Page 174 of Things We Hide from the Light

“What’s going on in that head of yours, beautiful?” he asked.

“How’s your shoulder?” I asked. “I wasn’t careful last night.”

“Shoulder’s fine,” he said. “I wasn’t careful with you either.”

I grinned against my will. No, he hadn’t handled me like I was a delicate flower in danger of being trampled. I hadn’t felt like a glass figurine. He had used me.Hard.And I’d freaking loved it.

“I guess I didn’t mind it.”

Nash slid down my body and placed a light kiss to each of the trio of surgical scars surrounding my breast. It was painfully sweet. My toes curled against the hair on his legs.

“Tell me what you need,” he said, just before using his mouth to tease my nipple.

“Coffee. A huge breakfast. Some ibuprofen.”

His head came up and those blue eyes were serious now. “Tell me what you need to feel safe with this. With us.”

If I hadn’t already lo—liked him, I would have fallen hard just for that. No one had ever asked me that question before. I wasn’t sure I had an answer.

“I…don’t know.”

“I’ll tell you what I need,” he offered.

“What?”

Nash slid off me onto his side and propped his head in his hand. The fingers of the other trailed over my breasts and stomach. His swollen cock rested against my hip, scrambling my brain.

“I need to know that you’re okay with what happened last night and that you want it to happen again.”

“Done and done. Wow. That was easy. Now about that coffee…”

“I need to know that you’re in this with me for however long it lasts,” he continued. “That you’re willing to admit there’s something between us that adds up to a hell of a lot more than just chemistry.”

“Pretty sure we experienced a very chemical reaction last night,” I reminded him.

He trailed those talented fingers up my neck, through my hair, combing it back from my face. “I need more pieces of you. As many as you’re willing to give. And I need you to talk to me, honestly. Even if you think I’m not going to like what you have to say.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Nash, we don’t know where this is going or what the future holds.”

“Angel, I’m just happy to be back among the living. I’m more concerned with enjoying right now than worrying about tomorrow. But I need us to be on the same page.”

It wasn’t a big ask.

I brushed my fingertip over the scar on his shoulder. “This sounds like you’re trying to turn this into a relationship.”

His smile was like the first peek of the rising sun. “Baby, we’re already in one whether you like it or not.”

“I’ve never done the relationship thing. At least, not as an adult.”

“And I never had sex in a public library before. First time for everything.”

I contemplated my options, and for once, telling the truth seemed like the straightest path to what I wanted.

I needed Nash to understand what he was getting himself into. To recognize the pitfalls that lay ahead.

“I live alone and I like it. I hate sharing the remote. I like not having to consult with someone else before ordering dinner. I don’t want to have to move the seat of my car every time I drive. The idea of passing my decisions through an ‘us’ filter leaves me feeling vaguely nauseated. I love my parents but their constant need to check up on me drives me insane, and that problem could become yours if this goes anywhere. I like to splurge on clothes and bags and shoes, and I’m unwilling to justify that. I get up early and I work a lot. I don’t want to have to change that to accommodate someone else.”

Nash waited a beat. “Okay then. The only TV I watch is the occasional football game. The remote can be yours the rest of the time. I don’t mind cooking, but if you tell me you want takeout burgers, I’ll get you takeout burgers. I promise to always move your seat back to the original position after I drive. I wouldn’t mind having some nosy parents worry about me for a change. I like the way you dress just fine so I’ve got no problems with your shopping habits. Long as you let me spoil you once in a while. As for the schedule thing, I think you’re just reachin’ because, Angel, I’m a cop. Enough said. And when it comes to making decisions together, I need a say in your personal safety. I expectyou to want a say in mine. Any decisions that affect us together, we make together.”