Thirteen (Otherworld 13)

I backed up onto the bed. He watched me. Just stood there, watching me. I peeled the bedspread back and slid onto the sheets, pulling my bare legs up under me, shirt opening, swinging my hair over to cover my breasts.

"Do you want to take a nap with me?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered hoarsely.

I shrugged off the shirt. Then I reclined on the pillows, one knee up, hair brushed aside. I hooked my thumbs in the sides of my panties and inched them down my hips.

"Are you sure?" I said. "Because if you aren't sure--"

He was across the room, on the bed, mouth to mine before I could finish.

I leaned over the side of the bed, hair falling in a curtain as I peered at the carpet. Adam tugged me back up.

"What's wrong?" he murmured as he pulled me against him.

"I have rug burns." I rubbed my ass. "I'm trying to figure out how I got rug burns."

"We were on the floor."

"Were we?"

"Briefly, yes."

"Huh." I pushed up in bed. "How'd I miss that?"

He chuckled. "Well, either it was so good you lost track of where we were, or it was so bad you were busy compiling your grocery list."

"I don't buy the groceries. Paige does."

Another chuckle, this one vibrating through me as he pulled me on top of him. "Then I'm going to pick option one. And if I'm wrong, don't tell me."

I stretched out on him, arms folded on his chest, chin propped on them. "No, it was option one. You were very good. Of course, I expected it. I'd heard that about you."

He blinked and lifted his head to meet my eyes.

"Purely unsolicited information," I said. "Some of your hookups liked to share."

"That's not at all awkward."

"It never bothered me. I always figured since you had to wait for me, you might as well be getting some practice."

He laughed. "Well, you're very good, too. I might remember the floor, but only because I hit my knee on the nightstand. Otherwise, it's all a blur. A nice blur."

"Thank you. I had practice, too."

Another laugh. "And that doesn't bother me. As long as you don't get any more practice anyplace else."

"Mmm. Maybe. Depends on whether you can keep up."

"Oh, believe me, I can keep up."

He flipped me onto my back, slid onto me, and we "rested" some more.

THIRTY-THREE

I woke up first. I stretched and felt Adam's arm over me, his leg across mine, and there was a moment, confused and drowsy, when I forgot what had happened. I was shot back to all the other times we'd shared a bed on a case or a tent on a camping trip, and I'd lain there, knowing he'd only thrown his arm across me in his sleep, and I'd think I wish . . .

Now I opened my eyes and saw him there, naked, his arm around my waist, his leg over mine and I thought Oh. That's all I could think for a minute. Just Oh. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and felt a prickle of tears, emotions cycloning through me, joy and wonder and bliss and a little terror, too, the terror of finally getting the one thing I wanted above all others, and realizing that getting it doesn't mean keeping it. But whatever happened, I would never forget the feeling of waking up and seeing him there, and I'd never regret it.