Chapter 11

CHAPTERELEVEN

Lara swallowed hard. She wanted this. Wanted Owl. But she had to admit that she was nervous. She wasn’t really trying to prove anything to anyone, but now that he’d brought it up, she wondered if that was at least a little part of this.

The thought of being naked in front of Owl made her belly clench in distress. She couldn’t help but remember Carter’s leering gaze as he touched her, as he bruised her bare flesh.

Closing her eyes, Lara forced herself to take a deep breath. Owl wasn’t Carter. And she could do this. Wanted to do this.

She changed into the oversized T-shirt she’d been wearing to bed and left her underwear on. This was what she’d worn to bed every night since she’d arrived here at the cabin, minus the leggings she usually had on. It felt weird to be walking around with her legs bare, but she refused to show up to Owl’s bed with almost every inch of her body covered.

She stopped in the doorway of Owl’s room and stared.

The light from his bathroom was on, as was a lamp next to the bed. Owl was lying on the mattress, surprisingly wearing almost the same thing she was. A T-shirt and a pair of boxers. The light in the room wasn’t extremely bright, but it wasn’t dim either. It was actually perfect.

He’dliked all the lights on, so he could see the bruises he left on her skin. But he also liked to leave her in the dark when he was done, and sometimes he’d sneak into her room and scare her even more when he appeared out of nowhere.

Owl seemed to instinctively know exactly what she needed.

Taking a deep breath, Lara started for the bed.

She reached the side and without thought, immediately lay down next to Owl. She snuggled into his chest as he shifted to put his arm around her back, holding her against him.

Neither spoke for a long moment. Then Lara said, “You didn’t have to keep your shirt on for me.”

“I didn’t,” Owl said.

That made Lara lift her head. There was an odd note to his voice that she didn’t understand.

“I usually sleep in my shirt and sweatpants,” he said with a shrug. “Being nude…it reminds me of…The first thing our captors did was strip us. They wanted to humiliate us. Our cells were cold, really damn cold, and being naked, it was…it sucked.”

It was almost scary how alike their experiences were. “He took my clothes too,” Lara said quietly. “And while he didn’t leave me naked, he put me in this scratchy nightie thing. He’d push it all the way up when he was there, and even though it was loose, I felt like it was strangling me. Sometimes he’d pull it over my face. Then, before he left, he’d tug it down over his release. So it was always damp. Uncomfortable. I hated that damn thing.”

She came up on an elbow and looked down at Owl. “So…we leave our shirts on then?”

He smiled at her and nodded. “That sounds perfect.”

Lara relaxed. She should’ve known Owl would make this easy. “What now?” she whispered.

“Now you do whatever you want.”

Lara frowned. “But I want you to enjoy this too.”

Owl chuckled. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing I can think of that I’ll enjoy more than having you in my arms. It doesn’t matter if we do nothing more than this. Promise.”

“But do you want more?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“I want it all,” Owl admitted. His gaze bored into hers. The sincerity in his words burrowing down to her heart. “I want your mouth. Your body. Your heart. Your soul. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms, and wake up the same way. I want you to be happy, safe, and to live your life exactly how you want. There’s so much more I want, but if I told you right now, you’d probably leap out of this bed and run screaming from this house.”

She doubted that. Anything this man wanted, she’d do whatever she had to do in order to make it happen. “Right now, I want a kiss,” she whispered.

“Then take what you want,” he ordered.

Leaning down slowly, Lara did just that. She brushed her lips over his and lifted her head when he didn’t move.

“Owl?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“I want you to kiss me back.”

He grinned. “Then come back down here and give me those lips again and I will.”

So she did. And this time, Owl didn’t hesitate to take what she was offering. The hand that had rested on her back moved up and once more shoved into her hair, holding her head where he wanted it. His head tilted and he took her long, hard, and deep. Her lips felt bruised and swollen when she pulled back to catch her breath and stare at him.

Suddenly, it wasn’t enough.

She felt ravenous. And she’d never felt this way. Like if she didn’t get more of this man, she’d break into a million pieces. She’d had sex before, but it had never felt…desperate. Necessary.

