Tucker (The Family Simon 1)

Gingerly turning over so that she faced him, her heart swelled watching him sleep. God, he looked so young. So incredibly young and alive. She grinned. And sexy.

He’d let his hair grow out over the last month so it curled over his ears, teased his neck, and long waves swept over his forehead. Gently she pushed them back, her fingers tracing his sculpted cheeks, strong jaw, until they rested on his lips.

Man she loved his lips.

Reaching forward she swept a kiss across them and then held her breath when she felt him move.

His hands snaked around her waist, and he snuggled into her nec

k. “Hey,” Tucker murmured, his whiskers making her shiver as they scraped across her skin.

“Good morning,” she managed to say. His hands moved downward and cupped her butt intimately against him.

“This is nice,” he said, mouth against her neck.

“Really nice,” she answered, squirming a bit because the desire, it was already burning hot.

But Tucker didn’t. He stayed there, nose buried in her neck, hands holding her close to him. They laid together like that for a long time, each breathing the other in until dawn became full blown morning.

Eventually, Tucker moved a bit and rested his elbow on the pillow so he could prop his head, his eyes unreadable, but intense.

“Are you all right?” Abby asked, carefully, her body suddenly tense. It never ceased to amaze her how emotions ebbed and flowed, rushing and then disappearing. What was going on behind those eyes?

“I’m better than all right,” he answered, a slow grin creeping over his face, making her insides melt all over again.

“You’re amazing. Do you know that?” Tucker said softly.

Abby shrugged. “I’ve been told once or twice.”

He laughed—outright chuckled—and the sound made her feel as if she could fly. When it fell away to nothing, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

“Last night was…” he said. There was that wicked grin again.

“Yeah.” She blushed at the thought of some of the things she’d done to him. With him. For him.

“So this is really happening. Us,” Tucker said quietly.

For a second Abby couldn’t speak. So she nodded and closed her eyes, hoping the tears that pricked the corner of her eyes weren’t visible. But one slipped down, and she felt his touch as he slowly wiped it away.

“Abby.”

“I’m fine,” she managed. She was more than fine. She was more than everything that she thought being with Tucker would be.

“Tell me about Marley.”

Oh. God.

Abby’s eyes flew open and Tucker’s hand froze. Where the hell had that come from?

It was surprise that sat in Tucker’s eyes, that much was clear, and Abby cleared her throat, reaching for his hand.

“Tucker, I don’t….I’m sorry, I…”

But what to say? She knew about the nightmares and insomnia that had haunted him for months after Marley disappeared. She knew that he’d taken a vacation from life. She knew that for a while, he’d drank himself to sleep every single night. She also knew they weren’t the picture-perfect couple that the press had touted them to be, but then who was? She knew those kinds of things.

But she knew nothing about Marley. Not really. Not the stuff that mattered.

Tucker exhaled and drew her into his arms so that her back was to his chest, her head once more tucked under his chin. Her eyes moved to the window, to the snowflakes slowly making their way down from the sky. So white. So Fluffy. So perfect.