Page 138 of Moonlighter

Eric tucks his face against the back of my head and laughs. “You’re funny when you’re in shock.”

“Seriously—I waved a red flag in front of a bull. ‘My product will be purchased by rich people who value their privacy and security! Please step right over here and shit on my lawn!’”

I can feel Eric’s body shaking with laughter.

“It isn’t funny.”

“No.” He snorts. “But you’re funny. And smart. You’re all the good things, Engels. And I love you, even if you don’t want to hear it.”

Oh, Eric. I screw my eyes shut, because I don’t have the mental energy to resist those words tonight. I want to hear them more than I care to admit.

“I had a bad feeling about tonight,” he says in a low voice. “I can’t even explain it. But when you got out of that car, I just wanted to put you back inside it and drive away. And when I heard that gunshot, I couldn’t get you away fast enough. And not because it was sort of my job. Because I need you, honey. And I won’t stop trying to convince you that it’s true.”

I need you, too. The words are on the tip of my tongue.

But Eric isn’t listening, anyway. He’s already kissing my shoulder. And after he sweeps my hair out of the way, my neck.

I roll imperceptibly closer, granting him access. Chills break out all over my skin as he drops lazy kisses anywhere he can reach.

My body and my mind are so exhausted. But I let his kisses and ministrations roll across my consciousness, washing away the fear. I doze on a cloud of kisses. I’m so relaxed that when he slides a hand into my panties, I gasp in surprise.

“No?” he asks, pausing.

“Yes,” I breathe, waking to all the possibilities. “Yes, please.” I kick off the panties, and he lifts my gown over my head.

He’s so gentle as he takes my heavy breasts in his hands, and fits our bodies together, the way they’re meant to fit.

“Need you,” he sighs as he thrusts slowly.

“I need—” I gasp as my pleasure mounts. “—You, too.”

And I get more of those beautiful neck kisses just for admitting it.

When my alarmmusic starts playing in the morning, I wake to find myself wrapped around Eric. I’m clutching him the way I used to hold my teddy bear.

“Make it stop,” he mutters, grabbing my phone off the bedside table. “What do I tap?”

“That’s not how it works,” I say, pressing my cheek against his shoulder. “You have to ask Bingley nicely.”

“Bingley!” Eric bellows. “Shut that off!”

The music is silenced immediately. “Of course, my lord. Would you like to snooze?”

“Yes,” Eric grunts.

“Until when, sire?”

“Next Tuesday.”

“Tuesday at what time?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

I hug Eric even more tightly. “We have to get up anyway.”

“No.” He rolls over and wraps his arms around my great girth. “Don’t wedeservea day off?” One gray eye opens. “Are you okay? Did you sleep?”

“Mostly.” Although my subconscious poked me a few times in the night. My eyes flew open in the dark as I remembered the sound of gunfire, and people’s screams. I lay awake for a while, listening to Eric breathe, before eventually falling asleep again. “I’ll be okay,” I decide. Because I’m the lucky one. “Mr. Khun won’t be.”