Moving decisively, Lara straddled Owl. His hands moved to her hips and held her steady as she fought to catch her breath. Slowly, she shifted so her hands went under his shirt and touched his bare stomach. He was warm, and she felt his muscles contract as she caressed him.

Smiling, loving the power she felt from being on top, Lara eased her hands higher. She couldn’t see what she was touching, but she felt his chest hair tickling her palms and when she reached his nipples, her grin widened as he arched into her touch. She played with the sensitive buds for a moment.

“You like that?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Owl told her. His eyes were slits now, as if it was difficult to keep them open. She could feel his cock under her but wasn’t alarmed by it. This was Owl. Every molecule in her body knew where she was and who she was with. She was safe. Owl would protect her.

An image popped into her brain while she caressed his chest…of him standing next to the bed in that damn basement in Arizona.

He’d been fierce in his determination to make sure no one touched her. Every muscle in his body taut, his hands in fists as he’d stood between her and Carter. His willingness to protect her, a stranger, had seeped into her consciousness even then. And throughout the time she’d been with him, she’d seen that courage and unselfishness time and time again.

And she was seeing it again now. He lay under her, every muscle tight, aroused, and yet he was giving her the reins. Letting her set the pace. It meant the world to her. It meant everything.

Leaning down, Lara kissed him again. Aggressively. And he let her take what she needed. But the thing was, she wanted everything. She wanted to consume Owl. Take what he’d offered time and time again. His strength. His confidence. It was selfish, but at the moment, Lara didn’t care.

She ripped her mouth from his and took a moment to relish the way his eyes were unfocused and how hard he was breathing. She slowly moved down his body, digging her nails into his chest a little as she went. His legs widened, giving her room. Lara pushed his shirt up, just a little, so she could get to the waistband of his boxers.

Looking up his body, she watched as Owl grabbed the pillows and scrunched them, raising his head a bit so he had a clearer view of what she was doing.

Grinning, Lara slowly drew his boxers down over his cock. She didn’t take them all the way off, but he lifted his ass, giving her room to pull the material as far as his thighs. She couldn’t wait to touch him long enough to move them any farther.

Taking his hard cock in her hand, she heard Owl hiss as she squeezed him. He wasn’t overly long, but he was thicker than anyone she’d been with. The purple head of his cock flexed as she gripped him.

“Holy shit, sweetheart. Please.”

“Please what?” she asked with a small smirk.

“Anything. Anything you want,” he replied.

This power was heady. Her choice had been stripped from her in the harshest way possible. She hadn’t been able to say yes or no. All she’d been able to do was endure a psychopath’s sick whims. Owl was giving back her power, and she’d never loved anyone more as a result.

Tightening her grip, Lara moved her hand up, then back down his shaft.

“Yes…” Owl hissed.

Looking at his face, you wouldn’t think he enjoyed what she was doing, but when a bead of precome formed at the head of his cock, it was obvious. His hands were in fists at his sides as he lay under her, completely at her mercy.

She only faltered for a moment as the scent of his desire hit her. The musky smell reminded her of being back in that basement, but she took a deep breath and concentrated on the here and now.

Looking down, she watched as she stroked him. How the soft skin of his cock moved with her hand. How his balls seemed to draw up as she stroked. Lara pushed her other hand under his shirt once more and tweaked his nipple even as she gripped his cock harder.

His hips rose at that, but he seemed to remember where he was and who he was with and lowered them back to the mattress. “I’m close to coming,” he warned her. “And I’m not sure if you want that or not.”

Even now, in the middle of his own pleasure, he was protecting her. Her love for him grew even bigger. Did she want him to come? Yes. Definitely. But like this? Probably not. She could almost hear Henley in her head, warning her to take baby steps rather than jump feet first into the deep end.

“I do,” she reassured him. “But…I don’t want it on me.”

Because she had her hand around his dick, she felt him deflate a little at her words, and she hated that.

“Come here,” Owl ordered, not letting her dwell on her demons.

