Chapter Thirty-Six
Soft morning light urged Chelsea awake in Liam’s bed. The night before tumbled back to her mind. Every vivid kiss, each mind-blowing orgasm, and the sweet goodbye kiss he pressed to her forehead before he left for his watch duty at the Nymans’.
She slid her hand over his side of the sheets, wistful that he were still home. She hadn’t expected to spend the night in his bed, but they’d somehow found themselves falling asleep for the night without question.
Now, with his comforter tucked under her chin, she needed to do more than register what had happened—for the second time. She needed time to contemplate the hidden grace that was buried under the dark cloak of painful change.
Chelsea pulled her hand back and considered rising from the warm cocoon of bedsheets.
Sunrise was usually a signal to start her day.
But what she had always done didn’t match what she wanted to do, and she burrowed into her pillow.
The cotton held Liam’s clean, masculine scent, and her heart pitter-pattered.
Her decision was made—Chelsea would sleep in. Content in her newfound relaxation, she readjusted and faced the other way. A folded paper with CHELSEA scrawled across the middle waited on the nightstand. Her belly fluttered, and she snatched the note.
Wish I were there when you woke up.
Smitten, she beamed, and clutching the note, she fell back onto the pillow and let herself drift asleep.
A low roar rumbled. Chelsea shot up. The comforter fell from her naked chest, and she balked at the warm golden sun that poured into Liam’s bedroom. How long have I slept?
Her gaze dropped to the mostly uncovered man snoring in bed. He was there. But her quick burst of excitement dulled. The uneven cadence of his breaths made her worry. It was as if he couldn’t relax in his sleep.
Liam snored again then stopped short, and his eyes opened. His sly smile grew, and she’d been busted staring.
Chelsea blushed. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s my bedroom,” he mumbled then hooked his arm over her side.
She rolled closer. “You know what I mean.”
“Chance came back over.”
Her brow furrowed. “Why?”
“Why what?” Liam asked.
“He’s worked around the clock for the last two days.”
“He’s not alone. Go back to sleep.”
Chelsea inched back. “Who else is working on this? I thought it was only the three of us.”
“Now we have Hagan,” he said.
“Hagan?”
Liam lifted a shoulder. “Chance’s been busting my balls to add a guy he trusts, and now I had reason to be more agreeable to the idea.”
“Me?”
He squinted his eyes open. “You.”
Her stomach jumped but she still didn’t understand the new addition. “Hagan just wants to help out on a job we all, basically, don’t know anything about?”
“Some things, you don’t question.”
“Like your buddies pulling extra shifts?” Even good friends didn’t offer to pick up unpaid work. She pulled the covers higher and sat up.
“No.” He tapped her pillow. “Like the ability to strip naked and dive into bed with you.”
“Liam, I’m serious. Why would they do that?”
“Maybe they know I want to be here with you.”
She still didn’t understand what bound them together, and whether Liam knew or not, he didn’t explain.
“Lie down.”
The confusion only made her anxious, but she didn’t know what there was to protest.
“Chelsea.” His fingers stroked her side. “Lie down with me.”
Her defenses weren’t immune to his sexy, sleep-drenched murmurs, and she had no reason to question Chance and Hagan. But still… “I’ll still wonder.”
“Wonder later.” He squeezed her hip.
A prickling need to press against him clouded her thoughts, and Chelsea relented. “All right. Later.”
He tossed his leg over hers and pulled her to his chest, and she was little spoon to his big spoon—little naked spoon to his big naked spoon.
“Sleep, Sunshine.”
“Okay.” But she couldn’t. Her mind swung from the watch duty to how well their bodies fit together. Spiraling thoughts wound tighter until she focused on the serene quiet and how light bathed the bedroom. “You know why I like the sunrise?”
He snorted quietly. “Because you never went through boot camp?”
She grinned. “No.”
“Because you hate sleep?”
“No.” Chelsea turned so they were nose to nose. His had a tiny indention and wasn’t perfectly straight. She hadn’t noticed before, or maybe she’d just not paid attention. But the telltale sign of a once-broken nose reminded her of how much they didn’t know about each other.
Though maybe she knew the most important parts. He wasn’t a saint but was absolutely a hero. He’d gone through ridiculous steps to ensure Frank and Linda were safe and trusted the people he surrounded himself with, like Chance and Hagan.
“You trust them implicitly?”
He opened his eyes. “The guys?”
She nodded.
“I do Chance, and he does Hagan. So yeah.”
That should be enough. Chelsea pressed her lips together.
“And you too.” He licked his bottom lip. “I trust you completely.”
Her throat tightened. “Likewise.”
“Does my trust come as a shock to you?”
Shrugging, she said, “I’m not sure.” Chelsea studied the lines on his face. “I was thinking how much I don’t know about you.”
He laughed. “I still don’t know why you like the sunrise.”
“Every new morning is a new beginning, and it’s impossible not to hope for the best when each day starts fresh.”
Liam let out a long sigh. “I’ll have to hang on to that.” His lips quirked. “What do you want to know about me?”
Where to begin? Chelsea lifted her shoulders again.
“Then go back to sleep.” Liam rolled over and pinned her with his naked hips and torso. “Or did you have another idea?”
She didn’t know whether it was the sound of his voice or the way his muscular physique held her in place, but Liam cast her worry and wonders away.
She heated for his touch, and before a semi-intelligent response passed her lips, he managed to flip her on top of him with deft ease.
Chelsea perched, naked and coverless, on his chest. “Liam!”
His gaze smoldered, and his lips curled up into a test-me smile. “You know what I learned about you?”
“What?” She lowered her chest to his and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
He stroked his fingers slowly down her spine then back up and played with her loose hair.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“I thought you were competitive.”
Chelsea popped up. “I am.”
His hands clasped behind her back, and Liam pulled her close again. “You’re ambitious.”
“I can be both.”
“I guess so, but I see your ambition, and I admire that more.”
Her chest squeezed. “Thanks.”
“We make a good team because I can anticipate problems, but you plan for the future.” He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.
“That’s not the same thing?” she asked.
“Not really.” He let the hair release.
“Did you anticipate this?” Because she had no idea how to map their future.
“No,” he said.
“I never planned anything in my personal life,” she admitted.
Her only focus had been fueled by Zee Zee Mars.
Chelsea didn’t know how the future would look without a fugitive to dedicate her life to finding.
Maybe she figured that one day, everything would slip into place because she’d captured Zee Zee.
Would that change who I am? Would it change how Liam saw me?
Anxiety cooled the hot flash of desire. “Maybe I’m sleepy after all. ”
He groaned. “I’ll have to work on my moves. I didn’t think you’d opt for some Zs.”
“That’s not it!”
“Kidding. Sorta.” He winked. “But from here on out, let’s keep twenty questions until after we get out of bed.”
She held up her hand as though offering God’s honest truth. “That was an impressive move.”
Liam tucked her back to where they first started when he wanted to sleep. “Stick around, Sunshine. I have a couple more that I can share.”