Chapter 32

The first thing I notice when I wake is how relaxed and well-rested I feel. The second? The monkey on my damn back. I shift slightly, unsure if I’m imagining things but no, the monkey moves with me. Sage. She’s got one arm tucked under my neck, the other wrapped over my chest where her fingers splay like she owns the place, like she owns me. Her palm lies flat over my heart, as if she’s been keeping time with it in her sleep. Her chest is pressed tight against my back, the soft rise and fall of her breathing warming the space between us. One of her legs is hooked over my hip, anchoring herself to me. And that’s when it hits me, really hits me, just how close she is. How much heat is pouring off her. How dangerously aware my body is of every inch of her pressed against it.

Her thigh shifts in her sleep and grazes the top of my briefs. Fuck. My cock throbs painfully against the fabric. Hard. Instantly and unforgivingly. My brain tries to catch up, tries to remind me she’s recovering, that she snuck into my bed sometime after I passed out, that she’s still asleep and I should definitely be the gentleman here. But this woman… Jesus feckin’ Christ. She’s not just some passing infatuation or war-born crush. She’s been a ghost in my life for years, hovering in the shadows, saving me from things I didn’t even know were threats, pulling strings and orchestrating chaos with surgical precision. She’s danger and comfort wrapped up in one maddening, untouchable, unforgettable package. And now? Now she’s wrapped around me like I’m the only thing anchoring her. I let out a slow breath, willing my body to relax, to not respond to every slight movement she makes. I know I should slide out carefully, give her space, respect the invisible line we haven’t talked about crossing yet. But hell if I can bring myself to move. Instead, I reach up and brush my fingers over the back of her hand where it rests on my chest. Her fingertips twitch. She murmurs something soft and unintelligible into my shoulder. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

I’m ruined. This woman, who’s faced death without blinking, who’s brought men to their knees and vanished like smoke, she crawled into my bed in the middle of the night, curled around me like I’m her safe place, and now I’m supposed to pretend I didn’t feel every goddamn inch of her? Right. Not happening. I stay still. I stay quiet. I just breathe her in and let her keep clinging to me like I’m hers.

There’s a soft knock on the door before it cracks open, Liam sticking his head in. “Boss, it’s almost 10:30, are you sick or something?” He stops, frozen in the doorway as his mouth hangs open and I glare at him as he begins to smirk with his eyebrows raised and I just point at the door. He raises his hands and stiffles a laugh. “Gotcha.” He whispers and leaves with a wink. I’d hoped that Sage wouldn’t wake, not yet, but that hope is crushed when I feel her tense and tighten her arms around me.

“Good morning darling.” She whispers into my back.

“Mornin’ little ghost. Fancy seeing you here.” I joke and attempt to roll over but she locks me in place with her limbs, surprisingly strong for her little frame. She peppers my back with kisses and then sensation crawls down my spine and straight to my cock, making my groan slightly.

“Sage, you’re flirting with danger.” I warn and she moans back as she pushes herself against me further, her hands sliding down my bare chest.