Letting go of him reluctantly, Lara moved upward.

“More,” Owl said, gently putting his hands on her hips.

She moved up another inch.

He grinned. “More,” he said a little firmer, using his strength to pull her all the way up so she was sitting astride his chest. Her pussy was a few inches from his face now, and Lara felt herself getting wet thinking about having his mouth on her. That definitely wasn’t something that had happened while she was a captive. Anything that gave her pleasure was off the table. It was all about him.

She jerked in surprise when Owl’s hands slipped under her shirt.

“This okay?”

She nodded quickly.

His gaze was locked on her face as his hands moved upward. They gently cradled her breasts and his thumbs tweaked her nipples.

Yet again, she was thrust back into the basement, but as she gazed down into Owl’s face, those memories faded. This was nothing like then. Owl’s hands were gentle and felt good on her skin.

“You’re perfect,” he mumbled. “You fit my hands like you were made for me.”

He gently squeezed her, and it didn’t hurt. Not in the least. Lara instinctively arched into his touch.

“That’s it. Let me make you feel good. Because that’s how you make me feel. You have no idea how much of a turn-on you are right now. You’re strong, and capable, and in charge.”

Every word out of his mouth was meant to give her control, and amazingly, the longer Owl touched her, the more she wanted him to continue.

Lifting her hands, she placed them over his, through the shirt. She encouraged him to squeeze her harder.

“Easy, sweetheart. We’ll get there. Just let me love you gently.”

Panting, Lara dropped her hands and braced herself on his shoulders. How long he caressed her, she had no idea. But suddenly it wasn’t enough. She was soaked. Her nipples were rock hard and she needed more. She needed to come.

Moving quickly, and dislodging his hands in the process, she shifted to the side and yanked off her panties before lifting a leg back across his chest.

“Make me come,” she demanded as she stared down at him almost defiantly.

“With pleasure. Closer, Lara. Put your pussy on my mouth.”

His words made desire shoot through her body. She’d never been a fan of dirty talk, but with this man? She loved it.

Scooting forward, she watched as Owl licked his lips in anticipation. She was practically dripping now. He brought one hand up and scrunched the pillow under his head again, lifting himself a little higher, and then he used his other hand to palm one of her ass cheeks.

Lara yelped as he dove forward, burying his head between her legs.

The first lick of his tongue through her slit felt amazing, but it was when he latched onto her clit and began sucking as if his life depended on it that her heart felt as if it stopped beating.

“Owl,” she murmured, trying to pull herself away from his intense lovemaking.

But he tightened his hold on her ass and held her against him as he licked and slurped up every ounce of pleasure that dripped from her body.

“So beautiful,” he murmured before licking her once more.

Looking down, Lara could hardly believe this was happening. The lovemaking she’d experienced in the past had been very vanilla. She’d lain on her back while her boyfriends entered her. It felt good, but it had never been this…intense.

Her hips began moving without any input from her brain. She humped Owl’s face, trying to get as much stimulation on her clit as she could.

“That’s it. Fuck my face,” he encouraged.

In any other situation, Lara would probably be mortified. But she was so close to a monster orgasm, she couldn’t muster the energy to think about anything other than getting off.

She moved a hand between her legs to finish herself off, but Owl wasn’t having that. He pushed her fingers away. “That’s my job,” he said fiercely, before lifting his head and latching his lips onto her clit.

Lara froze for a moment—before suddenly flying into a million pieces. The orgasm was so powerful, it almost hurt. In a good way. It had been so long since she’d felt anything like it, but at the same time, this feeling was completely new.

Owl had turned her inside out, and as she shook and trembled, she felt safer than she ever had in her life.

Even as aftershocks continued to jolt through her body, Owl pulled back and stared up at her. “Please…fuck me, Lara. I need you. So damn bad.”

She moved. The only thought in her head to ease the longing she could hear in his voice. She shifted down his body until she was hovering over his cock. It was hard as a rock. The head was weeping with precome, and Owl’s teeth were clenched as she reached for him.

