Page 58 of Deserving Lara
“What?”
“I woke up in the middle of the night, as I always do…but then…I fell back to sleep.”
“I’m glad,” she said, relaxing against him.
“No, you don’t understand. Every single night for more than five years, I’ve woken up and not been able to go back to sleep. I’ve had insomnia ever since I was rescued. But last night…I woke up, then fell asleep again.”
Lara lost some of the sleepiness in her eyes. “That’s great.”
“It’s you,” Owl said reverently.
“I think it’s probably the two orgasms you had,” she said with a small smile.
“No, it’s you,” he insisted. “Having you in my arms, knowing you were safe, my brain finally stopped spinning.”
She stared at him with an odd look in her eyes.
“What?” It was Owl’s turn to ask.
“It’s just, for so long, I’ve desperately needed you by my side, and now…” Her voice trailed off.
“The table’s turned. I need you to sleep,” Owl said without hesitation.
“You need me,” Lara whispered.
“One hundred percent.”
“I…is it wrong that I like that?”
Owl shook his head. “Nope. But you do know what this means, right?”
“What?”
“That we can’t sleep apart. Ever.” He was only half kidding.
“Works for me,” she said quickly. Then got serious. “For so long, I thought I was broken. I hated how I couldn’t let you out of my sight. It made me feel weak. And now, knowing that I can give you something in return…it makes us feel a little more even.”
“It’s not a contest,” Owl told her.
“I know. And I’m probably not explaining myself very well. But knowing that I can help you, even if it’s in this small way, and even if I don’t think it’s reallymethat helped you sleep last night, it still feels good.”
It was her. Owl had no doubt. He’d given up on ever sleeping through the night again, and the first night he’d held Lara in his arms, he’d slept like a freaking baby. It was her all right. She was what he’d been looking for all along. Having her close let his brain shut down, stop reliving all the bad things that had happened to him. And…he had to admit, the orgasms probably hadn’t hurt either.
“You hungry?” he asked, suddenly eager to get up and start the day. He felt amazing after the extra sleep.
“I could eat.”
“You want me to make that hash brown, ham, egg casserole you like?” he asked.
“I’d love that,” she said with a small smile.
“Are you sore?”
She blushed. “A little.”
“Why don’t you take a long bath this morning then. By the time you’re out and dressed, the casserole will be done.”
“Okay. Owl?”
