Secretly Yours (The Wild McBrides 2) - Page 44

“You’re very easily entertained.”

“At times,” she conceded cheerfully. She knew she should be sleepy. Considering all the excitement earlier and the fact that it couldn’t be far from dawn, it was a wonder she was still conscious. And yet she felt wide awake, her nerves still thrumming with excitement.

He turned his head on the pillow to look at her. “You should get some sleep,” he said as if he had read her mind.

Nestling more comfortably into her pillow, she was unable to resist reaching out to lay a hand on his chest. “I will. I’m just enjoying the moment.”

He covered her hand with his own. “So am I.”

She wished she could read his thoughts as easily as he seemed to read hers. He looked sated and content—but what else was he feeling? More specifically, how did he feel about her? Did he envision any future for them, or had he not thought any further than the morning?

“What are you thinking now?” he said.

She smiled again and shook her head, knowing she couldn’t tell him where her thoughts had led. “I’m just tired. I suppose you are, too.”

He shrugged. “I don’t need a lot of sleep.”

The light dusting of hair on his chest tickled her palm. She shifted so her cheek rested against his shoulder. “I certainly didn’t expect the night to end this way when we parted at the law office.”

A short laugh rumbled against her ear. “I can’t say I did, either.”

“I’m not sorry, Trent.”

His arm tightened around her shoulders. “I hope you won’t be.”

“I won’t,” she promised. No matter what happens next.

He shifted against the pillow.

“Are you uncomfortable?” she asked. “I’m afraid my mattress isn’t as large—or as firm—as yours.”

She had refused to sleep on a used mattress, so she’d bought an inexpensive set from a discount outlet. Trent’s mattress, she knew from changing his sheets, was a much more expensive one, a worthwhile investment considering his back.

As usual, his tone darkened in response to her casual mention of his comfort—or lack of it. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are,” she muttered in exasperation. “And you wouldn’t admit it if you were in agony.”

Equally predictably, he changed the subject. “I haven’t heard the dog whine in a while. I guess he went to sleep.”

“He’s a sweetheart, isn’t he?” she asked, thinking of how trustingly the pup had rested his head on her knee. “What breed do you suppose he is?”

“He looks like a cross between a yellow Lab and a pile of dirty clothes.”

Annie laughed and lightly punched his forearm. “Do not make fun of my dog.”

“Can’t help it. He’s such an easy target.”

“Careful. I might just sic him on you.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Without waiting for an answer, he settled her more firmly against him and said, “Go to sleep, Annie.”

Though she wasn’t at all sure she could, she obligingly closed her eyes, allowing herself to savor the warmth of him beside her. The steady, reassuring sound of Trent’s heartbeat lulled her into sleep.

TRENT WAS STUNNED to find himself alone in Annie’s house the next morning. Somehow she had managed to get up, get dressed and leave the house without waking him. She’d left a note for him. “Gone to work,” it read. “Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge if you’re hungry. I walked Bozo and put him back in the laundry room—I didn’t know where else to keep him today.”

It bothered him that she had somehow done all that without even rousing him. Usually he was a very light sleeper, waking frequently at every strange noise. True, he hadn’t been resting well lately, but he couldn’t believe he’d slept that soundly in Annie’s not-particularly-comfortable bed. The thought of her going off to work early on a Saturday morning after a near-sleepless night, leaving him completely wiped out in her bed, irritated him a great deal.

He spent a few minutes gazing at that bed after reading her note. The hours he’d spent in it had been the best thing that had happened to him in more than a year. Making love with Annie had been an amazing experience—and he was well aware it had nothing to do with the amount of time that had passed since he’d been that close to a woman. It wouldn’t have been like that with anyone else. It was Annie, herself, who’d made the night so special.

Tags: Gina Wilkins The Wild McBrides Romance
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