Sienna liked all parts of Ethan, even the dark, surly man she’d first met. She wouldn’t have slept with him otherwise. There was something about him that she’d been drawn to from the beginning, and now that he was smiling and enjoying life, she felt like she had the best of him.

They ate dinner at Parker and Emily’s favorite restaurant and made plans to drive around tomorrow, see Parker’s new ski shop and Emily and her best friend Harper’s Bake and Brew. But today had been a long travel day, and after dinner, Sienna was exhausted, something Ethan seemed to pick up on.

“Do you want us to come back to the inn?” Parker asked as they walked out of the restaurant.

Ethan shook his head. “I think Sienna needs sleep.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.

It was all she could do not to lay her head on his shoulder and fall asleep right here.

They said their good nights, Parker and Emily promising to come over around ten tomorrow morning. Good, Sienna thought. She could sleep in.

They walked into the inn, James having left the door unlocked for them. He told them he turned in early and instructed them to lock up when they got home. No sooner had Ethan turned the dead bolt than he picked up Sienna in his arms and began carrying her up the stairs.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Putting you to bed. You’re dead on your feet,” he said in a gruff voice. “I appreciate you pushing through dinner with my brother, but I can see you’re exhausted.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as he walked them up the stairs and into their shared bedroom. He laid her down on the bed.

She rolled over and closed her eyes for a minute and the next thing she knew, she woke up to a pitch-black room. She’d obviously fallen fast asleep. As she inventoried herself and her surroundings, she realized that Ethan had undressed her, leaving her in her underwear alone. She wasn’t even wearing her bra.

Beside her, under the covers, Ethan slept, facing the other direction. A quick check and she realized he wore boxer briefs and nothing more.

She bit down on her lower lip, now completely awake. What were her options? She could attempt to fall back to sleep … or she could wake him up and indulge. She had to admit she was horny, a state she hadn’t let herself think about since there was nothing to be done about it … nothing but her trusty vibrator, anyway. But now?

She hesitated for just a second before deciding. Indulging it was. She slid closer to where he slept, his body moving in even cadence with his breathing, and placed her lips against his warm back. When he didn’t move, she slid her lips over his skin, alternately licking and kissing his flesh.

Without warning, he groaned, and suddenly he flipped over, trapping her between his big body and the mattress. “Do you want something?” he asked in a sleep-roughened voice.