Page 64 of Keeping Laryn
“Leave them.”
“No way. Not when we’re leaving for who knows how long.”
“Fine. But if you’re not in my bed in five minutes, I’m coming to find you.”
“Promise?”
To Laryn’s surprise, the expression on his face wasn’t teasing. He stared at her with a look so intense, it took her breath away. “I’ll always come for you, Laryn. Now that I’ve seen what I’ve been missing, I’m planning on making up for lost time.”
“Tate,” she whispered.
“Five minutes,” he repeated, then turned and headed for the front door. He double-checked the lock, then did the same to the locks on the windows.
She realized he probably did that every night. It was a little OCD, but she didn’t mind. As a single woman, she did her part to follow as many safety protocols as possible herself.
Laryn’s rush job on the dishes wouldn’t impress anyone, but she was eager to see Tate’s bedroom, his bed. She’d imagined it in her head for so long, she wondered if it would live up to her fantasies.
She noticed for the first time that her backpack wasn’t on the floor where she’d left it, and she smiled as she headed down the hall. Peeking into the bathroom, she saw her bag there on the counter. Knowing her five minutes had more than passed, she rushed through getting ready for bed, changing into her shortie shorts and tank top she liked to sleep in. She wasn’t sure how tonight would go, if Tate would keep his hands to himself or ifshewould. It seemed whenever they were near each other, especially in a bed, it was almost impossible to keep from touching.
Taking a deep breath, and trying not to feel ridiculous for the few extra seconds she took to smooth some of her cookie lotion on her legs and arms—and even her boobs—she made her way to the main bedroom. Tate had left a small lamp on to one side of the bed, and everything else was in shadow when she walked in.
The bed was a king, which she wasn’t surprised about. It took up quite a bit of the floor space. There was a dresser, taller than it was wide, with a couple framed pictures on top. A largewindow with dark curtains, which had been pulled closed, an open door that led to what looked like a huge closet, and that was about it.
After the cursory look around, her gaze was drawn back to the bed, and the man on it. Tate had gotten under the covers and they were pulled up to his waist. His chest was bare, and she wondered if he was wearing any pants or underwear. His eyes were closed and it was obvious he was fast asleep.
Her heart turned in her chest. He was so exhausted, he couldn’t even wait five minutes for her to come to bed. She had no doubt he’d probably had plans for her when she got there, despite their earlier talk. Even if she’d claimed they both needed sleep, she couldn’t help but guess he wouldn’t be able to hold back once they were in bed.
Honestly, she was a little disappointed, but no way in hell was she going to wake the man. The lives of who knew how many SEALs and Deltas relied on Tate being at the top of his game when he got behind the controls of his chopper. And that included being caught up on his sleep.
Stepping forward on silent feet, Laryn clicked off the light on his side of the bed. He didn’t even stir. She walked around the bed and slowly, carefully climbed onto the mattress. She wanted to moan at how perfect it was. Not too hard or soft. It was literally exactly the kind of mattress she preferred.
She could’ve stayed on one side of the bed, it was literally big enough that they didn’t have to touch when they slept. But she wasn’t that strong.
Scooting closer, Laryn gently pressed herself against Tate, smiling when she realized he was wearing a pair of boxer shorts. It was funny, because so far she’d only known him as a briefs man. She figured they gave him more support when he was wearing his flight suit.
It felt extremely intimate to learn the underwear preferences of the man she’d crushed on forever, but also very satisfying. Asshe slowly lay her head on his chest, he stirred. Moving his arm so it was around her and holding her against him tightly.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “So tired.”
“Shhhhhh. Sleep,” she murmured.
He sighed deeply, then stilled.
Laryn smiled against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She’d never been a good sleeper. She jerked at every little noise, worried about people breaking in, thought about things she should’ve done during the day…wondered what Tate was doing. But at that moment, she had no thoughts in her head other than how comfortable she was and how safe she felt.
She was obviously just as tired as Tate, because she fell asleep in minutes, more content than she’d been in a very long time.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Casper woke up with his belly growling. Turning his head, he saw it was two-seventeen in the morning. Thirteen minutes before his alarm was set to go off. He’d managed to set it before he basically passed out.
The reason he woke up hungry was obvious.
Laryn.
And her cookie lotion.
He smiled and closed his eyes once more, enjoying the moment. He’d meant to stay awake until she came into his room. He couldn’t wait to see her in his bed for the first time. He’d planned, despite his words to the contrary, to eat her to an orgasm, then hold her as she fell asleep against him.
