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Did I really ask him to stay last night? Did he really accept?

The answer is obvious as he stirs beneath me, grumbling a little in his sleep. He has an arm banded around my back and when I lean back to get a better look at him, it tightens, keeping me in place.

I can’t help my smile, just like I can’t help taking a few long minutes to lie here and admire the impossibly attractive kraken I’m on top of.

It’s… cute. Seeing him like this—sleep-tousled and a little grumpy about being woken up—is undeniably adorable. Which is one adjective I never thought I’d assign to this kraken, but here we are.

Some small, dim part of my brain has a moment of pause. Should this feel as natural as it does? Should I be more shy about this? More panicked?

Yesterday was an absolute roller coaster of emotions, and yet somehow I’m not feeling any of that right now. No, I’m only feeling calm and safe and very, very into the handsome man beneath me.

It’s… strange. Feeling this way,trustinghim enough to feel this way.

He came home for me. He helped me last night without a single moment of hesitation. I called, and he came. Simple as that.

When’s the last time I had someone in my life who would drop everything for me?

Holly and Kenna are good friends, but I’d never imagine imposing on them that way. And family? My mom still lives in Phoenix, and we’re not close. My dad fucked off to god knows where when I was just a baby and has never tried to contact us since.

I grew up used to being self sufficient, and maybe that’s what Daniel had seen in me, someone desperate to be cared for, to have someone I could rely on, to feel like I wasn’t alone. That need had turned out to be the thing he twisted and exploited for his own gain.

What if I’m falling into the same trap now?

Elias is still breathing deeply and evenly, and as I study him, I can’t believe that worry is true. This feels… different. There was no expectation last night, no guilt, no exasperation at being inconvenienced by one of my problems.

I only had to ask, and there he was.

A small thread of guilt tugs at the back of my mind. Elias believes I’m his mate. He’s already made it clear he wants a relationship with me, maybe even wants forever with me, and I’m still making up my mind.

Did I take advantage of him? Should I have left him alone and dealt with it on my own?

I’m still studying Elias’s sleeping face when he startles me by speaking, eyes still closed.

“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.”

Lowering myself back onto him, I press a kiss on his jaw before answering. “And if I said I am?”

The rumble in his chest is more of a growl this time, and it’s the only warning I get before he surges up and flips our position so I’m sprawled out on the bed beneath him. He leans down and runs his lips over my throat, morning stubble slightly scratchy, kissing and teasing until I’m squirming under him.

“If you are,” he says, teeth grazing over the ultra-sensitive spot just below my ear, “then this will never work, little siren. I draw the line at being woken up at the crack of dawn.”

“It’s almost nine,” I protest, giggling.

“Too early. I need you in bed at least until noon.”

“Do I look like I’m going anywhere?”

Elias pulls back to meet my eyes, something dark and promising sparkling in that deep blue. “No, Nora. You’re not going anywhere.”

When he kisses me this time, there’s nothing teasing about it. There’s nothing but open, carnal want, a claiming that leaves me breathless and panting. Instantly, I’m ravenous, clinging to him and pulling myself close, closer, not nearly close enough.

He responds in kind, deepening the kiss and pressing the length of his body down on mine. He’s heavy, so deliciously solid as he dips me into the mattress, kissing me with a hunger that makes my toes curl and my belly clench with need. I spread my thighs for him instinctively, making room so he can settle between them.

The hard line of his cock presses into me through the sweats he’s wearing. I break the kiss for a moment to glance down and… oh.

Elias stills when he sees where I’m looking, and when I finally pull my gaze from the truly impressive erection outlined by the light gray fabric, that devious smirk is back on his face. His eyes are bright, shining in the morning light streaming in through the windows, and he presses his hips into me again in an act of deliberate provocation.

God, it feels good. Having his big body on top of me, hearing his ragged breath, and feeling the tense shift of muscles where my hands are pressed to his shoulders… all of it makes me feel warm and powerful.