I try to shift away, embarrassed at how easily he turns me on. I can’t take advantage of him in this state. Not when he’s injured.

“I missed you,” I confess.

He gives me another quick peck. “Missed you, too.”

“Next time, you’re coming with. Obviously you can’t be trusted by yourself.”

He inhales deeply and then gathers me close. “Done. Next time Dad jets off somewhere, we’ll go together.”

“You know that sounds crazy, right?”

“Which part?”

“The jetting part.” I drop a kiss on his shoulder. “The togetherness is good.”

“How good?”

The only light in the room is from the partially open bathroom door. It casts interesting shadows on Reed’s body. I run my nose along the column of his throat, smelling soap and shampoo. “The best.”

“Baby…” He clears his throat. “You gotta stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

He peers down at me and I stare back, bewildered.

“Touching my chest. Sniffing me,” he says hoarsely. “You’re making me think bad thoughts.”

The corners of my mouth tip up. “Bad thoughts?”

“Dirty thoughts,” he amends.

My smile widens. Whether he’s saying it because it’s true, or because he wants to distract me, or both, it works. I bend down, allowing my hair to form a curtain around our faces, and press my lips to his. He glides his tongue along my lower lip, asking for silent permission to enter. I part my lips and he takes full advantage by deepening the kiss.

“We shouldn’t do this,” I murmur against his mouth. “You’re hurt.”

He pulls back with a grin. “Then make me feel better.”

“Is that a challenge?”

He’s laughing when I bring my lips back to his. This time it’s my tongue torturing him, devouring his mouth until he forgets how to breathe. And my hand is in motion again, skimming down his chest toward his waistband. I slip under his boxers to find the evidence of how much better he’s feeling—hot and hard and thick.

When he arches off the bed with a groan, I immediately glance up. “Are you okay?”

He growls. “Don’t you dare stop.”

“What part of you hurts?” I ask coyly. I love seeing Reed like this—total putty in my hands.

“Every part. Seriously, I’m wounded all over. Particularly here.” He pats his crotch. “I need you to kiss it and make it better.”

“You want me to kiss that?” I say in mock outrage.

“Oh yeah. I want you to give me a full-on, open mouthed, lots of tongue kiss right there…unless you don’t want to.” Uncertainty colors his last words.

I hide a grin and scoot lower until I’m kneeling between his legs.

His eager hands push down his shorts until he’s fully exposed. He wraps one hand around himself and looks at me with an expectant and hopeful expression.

“You poor baby,” I murmur, tracing a fingertip over the back of his hand.

I duck my head and he immediately reaches down to sweep my hair away from my face. The moment my mouth closes around him, he hisses in pleasure.

“Oh shit, yes.” His tone is agonized, and whatever pain he’s in now, I’m causing. It’s a delicious, powerful feeling. His trembling hands find their way into my hair again.

“Baby…Ella…” he chokes out, and then he doesn’t have any words, only noises. Husky groans, ragged sighs, and mangled pleas. He tugs on my hair hard enough that I let him go to look up into his face that’s now loopy from lust…and maybe even love.

I lower myself again, taking as much of him as possible. He’s big and heavy, but the weight of him on my tongue and against my lips is more of a turn-on than I ever thought was possible. Beneath me, I can feel his desperation and desire. A heady sense of power washes over me. If I stopped now, I could probably get Reed to promise me anything.

But I don’t want anything. I just want him. And knowing how much he wants me in return makes me crazy hot. Using my hands and tongue and lips, I drag him to the brink.

“Stop…I’m gonna come,” he groans and weakly tugs at my hair.

My lips curve around him. I want him to. I want him to lose control. I redouble my efforts, sucking and licking until his big frame tenses and then he explodes.

When his body finally relaxes, he pulls me upward to rest at his side.

“Reed?” I whisper.

“Yeah?” His voice sounds like gravel.

“I, ah, love you.”

“I…love you, too.” He buries his face in my neck. “You have no idea how much. I…” He swears softly. “You know I’d do anything for you, right? Absolutely anything to keep you safe.”

Warmth unfurls in my belly. “Would you?”

“Anything,” he repeats roughly, and then he kisses me until we’re both breathless again.

34

My phone screen says it’s two in the morning, but there’s no alarm going off, at least not in my room. But there’s an incessant dinging sounding in the house somewhere. I glance over to see if Reed’s awake, but he’s sprawled over two-thirds of the mattress, dead to the world.

I shove the pillow over my head and close my eyes again, but the ringing doesn’t stop. Not only that, but now there are footsteps running down the hallway, followed by loud banging on a door.

Reed sits up, his dark hair mussed and his expression groggy. “What the hell…”

An angry voice can be heard from the foyer. “Just a damn minute.” It sounds like Callum, but it’s hard to make out what he’s saying. “I told you I’d get him.”

Oh, crap. Reed and I jump out of bed. It’s one thing for Callum to know about us, but he wouldn’t be thrilled to find us sleeping in the same bed. My jeans are halfway up my legs and Reed’s tugging on his shirt, when the noise stops outside my door.

We both freeze at Callum’s incensed shout. “That’s my seventeen-year-old ward’s door and you’re not going in until she’s decent!”

You’re not going in?

“Who’s out there?” I whisper to Reed.

He gives me a wide-eyed look of confusion.