Vance asks, his voice rougher, deeper than normal, as his hands grasp onto my hips and he pulls me back down beside him. I gasp in surprise, tumbling down onto the couch, and before I can respond, his mouth finds mine and he kisses me, slowly and thoroughly. “I thought you were sleeping,” I say when his mouth leaves mine, my voice no more than a whispered breath. Sweeping my hair aside, he kisses the side of my neck, causing a shiver to spread through me. His lips trail along my neck and down my shoulder, pausing to place a kiss on the spot where they meet. His mouth lingers there as he whispers, “I’m awake.” “I see that,” I say on a sigh, closing my eyes as he settles me back in his arms, maneuvering me to my side, pinning my back against his chest with no space separating our naked bodies. It’s late, well past nine at night, I assume. I’m not really sure. There are no clocks down here, but the sunset was at least an hour ago, and it feels like I’ve been lying here, wrapped up in Vance’s arms, all sweaty and sticky, for hours.