He inhaled sharply as she gripped his cock and aimed it between her legs.

She hesitated then, drawing out the moment. Lara wasn’t sure why. She felt good, really good, and it was obvious Owl was hurting.

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice shaking. “You did so good, sweetheart. I’ll be tasting you on my tongue for the rest of my life. We can stop. It’s all right.”

Lara suddenly realized what she was doing.

She was testing him. Wanting to see if he’d really stop as he promised.

And that sucked. Because she trusted Owl. More than she’d ever trusted anyone. And here she was, torturing him. He was two seconds away from coming and she was hesitating. Making him think she wasn’t sure about him. About them.

Without another thought, she lowered herself and took him to the hilt.

They both gasped.

It hurt a little, but Lara barely felt the pain. All she felt was complete. She was full, so damn full, and for the first time ever, she felt as if she’d become one with a man.

Owl’s hands had moved again, gripping her hips in a firm but gentle touch. He stared at where they were joined with an expression of awe.

Lara would never forget this moment. Ever. For the rest of her life, she’d replay it over and over again. How Owl had given her control over their lovemaking. Had let her do what felt right. Giving only what she felt she could give. And right now, she wanted to give him everything.

He was hers. She wasn’t giving him up. The protectiveness and possessiveness she felt toward him was new. She’d never felt that way about anything before. But this man? She’d fight to the death for him.

She tried to rock her hips, but Owl’s hands held her still.

“Owl,” she whined. “I want to move.”

“I can’t protect you,” he said in a tortured tone.

Lara froze.

* * *

Owl had never felt anything as amazing as Lara’s pussy gripping his cock. He was born to be inside her. She was soaking wet, her juices dripping down his shaft to his balls. He’d eaten her out as if his life depended on it, and he figured that maybe it did.

And he’d almost burst with pride when she’d taken him. But as he stared down at where his cock was buried deep within her body, he panicked.

He wasn’t wearing a condom.

“I can’t protect you,” he blurted.

“What?” she asked, sounding hurt.

“Condom. I’m not wearing one,” he said between gritted teeth. He felt every movement she made. Her inner muscles were strangling his dick as if they never wanted to let him go. Not that he wanted to go anywhere. He could live right here, just like this, for the rest of his days. But he refused to do anything that might hurt her. Might make her regret being with him.

Her brow furrowed as she stared at him.

“The last thing I want is anything we do to give you a flashback. And sex can be messy, sweetheart. Especially without a condom. I know what he did to you, and I want to protect you from seeing my come.”

Lara sat up straighter, the small movement making him groan. “Wait, let me see if I understand you. You’re not worried about protecting me from getting pregnant. You aren’t worried about what diseases I might have caught from a freaking serial killer. You’re thinking that the sight of your sperm, the result of you experiencing pleasure from being inside me, might make me have a panic attack?”

She sounded confused. Owl hurried to explain further. “Yes. For the record, I want to knock you up. I can’t think of anything sexier than knowing my son or daughter is growing in your belly. And no, I’m not worried about diseases because I was there when the doctor gave you the results of the tests he ran in the hospital in Arizona, remember? So yeah, if the sight of my come leaking from between your legs has even a one percent chance of fucking things up between us, then I don’t want to risk it. Rise up for a minute and I’ll grab a condom from the drawer. They might be older than is wise to use, but it’s better than nothing.”

This conversation was anything but sexy, but Owl’s cock hadn’t lost its hardness. How could it when he was buried in the hottest, wettest pussy he’d ever had the pleasure and privilege to be in?

“You…Owl…You can’t.”

“I can’t what? Get the condom? Of course, I can. I just need you to lift up so I can reach the drawer.”

In response, Lara leaned down, resting on his chest. It made his cock twitch inside her, and he felt a small burst of precome release from the tip. Gritting his teeth, praying he wouldn’t prematurely go off inside her, Owl wrapped his arms around her.

“No…you can’t want to get me pregnant,” she insisted, staring into his eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because! That’s crazy. Guys don’t like to be trapped.”

