Truly, Madly, Whiskey(45)
Chapter Ten
AS THE FOG of sleep lifted, Bear realized he was alone on Crystal’s couch, save for a very loud purring kitty curled up on his chest. He opened his eyes, and Harley lifted her head and pushed to her paws, digging her claws into his chest as she stretched. She padded down his belly, across his leg, to the other side of the couch, where she curled up and closed her eyes.
“Nothing like a little clawing in the morning.” He swiped at a dot of blood on his pec, turning toward Crystal, who was sitting on the old chest she used as a coffee table, wearing his T-shirt. She had a serious look in her eyes, and her gorgeous legs were crossed, her feet covered by fuzzy pink socks. She was leaning forward, elbow on knee, her chin resting in her palm, watching him as she popped jelly beans into her mouth. He’d worried that Crystal might wake up feeling differently than she had last night. He was prepared for the worst.
“Hi,” she said, popping another candy into her mouth.
“Hey, babe. You okay?” He pushed up to a sitting position, stretching his arms out to his sides. He loved the lascivious look that appeared in her eyes when he positioned one leg on either side of her.
“Mm-hm.” Her eyes moved along each of his arms, down his bare chest, to the bulge in his pants. “Doesn’t Little Bear ever hibernate?”
He laughed. “First of all, there’s nothing little about any part of me. Second, he needs sustenance before he can hibernate, and it’s been a long, cold winter.”
“Hm.” She seemed to think about that for a minute. “Sorry. I’ve been kind of selfish in the orgasm department, huh?”
“Not at all. Don’t you worry your beautiful self with that stuff.”
She held out a palmful of jelly beans.
“No thanks, sugar. I like my mornings to start with hot, dark liquid.”
“Shame.” She popped another one in her mouth. “I thought you might want to start it with a hot, dark female who likes the taste of candy in the morning.”
He snagged them from her hand and chewed them up, earning a playful smile.
“Fast learner.” She rose to her feet, and he caught sight of a pair of pink panties before his shirt drifted down to the middle of her thighs. Her nipples poked against the soft cotton as she climbed onto his lap, her dark hair tumbling around their faces. “Is this too unfair?”
He gritted his teeth against the throbbing ache behind his zipper. “The only thing unfair about you is that your lips are too far away from mine.” Inhaling the scents of candy and happiness, he buried his hands in her hair and pulled her in for a sweet, sugary good-morning kiss. “Mm, baby. I do like the taste of jelly beans in the morning after all.”
She smiled down at him and ran her fingers over his whiskers.
“How long have you been watching me sleep?” He could sit like that all day, with Crystal looking at him like she never wanted him to leave and touching him like she truly believed he was hers.
“I woke up too wired to sleep about two and a half hours ago, and I might have watched you for a few minutes.”
“So, you’re okay with this. With us?”
“After eight months of being in a relationship without sex or kissing or anything else? I think you nailed it on the head, biker boy. I’m not panicking, and that tells me that you’re already in here.” She put her hand over her heart. “I just needed to give myself permission and get over the worry about panicking. Worry breeds anxiety, at least that’s what David says. So, yes. I’m good with us.”
He gathered her closer. “Baby, that makes me so happy.”
“I liked waking up in your arms. And I especially liked that you really held me while you slept.”
“As opposed to pretending to hold you?” he teased.
“Every time I moved, you held me tighter. It felt nice. Safe.” She flattened her hand on his cheek and pressed her lips to his. “It felt sexy, too. I tried to go back to sleep, but Little Bear kept rubbing against me, and my cave got a little too welcoming, so I got up and worked on the costumes.”
He couldn’t suppress his smile. Knowing she’d wanted him while he was sleeping made his chest feel full.
“Your cave?” He clutched her hips, wanting to explore that cave. With his mouth.
She dipped lower and kissed his cheek. “Every bear needs a cave.” She kissed his other cheek, and then her warm lips touched his.
Was that an invitation? His mind sprinted down a hopeful path, while his hands moved to her bottom, pulling her closer as he took the kiss deeper. She stroked his arms in a series of seductive touches, lingering on his triceps, then sliding down to his elbow and back up again. He imagined those delicate fingers wrapped around his cock. Jesus, was she giving him hints? He f*cking hoped so. But he couldn’t afford to be wrong, so he held back and enjoyed the hell out of their kisses.
She touched his cheeks again, kissing the edges of his mouth and making his nerves flame. She kissed the center of his chest, and a tormented groan slipped out.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Sort of.”
He groaned again, and she laughed.
“Too unfair?” she asked with a spark of mischief in her eyes.
“Are you trying to be?” He grazed his teeth over the spots on her neck that had driven her wild last night and lifted her—his—shirt, bringing her breasts against his chest, testing the waters.