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“I’m going to sleep now,” she mumbled.

I smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Good girl.”

Her breathing slowed. Her body melted into mine, and just like that, she fell asleep in my arms, safe, mine, exactly where she belonged.

CHAPTER20

Lia

I woke slowly, my body aching in a way that made me instantly remember everything about last night.

I let out a slow breath, shifting slightly under the blankets, and immediately winced. My bottom throbbed with a deep, lingering pain, a very real reminder of my punishment. My cheeks flamed, remembering how the rest of the group probably heard the entire switching and then after that… they’d probably even heard me come as Silas fucked my virgin ass for the very first time.

Silas’s arm tightened around me, his large palm splaying over my stomach, pulling me closer against him. His chest was warm and solid behind me, his slow, steady breathing glancing against the back of my neck.

I should have been irritated. Should have been grumpy about how much I was still feeling the effects of last night’s discipline. Instead, I felt…safe, like I belonged right here.

Like I belonged to him.

I sighed softly, my hands around his forearm, but my movement must have woken him because I felt him shift behind me. His breathing deepened and his fingers started moving on my skin.

He traced slow, lazy circles over my tummy and hips, trailing lower, gliding against the curve of my very sore, welted ass.

I pouted, squirming slightly. “Silas.” I may have sounded perturbed.

He hummed, his voice thick with sleep. “Morning, Wildcat.”

His hand continued exploring, pressing lightly where the fabric was stretched tight over my still-tender skin.

I huffed, turning my head slightly. “I’m sore.”

Silas chuckled, his lips brushing against my head. “I know.” His voice was pure satisfaction, deep and smug. “You earned that though.”

I pouted harder, wiggling my hips in protest, but he squeezed my cheek then, just enough to make me feel it all over again.

I whined, burying my face into the blankets. “You’re the worst.”

Silas snorted in amusement, then leaned down, his lips grazing his mark on my neck before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my pout.

His thumb traced the seam of my lips. “You don’t looktooupset about it.”

I grumbled, but didn’t argue. I knew I had deserved it.

The truth was, despite the soreness, despite the pain that would probably last the whole damn day—hell, maybe even the whole week—I felt even closer to him now. I wore his mark on my skin. I was his in a way that went beyond just words. Maybe that was exactly what I had needed all along.

Silas’s fingers kept tracing over my hip and belly, his touch possessive even in its laziness. I should have been content to just lie there, to soak in his warmth, to let myself drift in and out of the hazy place between sleep and waking.

But then his hand slid lower, reaching for the button of my jeans. I tensed, my breath hitching.

His chest rumbled with amusement. “Let me see, Wildcat.”

I stiffened, my face heating instantly.

“See?” My voice squeaked.

Silas shifted, leaning up, rolling me slightly so that I was half on my stomach, half still in his arms, trapped in a way that made it very clear I wasn’t escaping this. His hand slid down my back.

“Your ass took quite the punishment last night,” he murmured, his deep voice smooth. “I need to check if I was too hard on you.”