Page 33

“The hardest part is washing off all the dark makeup I use to blend in with the night. Applying it, too. So time-consuming.”

“Liar,” he smirks, letting it go without protest. His easy acceptance of my not-subtle lie makes me relax in my plushie bed.

“Come down here and say that to my face, yappy dog,” I crook my finger at him with a sly smile.

I’m surprised when he walks around the pile I’m stuck in until he reaches my feet. When he kicks my feet apart to make room for himself between my legs, my breath catches.

“Bold man,” I reach for him before he even starts leaning down to me.

He has more grace in getting down than I do. Carefully placing his knees and hands to test the give of the plushies. He settles his hips between my thighs and gives me some of his weight. We’re pressed together intimately as his face hovers above mine. He carefully sets the plush that had settled against my face aside.

“My turn,” he tells it softly with a glare.

It looks like I’m not the only one jealous of a raccoon plush.

“You got something to say?” I start off strong, though my voice is weak. He cuts me off with a kiss that drags me down into desire with barely a flick of his tongue.

“Warm enough for you?” He mutters and dives back in without waiting for a reply.

He’s more than warm. He’s burning me up.

My arms go around his neck to keep him close as I move my hips in invitation. Within a second, his erection is pressed to my core, rubbing across denim in a slow taunt. His groan runs across my lips before his kiss gets more intense. The weight of his body gets heavier, pressing us into the toys below.

We break apart to breathe, and a plush drops onto his head to bounce away.

“Shit,” he mutters, his eyes closed and body stiff.

I immediately wrap my legs around him. He’s withdrawing, and I don’t want that. My core pulses with a need that’s all for him.

“Not yet,” he says raggedly, his eyes opening to pierce me with his stare.

“Why not?” I move beneath him, trying to thaw him into melting for me again.

“So you don’t have an excuse to send me away. I’m not taking advantage while you’re vulnerable. I’m sticking around. Get used to it quickly, and the wait will be shorter.”

“I’ll cry,” I warn him with a pout, giddy at the mean reassurance he’s giving me. “That’s no way to start things off.”

“Addie,” he chuckles. The look he gives me is so adoring while I’m acting like a hussy. It does nothing to slow me down.

“Please?” I give him an innocent look and bite my lip.

“No.”

I start sniffling.

“I have to work early tomorrow so I can spend the rest of my day guarding trash cans,” he whispers with a wide grin. That weak excuse won’t wash with me.

“We'd better get to it then. I don’t want you to miss out on the good sleep you’ll get when I’m done pawing you.” I kick a heel into his backside to get him moving.

His surprised laugh shakes us both. A few more plushies land on us, breaking the mood from his intense refusal to be languid.

My body doesn’t cool down. It stays at a frustrating simmer. Waiting for him to set his manners aside and take me already.

I press a quick kiss to his grinning lips and let my head drop back dramatically, pretending to accept defeat.

“I knew you were a tease. I did this to myself.” I let out a long, whiney sigh.

He shifts as if he’s going to stand up, but I hang on him like a dead weight.