He chuckled softly, the sound moving right through her. “You weren’t asleep.”

“How do you know?” She could hear the smile in her own voice.

“I have superhuman hearing.”

“Oh yeah.” Still smiling. “Why did you ask me then?”

“I’m not sure. I need to say something but I didn’t want to bother you.” More serious.

“You’re not bothering me.”

“I took the lube off of the list.”

Oh god! Despite the dark, she covered her face with her hands.

Torrent breathed out. “You don’t need it, not with me.”

Oh shit!

She rolled over and squeezed her thighs together. “If you say so.” She managed to somehow squeak out.

“I do, Candy.” So deep and without a trace of humor. “I most definitely do.”

She believed every word.

Chapter 10

The next day…

Torrent was on the floor. The blanket covered him from about mid calf to mid chest. He was sleeping soundly even though the floor in question was hard and cold.

His bed was soft and comfortable. Candy felt another momentary spark of guilt. She pushed it down. It was his own damned fault. She carefully dressed, sure to keep the covers over her. She worked not to make any noise.

Just as in her previous room, this one had a coffee maker, she’d spotted it the evening before. She tiptoed to the kitchenette and after opening and closing a few cupboards, she found the ground coffee.

Candy got to work making the brew and finding cups and the rest of the things she needed. She glanced at Torrent and sucked in a breath. He was back on the couch, on his back. One of his hands rested on the floor to keep himself from falling off the large three seater. It looked like a tiny love seat with him on it. His other hand was folded behind his head like a make-shift pillow.

The blanket was scrunched in a heap over his lap but his legs and chest were bare. His hair was mussed, his eyes had that clouded barely awake look and his lids hung at half mast. Her heart rate picked up and her breathing did the same. It was like all of the oxygen had fled the room. Like she needed to breathe more deeply to get in the same amount of air.

“Good morning.” He gave her a smile. It was beautiful, disarming. If he crooked a finger right now, she might just go. “Did you sleep well?” His voice had that deep, raspy, just-woken-up sound.

“Um…” She licked her lips. The smell of freshly brewed coffee permeated across the room. “I slept really well.” She pulled a pained face. “You?” She whispered the word, feeling the guilt return with a vengeance.

Torrent’s smile grew. “I slept like a baby. I woke up often and longed for a breast to suckle on.” He choked out a laugh.