“I do. Trap me, Lara. Please.”

“You’re weird.”

“Yeah. I am,” Owl said without an ounce of concern. “Look, I’ve learned the hard way how precious life is. How short it can be. I don’t know why or how I survived what I did, but I’ll be damned if I let the best thing that’s ever happened to me slide through my fingers.

“I love you, Lara Osler. You’re it for me. I want to marry you, have children with you, and live happily ever after either here at The Refuge with our friends or, if you prefer, back in DC, so you can get your job back and kick ass with those kids. I don’t care which. As long as you’re with me, I’ll be happy. And if you don’t want any of that, you should climb off my cock and go back to your room. We can figure out something else for your living arrangements. Maybe you can stay with Cora and Pipe. Whatever makes you comfortable. But I can’t keep my mouth shut anymore.”

Owl was practically panting by the time he finished—and as soon as the words were out, he regretted them. Not only because he knew how much pressure it would put on the woman in his arms, but because he didn’t want her to leave, to stay with her friend. He wanted her right where she was. In his bed, his cabin, where he could continue to make sure she healed from the shit life had thrown at her.

In response, Lara slowly sat up once more, and Owl frantically began trying to rebuild the shields around his heart that he’d dropped for this woman. It would kill him, but he’d let her go and not make it awkward for her.

Internally, he snorted. Not awkward…right. He’d just told her that he wanted to knock her up. How could that not be awkward?

Just when he was bracing himself to feel the chill of the air on his cock as she pulled away, she surprised the fuck out of him by reaching for the hem of her shirt.

She whipped it over her head, sitting astride him completely naked.

And. She. Was. Fucking. Perfect.

Her tits shivered with every breath she took. Her nipples were long and hard, begging for his mouth. She had a small pooch of a belly, and seeing her hips spread apart as she straddled him was the most erotic thing he’d ever witnessed.

And then she moved. Not off him, as he’d expected, but up and down on his dick.

“I love you too,” she said as she locked her gaze with his. Her fingernails dug into his chest, and he could feel them even through the shirt he still wore. “I went to see Henley alone because I wanted to talk about you. I admitted that I loved you, and I told her that I was worried it was some sort of knee-jerk reaction to everything that happened. We talked about it for a long time…and I realized that my love for you isn’t because I need to be rescued or protected. It’s because of the man you are. I’ve looked for you my entire life, Owl…just ask Cora. She’ll tell you. And it’s almost unbelievable that I found you at the exact moment I’d given up.”

Owl could barely focus on what she was saying. The feel of her pussy gripping his cock as she raised and lowered herself over him was distracting as hell. He reached for her and grabbed her waist. Stopping her movement.

“You love me?” he asked, wanting to hear the important bit again.

“Yes.”

“Say it,” he ordered.

She grinned. “I love you.”

Owl closed his eyes and let the words sink into his soul.

“Your turn,” she prodded.

His eyes opened and he stared up at her. “I love you. So much it’s almost scary.”

She nodded as if she understood that perfectly. “You really want a child?”

“With you? Yes,” Owl told her.

“Then let go of me so I can move, and we can see about making that happen.”

“You want kids?”

“With you?” she echoed his words. “Oh, yeah.”

That was all it took for Owl to come.

He hadn’t planned on it. Had wanted to make sure his woman was satisfied again. But hearing her say she wanted him to give her a baby was more than he could control. Grunting, Owl felt his dick twitch inside her as he emptied himself.

“Shit,” he complained when he could talk again.

Lara grinned down at him.

Without pulling out—because honestly, Owl loved being inside her—he reached for her clit. He held her on top of him with one hand and manipulated her very sensitive bundle of nerves with the other.

“I…thought…I was…in charge,” Lara panted as she writhed over him.

“You are,” Owl reassured her even as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

“Doesn’t feel like it,” she told him with a small smile.

“Anything you want, you get,” Owl said.

“I want you,” she said.

“Then you’ve got me. I’m yours. Now, come for me. Let me feel you come on my cock.”

