He stared down at her, watching her sleep. He’d been watching her for at least an hour now. Couldn’t seem to stop himself.

Maybe he should have left. Probably it was considered creepy to stare at her the way he was. He wasn’t sure. He knew he couldn’t sleep, though. Not while in the enemy’s house. And that’s what Carlin Blake was. An enemy. A criminal. Sawyer didn’t care that he was her family. That he might love her. He hadn’t done a good enough job protecting her. She’d been on her own. Vulnerable.

Sawyer intended to make certain that never occurred again.

He rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. She whimpered in her sleep and rolled to him, plastering herself next to him. He froze as she swung a leg over his hip. She made a small noise of satisfaction. Her breast was pressed to his arm. His balls burned. His cock had been pressing against his pants since he’d stepped into the room and caught a hint of her scent.

Peaches.

Yeah, he wanted to know her, savor her taste, and inhale her scent. He yearned to hear the noises she made when they made love to her. Maybe she was right, jealousy could play a part in their relationship unless they were careful, but he would never allow any of that to fall on her.

“No. No, Carlin.”

He frowned. What had that bastard done to her? Had he hurt her? Had he forced her to do things she didn’t want to do?

“Love you too.”

Okay, that he didn’t like hearing. He’d rather paint Blake the complete villain. It would make it easier to pry her away from him. Maybe he could just take her with him now. He could find something to carry her in, sneak through the house and . . . probably get caught. Plus, there was her reaction. He might not be good with emotions but even he recognized that she’d be pissed if he kidnapped her from her own home.

He sighed. So, what to do? Perhaps Joe should have come. He couldn’t tell her what they were. Not yet. Not until they were surer of her. They couldn’t risk their secret coming out. Their secret had been guarded for thousands of years. But never once had a mate been a human.

Most of their kind lived north of here, in Alaska. He’d always assumed their mate would come searching for them. That she would be a strong, bear shifter. Tall, curvy, and powerful. Not that she’d be some little human from the neighboring town. How could he convince her to come with them? She didn’t understand any of this. And he couldn’t explain it.

Hell of a mess to be in.

She moved, snuggling in closer. He grunted as her leg collided with his hard cock. Shit. She might have been threatened with torture, but she was the one doling it out. If he had to lay there much longer he was going to roll her over, tear off those sweats and . . . no. No, he wouldn’t do any of those things. Because she was his mate. And a virgin. Her first time was going to be gentle, kind, and sweet, and he didn’t know jack shit about any of that.

Her first time should be with all of them. So, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to keep himself from touching her for much longer, Sawyer gently extricated himself from her hold and slipped off the mattress. It took a huge amount of control to make himself step away from her. He stood and watched her for a moment to make sure she wasn’t going to wake—she needed her sleep—before he moved over to the armchair. Unable to sleep that far from her, he picked it up and carried it over to sit next to the bed.

Then he sat, propped his feet up on the mattress and prepared himself for a sleepless, uncomfortable night.

* * *

She’d gone to sleep cozy and warm and now she felt cold. Chilled. She opened her eyes and studied her surroundings. Her room. Her bed. Her sweats. Argh, since when did she wear sweats to bed? Why had she woken up?

Then her gaze hit him.

He sat in the armchair he’d obviously moved closer to the bed. His eyes were closed but she didn’t think he was sleeping. He looked tense. His eyebrows were drawn together. But then she wondered if he was ever entirely rested. He was a force of nature. Strong and handsome, although he’d be more so with some grooming. He was also a little crazy. Funny how that had terrified her to begin with and now she kind of liked that wildness.

Gigi, get a grip.

She tried. She really tried to find her sensible side. To be cautious. To have a little bit of sense for once. But she was failing.

The more she watched him, the more she wanted him. She hadn’t been able to sleep for thinking of everything Garret had done to her. For wanting more.

It’s not right to want both of them. Even though they want to share me?

Fuck. Fuuuckk.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He opened his eyes, stared at her. “Sleeping. Until I was so rudely awakened.”

She didn’t take offense at the gruff tone. That was, she was beginning to understand, part of who he was. “You weren’t asleep.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That so, little girl?”

“Don’t call me little girl.”

Tags: Laylah Roberts Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net