Page 75 of Ruining His Smirk

I leaned towards his ear and breathed, “For orgasm.”

“Jesus.”

A deep, warm sound rumbled out of him, traveling through his stomach and into my body. “Damn. Them French got that right. I did almost die last night.”

I threw my head back and howled.

The submersible began to rock beneath us as we both lost ourselves in it.

“Uh-oh.” I had to wipe my eyes before I could check the panels to make sure we were okay and that we hadn’t sent some alarm signal. I didn’t need the bridge pinging me while I was having the best conversation of my life.

Once I finished checking the readouts and settled back, Garrett’s fingers carded through my hair, and he pulled out the band. My hair spilled free. He seemed to really enjoy that.

“Actually, I wanted to say sorry about that,” he said while playing with my hair.

I blinked down at him. “What? Why?”

“I fell asleep.”

I waited, unsure at first whether he meant to continue.

“I’ve never done that before,” he said. “I didn’t even check whether you were hurt. I didn’t ask if you were okay, or sore, or if you needed anything. I just fell asleep on top of you.”

Concern roughened the edges of every word. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Because it was one of the best feelings I have ever had.” I kissed the tip of his nose and rested one hand on his chest for leverage. “I did not want to move. I liked having you asleep on me. I liked knowing you were so comfortable that you simply let yourself go.”

The hand at my waist shifted, fingers pressing faintly into my side.

“And I liked the feeling of your weight.”

“You did?”

The uncertainty in those two words was so naked that my heart contracted.

“Wasn’t I too heavy?”

I shook my head. “No. I really, really… really liked it.”

His heartbeat altered beneath my hand.

“It made me feel safe.”

Garrett suddenly looked away, no longer meeting my eyes. His hand slipped from my hair, and I saw it curl into a fist. “I just wanted to make sure.” There was something guarded in his voice now, a careful flattening that made the words sound as though they had come from farther away. “Not many people enjoy that.”

He stared off to the side.

“Hey.” Gently, I turned his face toward me. “I did. I enjoy everything about you, handsome. Every single thing.”

The words altered something in him. The thighs that were supporting me hardened. His chest, which had risen and fallen with such easy steadiness, went still beneath my hand.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

His heart began to pound, but he wasn’t answering me.

“Garrett? I can hear your heart pounding.”

He drew a ragged breath. The darkness concealed his expression, and I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination that he was close to crying.