Before he’d finished speaking, she was coming again. She clamped down on his dick, and he’d never felt anything as erotic as what he experienced at that moment.

Amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, Owl felt himself harden inside her.

He wanted to flip her over and fuck her hard and fast, but as he’d said, she was in charge. And he didn’t want to do anything that would bring her out of the pleasure haze she was currently in. He rocked his hips, thrusting into her body.

They both moaned.

“More,” she pleaded.

He’d never make this woman beg for anything. He lifted her slightly, so he had some room to work, then he thrust into her again, over and over. After a while, his stomach muscles began to tire, but he didn’t stop. The sight of their combined juices on his dick when he pulled out only made him harder. They were making a mess of the sheets, but again, Owl didn’t give a shit. He’d gladly sleep in the wet spot every night for the rest of their lives.

“I’m gonna come inside you again,” he warned. “Gonna shoot my sperm so far inside you that there’s no way my guys can’t get to your eggs.”

“Shut up, Owl. That’s not sexy,” she complained.

She was wrong. It was absolutely sexy as hell thinking about getting her pregnant.

He was on the verge of coming when Lara took control and sat down on him—hard. Then she squeezed her inner muscles as tightly as she could, fucking him internally.

Owl felt the room dim as he exploded.

When he came back to himself, Lara was lying on his chest once more. His dick was still inside her, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped out. He sat up as best he could, reaching for the blanket and pulling it up and over the both of them.

Then he did something he couldn’t have imagined doing their first time together…if ever. He shifted and wiggled until he’d removed his shirt. His boxers were still around his thighs, but he didn’t care. The feel of being skin-to-skin with Lara was heaven.

She must have thought so too, because she sighed heavily and snuggled closer.

They were quiet for a moment before she asked, “You think you can sleep now?”

Owl chuckled. “Yeah, sweetheart. I can sleep.”

“Good.”

He didn’t mention that falling asleep wasn’t his problem. It was waking in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. But with a naked Lara in his arms, staying awake the rest of the night wouldn’t exactly be a hardship.

“Is this weird?” she whispered after a moment.

“No,” Owl said without a shred of doubt.

“I don’t think so either. But some people will.”

“Fuck ’em.”

She chuckled against his chest. “No thank you.”

Owl huffed out a breath and felt himself slip from inside her body.

“Oh…that felt weird!” Lara exclaimed.

Actually, it felt horrible. But Owl simply shifted Lara in his arms so she was mostly lying on the mattress, which had to be more comfortable than lying on him, and took the opportunity to remove his boxers. He kicked them off, not caring that they’d be lost under the covers. He’d sort out the bed tomorrow.

They lay there for a minute or two, before Lara lifted her head. “Would you be offended if I put my shirt back on?” she asked.

Owl let out a relieved breath. “No. I was about to ask you the same thing.”

They shared a smile as they reached for their T-shirts. Then they settled right back into the position they’d been in before. Even though Owl had loved the feel of her against him, he couldn’t deny he was much more comfortable wearing the shirt.

“I love you,” Lara whispered after a while.

“I love you too,” Owl replied, experiencing that overpowering feeling in his chest once more. “Go to sleep. The new guests with the kids will be here before you know it, and I know you and Cora have more stuff you want to plan.”

“Yeah.”

Owl thought she was going to say something else, but the next thing he heard was her deep breaths as her body relaxed completely against his own.

The responsibility he felt toward this woman was almost overwhelming. But it also felt as if it was meant to be. Life with her would be more complicated than living on his own, but he’d been doing it for the last few months, and found he was looking forward to his future. And that was new, as he’d merely been going through the motions of life since he’d been rescued.

Owl kissed Lara’s forehead and smiled when she murmured something in her sleep and snuggled closer. Closing his eyes, Owl couldn’t help thinking that life was finally looking up for him. He had a woman he loved and who loved him back, The Refuge was thriving, his friends were happy, they were getting a chopper and he’d be able to fly once again, and the possibility of children was on the horizon.

Life was good, and he’d do whatever it took to keep it that way.

