Page 56 of New Nebraska Heat

They said their goodbyes, and I wheeled Dagger out, confused and unsettled.

Serenity’s scent of arousal had only grown stronger on the air. And I was suspicious over who’d triggered it.

It couldn’t have been that half-vamp do-gooder, could it?

Serenity

Ipeeked inside the guest bedroom long enough to hear Dagger snore softly, then shut the door with painstaking care, not wanting to wake him. Tiptoeing as best I could in my career-woman heels, I made it down the hall to the kitchen.

Hunter sat at the table, hunched over a coffee mug, forehead resting on a fist. His frown looked too deep to simply be lost in thought.

“Morning, my hero,” I chirped, wanting to bring a little sunshine to his face.

It worked like a charm. He turned sideways on the chair and beckoned me with open arms

I let him pull me into his lap and I pressed a kiss to his cheek. His whole body reacted, pulling me close so my head rested on his shoulder, where he played with my hair. “Sleep well, Little Dancer?”

“I had such a good sleep.” I sighed and squeezed his bicep. “These muscles are a lot comfier than they look.”

Chuckling deep in his chest, he swept my legs up in his armsas he stood. After spinning me toward the kitchen island, he set me down and reached into the high cabinets to get me a mug of my own. “Is that so, short stuff?”

“Hey. It’s not my fault you’re basically a giant.”

“Aw, don’t get upset,” he teased around a grin. “There’s still plenty of you to cuddle.” He planted a kiss on my lips as he slid his down to squeeze my butt through my new work skirt.

I flushed, thinking of arching my back against him last night, my ass pressing against his hard dick. As I slept in his arms, I’d had dreams of his muscled torso, sweaty and glistening, thrusting on top of me. My urges were getting nearer to the brink each night he held me.

I gave him a fun smack on his own bum as he turned to pour me my coffee. “Don’t test me, Mr. Jaguar. I’m stronger than I look. I can leave a mark if I want to.”

A growl rumbled up from his chest and escaped through a wicked grin thrown over his shoulder.

Abandoning the coffee, he spun and tugged me close. “A threat isn’t a threat if it sounds like fun.” His lips were so close his heavy breaths caressed my cheeks. His brown eyes roamed my face and landed on my mouth.

I shivered, all the longing from the night rising to the surface.

“You sure you have to go into the office today?”

Beneath my palm, his chest rose like a powerful ocean wave as he inhaled deeply.

I massaged circles across his pecks as I said, “I need to go in, handsome. I just started.”

Not to mention, Seb had looked under the weather at the hospital, and getting that new logo out was time sensitive. The fewer people who noticed the Temple of the Pure Breed’s hateful subliminal messages in the old logo, the better.

Hunter’s brows jumped. “I think I might agree to anything if you keep calling me handsome.”

My stomach somersaulted. I hadn’t even realized what I’d said, the word just spilled out. Did that cross a line? I didn’t know enough about dating to gauge whether pet names constituted something more than “casual.” I couldn’t get attached…

I cleared my throat and tried to maintain a coy smile, but my thoughts spilled into my mouth. “I can’t afford to skip work now,” I said quickly and leaned around him to grab the mug. “I’ve got to save up at least six months of rent before I move. And I know Bryce said I could take paid leave, but that doesn’t seem fair.” I hurried to the table, using a sip of coffee as an excuse to keep looking down as I sat.

“I understand,” he said from the kitchen where he stayed, but the gruffness in his voice made me look up. He had his back half turned to me now, hands braced on the countertop beside the coffeemaker. I couldn’t see enough of his face to read it.

“You probably won’t have to worry about Dagger for a while,” I said, thinking maybe that was why his shoulders were hunching at the prospect of me leaving for the day. “I checked in on him, and he’s dead asleep. One arm thrown up over his head like a little kid.” I suppressed a laugh, not wanting to give one twin any more ammunition to tease or torment the other.

He harrumphed. “Yeah, he must really be out, or he’d have you fetching him things or”—he threw up air quotes—“inspecting his bandages.” One hand on the counter became a fist. “Don’t let him take advantage of your kindness. He’s always running a game.” He looked over at me, and I saw the anger in the set of his jaw. “And right now, you’re the latest prize he’s shooting for. I hope you know that.”

I stared at him, lips parting in surprise. Dagger was a flirt, sure, but he didn’t seem so bad. He’d saved me after all, making sure I got out of that building even though it’d left him pinned inside.

Hunter’s hand uncurled, and his face softened as he sighed. “Just keep an eye out.”