Free Burden by Lila Felix Page B

jumped into the bed. I had two more full days with her before I had to return to work. And leaving her wasn’t going to be pretty. Hopefully, she’d agree to the mark before then. Otherwise, I’d be in deep shit.
    I fell asleep with her name on my lips, only to be wo ken minutes later by a hand stroking my back. I lifted my chest from the bed and turned my head to see Echo, in nothing but a simple undershirt with lace straps and the shortest pair of pajama shorts I’d ever seen.
    “Do you need something? Are you okay?”
    She was undeniably gorgeous. I thought for a second it might be a dream.
    She took a big, deep breath and blew it out, “Can I sleep here? I kinda missed you after sleeping with you all night.”
    “Kinda?”
    “OK, tons. You’ve spoiled me. Two days and I’m some kind of wuss. I was freezing in there. And all I could think about was you…”
    “Me what?”
    “Just let me in—I’m cold.”
    “Get in,” I pushed over in my king sized bed.
    “I need a blanket,” she moved to get up.
    But before she could , I grabbed her around the waist and tucked her as close to me, her back to my chest, as I could get her without smothering. I threw one leg around both of hers and she sighed.
    God, yes, the sigh of my contented female. It was a sound I’d unknowingly longed for—wished for—hoped for.
    “You still need a blanket,” I asked playfully in her ear.
    But she was already asleep. As I tried to fall asleep next to her, she turned, now facing my chest, fast asleep and called my name. She’d completely wrecked my world in those ten minutes—how was I ever going to handle the happiness she’d bring me for the rest of my life?
    I fell asleep with my mate in my arms, and my bear firmly in a state of calm for the first time in my life.
    My cell rang sometime later but I couldn’t will myself to move.
    “Hello?” Echo was answering my phone and I failed at trying to squelch my smile.
    “Yes, hello. How are you?”
    “I’m well, thank you. How can I help you?” She was sitting up in bed, and I snuck a bite on her outer thigh.
    “Ouch! Oh, sorry, yes. We will be there shortly.” She hung up the phone.
    “I cannot believe you. What if he thought we were…”
    “Who?”
    “Tarrow, he has a financial issue he wants to speak to us about.”
    “And what would he think we were doing,” I asked pulling her back down by her thighs and hovered over her. Her hair was all around her, like a halo of darkness and she was flushed in the morning light.
    Her eyes got wide and I chuckled, “Say it.”
    “Hell no. You say it.”
    I cocked an eyebrow, meeting her challenge, “He’d think I was sinking my teeth int o your thigh, claiming you, sealing our bond. It would, of course, be the same place you’d already chosen to leave your mark. Or he’d think we were doing other things.”
    But neither of us were fool ing around anymore. She’d turn keyed on me somewhere in our play and wrapped her leg around my hip. And I took advantage, rolling her on top of me so she would have some control. Maybe it would ease her nervousness.
    Her hair trickled down around us, creating curtains around both sides of my head so that all I could see was her. She had brilliant turquoise eyes, perfect porcelain skin that was dotted with a few freckles from the corners of her eyes to her temples. And a mouth that without words begged me to experience her kiss.
    She was studying me in turn, her eyes flowing down until our sights were both locked on the other’s mouth.
    “Kiss me, Hawke,” she whispered.
    The heat between us sparked and bounced fire so hot, I could almost see the flames licking at her face. She was a treasure beyond words and I longed to give her the best of me. I pushed up on my elbows moving my face inches from where it wanted to be, but I needed her to close the distance. She was the restraint in this relationship—the only thing holding me back from leaving my mark in every way possible was her