* * *

Three hours later, Owl woke. He was momentarily confused about where he was and who he was with, then it all came back. Lara slept peacefully in front of him. They’d shifted in their sleep to their sides, and he was now curled around her back, holding her against his chest.

He sighed, turning to look at the clock. Insomnia sucked. He’d suffered from it ever since he’d been a POW. Everyone said it would fade, that as he healed physically and mentally, he’d be able to sleep through the night, but here it was, years later, and he still woke up after only a few hours’ sleep. No matter what he did, what remedies he tried, once he woke, that was it. He was up.

As he’d thought earlier, at least this time he could lay in his bed with Lara. That made his insomnia bearable. It felt like a dream that he was finally holding the woman he’d wanted for months. He respected her, admired her, worried about her, and yes, loved the hell out of her. And she loved him back.

Then, a surprising thing happened. As he lay there with Lara in his arms, reliving the most amazing sex he’d ever had and thinking about baby names, wondering what kind of pregnant woman Lara would be…he felt himself get drowsy.

Owl didn’t have any expectations. This had happened on rare occasions in the past. He’d feel as if he was going to drift back to sleep, but then he’d continue to lay there for hours, depressed when it didn’t happen.

The next thing he knew, Lara was pushing him onto his back, grinning down at him.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Morning,” Owl mumbled—then froze.

In tune as ever with him, Lara frowned. “What? What’s wrong?”

“I slept,” he said, utterly gobsmacked.

“What?”

“I woke up in the middle of the night, as I always do…but then…I fell back to sleep.”

“I’m glad,” she said, relaxing against him.

“No, you don’t understand. Every single night for more than five years, I’ve woken up and not been able to go back to sleep. I’ve had insomnia ever since I was rescued. But last night…I woke up, then fell asleep again.”

Lara lost some of the sleepiness in her eyes. “That’s great.”

“It’s you,” Owl said reverently.

“I think it’s probably the two orgasms you had,” she said with a small smile.

“No, it’s you,” he insisted. “Having you in my arms, knowing you were safe, my brain finally stopped spinning.”

She stared at him with an odd look in her eyes.

“What?” It was Owl’s turn to ask.

“It’s just, for so long, I’ve desperately needed you by my side, and now…” Her voice trailed off.

“The table’s turned. I need you to sleep,” Owl said without hesitation.

“You need me,” Lara whispered.

“One hundred percent.”

“I…is it wrong that I like that?”

Owl shook his head. “Nope. But you do know what this means, right?”

“What?”

“That we can’t sleep apart. Ever.” He was only half kidding.

“Works for me,” she said quickly. Then got serious. “For so long, I thought I was broken. I hated how I couldn’t let you out of my sight. It made me feel weak. And now, knowing that I can give you something in return…it makes us feel a little more even.”

“It’s not a contest,” Owl told her.

“I know. And I’m probably not explaining myself very well. But knowing that I can help you, even if it’s in this small way, and even if I don’t think it’s really me that helped you sleep last night, it still feels good.”

It was her. Owl had no doubt. He’d given up on ever sleeping through the night again, and the first night he’d held Lara in his arms, he’d slept like a freaking baby. It was her all right. She was what he’d been looking for all along. Having her close let his brain shut down, stop reliving all the bad things that had happened to him. And…he had to admit, the orgasms probably hadn’t hurt either.

“You hungry?” he asked, suddenly eager to get up and start the day. He felt amazing after the extra sleep.

“I could eat.”

“You want me to make that hash brown, ham, egg casserole you like?” he asked.

“I’d love that,” she said with a small smile.

“Are you sore?”

She blushed. “A little.”

“Why don’t you take a long bath this morning then. By the time you’re out and dressed, the casserole will be done.”

“Okay. Owl?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“I love you.”

God, this woman. “I love you too.” Then he kissed her quickly on the lips and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He headed toward the bathroom to do his business and glanced back once. Lara was on her back in the middle of the mattress, her arms over her head, stretching, a huge smile on her face.

Yeah, Owl could get used to this…her. In fact, he was already.