Free Deadly Deception by Kris Norris Page A

try to get some sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”
    Mallory kissed his arm and burrowed closer, staying strangely quiet as she relaxed against him, her breath quickly deepening as she gave in to the fatigue he’d seen creasing her brow and bunching her shoulders. He lay there for several minutes, holding her while she slept, rerunning the events of the night in his head. Though he’d seduced her into bed, he had a strange feeling he was far from being a permanent fixture in her life. She’d given him everything…bared a part of her he’d never seen before, but even so, he felt as if she was holding back. As if there was still something wedged between them, threatening to undo all he’d strived to achieve tonight.
    He sighed, closing his eyes as he listened to her breathe, the soft, muffled sound lulling him into a hazy fog. He’d worry about everything tomorrow, when some of his blood had returned to his brain. When every waking thought wasn’t shaded in the colour of her skin and how it contrasted perfectly with his.
    He heard himself laugh. Who was he kidding? The day she didn’t occupy his every thought was the day he died, pure and simple. And he had absolutely no intentions of dying before spending the next fifty years loving her.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Mallory prised her eyelids apart, squinting against the throbbing pain beating in her head, as a hand shook her shoulder, preventing her from succumbing to the desire to simply roll over and snuggle beneath the covers. She tried to focus, dragging her gaze upwards until it settled on Sawyer’s face. He gave her a stunning smile that fluttered her stomach and ignited a new wave of pain.
    She groaned, squeezing her temples as she rolled, letting her head fall back on the bed. “What time is it?”
    “Seven-thirty. Here, take these.”
    He nudged her with his hand and she shifted her gaze just enough to see the pills and glass in his hands.
    She peered at him. “What are those?”
    “Spanish fly. What the hell do you think they are? Motrin. Now take them before those bongos in your head get any louder.”
    She scowled at him, but took the pills, downing them with a gulp of water. “How did you know?”
    He snorted, his ass crowding the space beside her. “You downed four shots of whisky in the space of a heartbeat last night—all on an empty stomach. It doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to figure out you might feel like shit this morning.” His gave travelled down the length of her body, pausing at her hips. “Other than the headache, you feeling okay?”
    “If you’re asking me if I can still walk after your, how did you put it, ‘mastery in the bedroom’, it’ll be tricky, but I think I’ll manage.” She rolled her eyes at the smug look of satisfaction on his face. “Please tell me Cole isn’t here yet.”
    “No. I called him ten minutes ago, just to be sure he wasn’t in the habit of dropping by to see if you’d made it through another night. Told him we’d meet him at the office.” He raised a brow. “But by your comment, I assume he usually does? Stop by?”
    “Most days. But I told you. It was never like that. He’s just a nice guy who’s overly paranoid I don’t know how to take care of myself.”
    “And rightly so. That milk in your fridge could be used as chemical warfare. Hell, you don’t even have any bread.”
    She shrugged, regretting the action when her head responded with a stab of pain. “I haven’t been home much.”
    “Apparently.” He sighed, patting her hip. “You know, I’m sure you have more than your fair share of sick days. Cole and I can handle things today if you’d rather stay here and catch up on some sleep.”
    Mallory closed her eyes, considering his offer, but she knew she couldn’t accept. An entire day of sitting around, rehashing everything she’d confessed to Sawyer, wouldn’t help her feel better. Hell, after the night they’d shared, it’d only ratchet up her stress. She’d opened up to