s me, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
“I don’t—I don’t remember. How did we…?”
Her eyes widened and he knew she’d realized she was not only in his arms but in his bed. He’d watched Lucas taming a mare once; that same wild look had come into the animal’s eyes.
“Easy,” he said.
“What am I doing in this bed?”
“Sleeping. Nothing more than that.”
“But—how did I get here? I don’t remember…”
“I carried you. You were exhausted.”
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were cool. “Let me up.”
“In a minute.”
“Damian—”
“Do you see what sleeping in my arms has accomplished?” He smiled. “You’ve begun calling me Damian.”
She started to answer. He kissed her instead. She didn’t respond. But he went on kissing her, his mouth moving lightly over hers, and just when he thought it would never happen, she sighed and parted her lips to his.
The joining of their mouths was tender.
The need that swept through him was not.
His erection was instantaneous and he groaned and shifted his weight to accommodate the ache of his hardened flesh. Ivy shifted, too…and he found himself cradled between her parted thighs.