A few minutes, or maybe even an hour later, something brushes over my ankle. Startled, I jerk my feet up. The covers slowly slide down my body and a firmer grip on my leg pulls me from sleep.

“Z?”

“It’s me.”

Relief washes over me and I blink myself awake. “Are you okay?”

“Shh, I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

While he says go back to sleep, his rough hands skimming their way up my legs only awaken all my pent-up needs and fears.

He skims his lips over my calf and behind my knee. Stops to kiss a spot on my thigh. Every kiss and touch reminds me how precious I am to Z.

I turn over and sit up, almost bumping into him. The barest hint of sunrise bleeds into the room but it’s enough to see the look of surprise on Z’s face when I strip my tank top off and toss it on the floor.

I run my gaze over his damp hair and skin. “Did you take a shower?”

“Yeah, before I left the clubhouse and then again downstairs. You didn’t want me coming to bed covered with what went on tonight.”

I turn that over in my head. “What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He lifts his chin. “Keep going.”

I wiggle out of my shorts and loop my arms around his neck, dragging him down to me. His forehead touches mine but he doesn’t kiss me. He stares at me for a few seconds. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“It won’t ever happen again.” The conviction to his words is clear.

I can only imagine what Z had to do in order to make that promise. I doubt I’ll ever see Shadow again.

“I trust you.”

He closes his eyes for a second, then kisses my forehead, my eyelids, my cheeks, then lower.

“Where are you going?”

Stubble from his chin scratches over my hip, followed by another soft kiss. “I wanted to wake you up with my face in your pussy.”

“I’m awake now.”

“I still want to taste your pussy.” He tightens his hands around my hips. “I need to taste you, breathe you in, feel that you’re safe and mine.” The words tumble out of him in a tangle of emotion and dominance. “I hated being away from you for so long after what happened.”

I whisper, “I was worried about you.”

“Lilly, I will always punish anyone who hurts you.”

I open my mouth to answer, but gasp instead. He drags his tongue up my needy center, stopping to flick my clit.

“The only words I need to hear from you for the next few hours are ‘more’, ‘right there’, and ‘holy fuck, I’m coming again’.”

I shiver with desire, then chuckle. “What about, ‘fuck me harder with your giant cock’?”

“That works too.”