Page 3 of Serenity
ChapterOne
Dillon
Five YearsLater
“You feeling okay?”I murmured in Faith’s ear as I pulled her closer. We were watching a movie, cuddled on the couch together. I was leaning back against the cushions in the corner, and she was between my legs with her head on my chest. But she wasn’t relaxed like she should be after a day out shopping with my mom. She was so damn tense she was practically vibratingwithit.
I slid my palms up her arms, pleased as fuck at the goosebumps that followed in the wake of my touch. There was no denying that she still responded to me with the same fierceness she had since we first met. But there was also no denying that something was wrong with Faith. She’d seemed off ever since we got situated on the couch a few hours earlier. I wasn’t sure what was bothering her, but it felt like she was pulling awayfromme.
When she’d moved in with me a couple of weeks ago, life had seemed as close to perfect as it could get. We had our college degrees. My dad gave me a week off before I started my new job at his company. Living with me meant Faith could continue on for her master’s degree without worrying about money. It was a big fucking deal that she was willing to let me take care of her that way since she was so damn self-sufficient.
My tough girl had finally taken down some of her walls and let me in. She’d even found the courage to admit shelovedme.
Outloud.
Repeatedly.
But no matter how often she said those three little words, I still felt like she hadn’t let me all the way in. I figured it’d take time, and I needed to be patient with her. To remember she wasn’t used to being loved by anyone and didn’t know how tohandleit.
Normally, I was okay with that. But tonight it was almost as though she was scared. And if my tough girl was afraid of something, then it was my job to make her feel safe. Which would be a hell of a lot easier if I knew what I was up against; only Faith wasn’t giving me much togoon.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Justtired.”
I stroked my thumbs along the muscles running across her shoulders, digging in to try to relieve some of the tension. “Is the new bed making it hard for you to sleep? I can order a different mattress ifthat’llhelp.”
She titled her head back, her dark hair spilling over my arm as she offered me a smile. “Don’t you dare replace that mattress. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever slept on in my entire life, and I’d have to seriously hurt you if you got ridofit.”
“Hmm, and here I thoughtIwas the most amazing thing you’d ever slept on.” I changed the direction of my massage to work on her neck, switching to vertical rubs along her spine. “Should I be worried you’re only with me formybed?”
Her brown eyes filled with humor and she laughed softly. “You can’t possibly be jealous of your mattress. It’s an inanimate object, and one you sleep on next to meatthat!”
“Don’t you get it yet, baby?” I slid my fingers down her spine, and she arched into me. “I’m a little bit jealous of anything that gets to touch yourperfectskin.”
Her smile grew bigger, turning a bit smug. “Youare,huh?”
“Yeah, and you look pleased as fuckbythat.”
She twisted in my arms and rose to her knees as her hands went to the bottom of her shirt. “Maybe I am.” Then she winked at me and whipped the material up and over her head. “Or maybe I just want you to show me how much you enjoy touching my so-calledperfectskin.”
I knew we had shit to talk about, but all my brain cells headed south to my dick at the sight of her tits. I’d already been at half-mast, but with that move she had me fully hard. I licked my lips, my mouth watering with the need to taste her pebbled nipples. Any serious conversation was going to have to wait because it looked like Faith wanted to work through it in a different way. With sex. And I was just the guy to help her with that—the only one who’d ever get thechance.
Her breathing picked up a notch, and it made her tits bounce a little. “Are you going to give me whatIwant?”
“Always,” Iswore.
“Then show me just how perfect you think myskinis.”
She didn’t have to ask me twice. “It’d be mypleasure.”
I stood with her cradled in my arms and strode to our bedroom, tossing her onto the mattress that’d prompted our conversation to head in this direction. She lifted her hips and wiggled out of her yoga pants, making me groan when I realized she’d been commando under them the entire time we’d been chilling on thecouch.
“No bra or panties tonight?” I asked, pulling my shirt over my head and shoving my shorts downmylegs.
“I guess you’ve rubbed off on me in more ways than you know.” Her dark eyes filled with heat as her gaze dropped to my cock. “You’re always running around without any boxers on under your athletic shorts, with your dick practically hanging out. I figured I might as well be as comfortable as you are since I liveheretoo.”
“Hell, baby. Feel free to skip the yoga pants and shirt if you want. I’m certainly not going tocomplain.”
She fell back against the pillows in a fit of giggles. “I’m sure youwouldn’t.”
