Page 43 of Devoured By the Forbidden Mountain Man

He laughed and crossed naked to the kitchenette.

I watched him go because I had earned the view.

He came back with two glasses and a warm washcloth, handing me the water before he sat on the edge of the bed.

The aftercare was practical, intimate, and so perfectly Rex that something in my chest softened before I could stop it.

I drank while he cleaned us both gently, then set the glass on the bedside table.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I reached for his wrist before he could stand again.

“You can come back to bed now.”

There was no uncertainty in his face when he slid beneath the blanket beside me.

I curled against him, resting one hand on his chest while his arm settled around my waist. The storm had moved farther into the mountains, leaving only occasional drops from the roof and the soft hum of the little refrigerator across the loft. My phone lay beside his watch on the nightstand, and Gavin’s case waited downstairs. None of it needed to enter the bed with us tonight.

After several quiet minutes, Rex brushed my hair away from my shoulder and kissed the bare skin there.

“I can head back to the house if you sleep better alone.”

I turned far enough to look at him. He had spent the last two days giving me room to make my own choices about the job, the loft, Gavin, and him. I didn’t need any room now.

“Stay.”

Rex’s hand slid around my waist as he reached past me and switched off the lamp.

Darkness settled over the loft, softened by the faint glow coming through the rain-streaked window. I rolled onto my side, and Rex moved in behind me, warm and solid against my back. His palm spread over my stomach while his mouth brushed the nape of my neck.

I closed my eyes with Rex McCord in my bed and his arm around me, already knowing I wanted to wake up exactly like this.

Chapter 4

Rex

Morning reached the loft gradually, first as pale light around the curtains and then as the soft patter of water dripping from the roof after the night’s rain.

I woke with Georgia tucked against me beneath the blanket, her back warm against my chest and my arm curved around her waist. Her hair had worked loose everywhere during the night, spilling over the pillow and brushing my face whenever she breathed. I moved a few strands away from my mouth and let my hand settle again over the soft skin of her stomach.

I was usually awake before five without needing an alarm. According to the clock beside her bed, I had missed that mark by almost two hours.

For once, I couldn’t think of a reason to care.

Georgia shifted against me, stretching slowly before turning in my arms. Sleep still softened her face when she opened her eyes, but the smile that followed was immediate.

“Morning.”

I brushed a kiss over her forehead.

She rested her palm against my chest and studied me for a second, looking entirely comfortable with finding me in her bed. “You sleep later when you have company.”

“Apparently I make exceptions.”

Her smile widened, and she moved closer until one of her legs slid between mine. “I’m glad I qualify.”