Aftermath

Talon put Wren in the car and headed home. He was fully aware they could have gotten killed, but he had not been able to stop it.

At least her emotions had finally calmed down. They were going to have to figure out a way to handle this new connection—the sooner, the better.

He carried her into her room and laid her on her bed, trying to decide if he should undress her or not. He would not wish to sleep in that state, but to undress her would mean he would see her, well… He could not invade her privacy like that, and he was too tired to struggle with a sleeping figure.

He sat down on the bed as he debated what to do.

When he heard her speak right next to his ear, it was only natural for him to jump, right?

“Take off your shirt.”

He turned to see Wren looking at his back.

“What?”

“Shut up and take off your shirt. I need to see your back. It is still bothering you, right?”

She was kneeling on the bed behind him. She was exhausted, but she would not be able to sleep until she knew he was all right, even though she knew he was not, since she could still feel bits of pain coming from him.

Talon sighed and removed his shirt, too tired to argue with the lady right now. If she wanted to see, fine.

It was not worth the effort.

He felt Wren trace the wound that was still visible down the length of his back. He shivered at her touch, and although he was tired beyond all belief, his groin responded ever so slightly to the caress.

“It did not heal all the way.”

“It was too deep.”

“Lie down. I will clean it for tonight so it does not get infected until you have the strength to heal it yourself.”

“Do not trouble yourself. I will take care of it when I go to my room.”

Wren tried to push him down onto her bed.

“Shut up and do it. I am too tired to argue with you right now.”

She slipped off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Talon knew he would do what she asked.

Talon sighed and slipped off his shoes before lying down on her bed. He took a deep breath in, smelling her fragrance, relaxing into the warmth of where her body had just been.

He could stay like this forever, he thought as he closed his eyes.

***

Wren emerged from the bathroom to see Talon sound asleep on his stomach. She shook her head and went over to clean his wound, taking the opportunity to caress the muscles of his back to her heart’s content.

She only stopped when he moved and let out a sigh. She did not want him to wake up to that.

She finished cleaning the wound and went to clean herself up. She could barely stand, but she needed to be clean before she would be able to sleep.

After a quick shower and change of clothing, Wren sat beside the sleeping Talon, wondering if she should try to move him to his room. She was not going to take his room, and her couch was not a comfortable place to sleep.

Besides, he looked so relaxed and peaceful. She did not have the heart to wake him.

She let out a yawn and curled up next to him, closing her eyes and burying herself in her blankets. It was only one night.

They were too tired, and he was too much of a gentleman to try anything if he did wake. After all, he had asked if he could enter her room just the other day.

Talon rolled over, pulling the warmth and softness closer to him, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. He wrapped his arm securely around the warmth and took a deep breath in before falling back into a deep sleep.

The first one in months that did not star Wren writhing beneath him in pleasure.

Wren stretched and buried herself back into the warmth that enveloped her, the feeling of safety and security flowing over her body. She relaxed further into the warmth that was wrapping itself around her.

Talon slid his hand over a heavy breast, allowing his finger to tease the nipple for a few seconds before moving down the side to the hips, where he stopped a moment to enjoy the soft skin. His dreams were becoming more and more realistic.

He could feel the warmth of her skin and the movement of her body beneath his fingertips. He drew lazy circles on the hip before splaying his fingers out and lowering his hand across the mound, sliding lower and lower until his fingers slipped in between the nice warm legs…

“What a dream,” Talon thought as he slowly gained consciousness.

He moved his hand and felt coarse hair and wet heat. His fingers buried themselves into those tight, coarse curls, the flesh beneath quivering with anticipation.

~This is a dream, right? What the hell was… Oh shit.~

His hand was…well…it was resting, quite happily, between Wren’s legs, and his fingers moved over her sensitive spot once more. She let out a sigh and moved her hips, causing his fingers to slip further down and dip into her folds.

She pushed against his hand, thrusting up and opening further for his fingers to find their way in between the folds and nuzzle her opening. He froze, his member jumping to life and twitching in anticipation.

He quickly withdrew his fingers, now covered in sweet-smelling wetness, and pulled away from her.

~What the hell am I doing?~

Wren followed him, rolling onto her back and trapping his other arm underneath her head. Talon froze, trying to figure out what to do next.

If she woke to this…

He slowly started to move his arm out from underneath her, inch by inch, not wanting to wake her. Eventually, he was able to remove his arm and sit up.

He looked down at the hand that had just invited itself to taste her. It still glistened from the moisture of her core, and he could smell the sweetness.

His member twitched, reminding him it was still there. He put his head in his hands and let out a soft groan.

How was he going to handle this if she woke up?

He tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through his back, and he had to sit back down.

“Let me.”

Talon jumped at the sound of her voice.

He looked back to see Wren once again kneeling behind him in a skimpy little nightie.

He blushed and turned away when he realized she was not wearing a bra.

~Focus. You are not a teenage boy looking for a piece of flesh here.~

He felt her slowly run a finger down his wound, finishing the healing process.

“Better?”

“Yes…thank you,” he said, standing. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

Talon could not look her in the eyes. He gestured toward the bed.

Wren waved him away.

“Do not worry. Nothing happened, so there’s nothing to apologize for. We were tired and needed rest.”

She could not tell him just how turned on she was right now from him sleeping next to her.

There was something seriously wrong with her when just his presence could make her so randy.

“If anything, it is my fault for not removing myself once I realized you were asleep, but I was too tired and selfish to try sleeping on the couch.”

“No. I should have left.”

How was he supposed to handle this situation? He had slept with many women, but he had never stuck around for the morning-after scene.

This was awkward.

Wren climbed out of the bed and walked to the bathroom.

“I am going to shower. I will see you later.”

***

It was only after he entered the shower that he realized he had left his shirt in her room. He shrugged. It was no big deal.

He would go back and get it later. It was ruined anyway.

The hot water felt good against his sore muscles, and he closed his eyes, letting the water relax the pain.

The outdoor pool would have been better, but he just wanted to get clean. There were bits of dirt and blood on him from the fight yesterday.

He could not believe he had fallen asleep in that state. He let out a sigh and looked down at the hand that had invaded her body.

His body reacted to the memory of her warmth. He let out a groan.

~What am I going to do about this?~ Should he tell her what happened and beg mercy from her?

No, if he did that, he would not live long enough to apologize, let alone be forgiven. It was best to put it from his memory. But how?

Damn, what was wrong with him? When had he become so emotional that he was worried about being forgiven?

~Wait.~ Talon’s eyes snapped open. ~It has to be the bonding.~

***

Wren climbed into the hot shower. She had just spent the night in the same bed as Talon.

Something she had sworn she would never do. Talon, who was hot, sexy, warm, gorgeous, and so many other adjectives that made her all wet and needy to think about.

She let out a groan. What was wrong with her?

Why did she, someone who only a few months ago had felt nothing but repulsion at another’s touch, suddenly crave it? No. Not just any touch—it was Talon’s touch she was craving.

She could still feel his skin under her fingers where she had healed him, and she just wanted to climb back into bed with the man and do the nasty.

For a moment, she entertained herself with the thought of his reaction if she just went up to him and asked, “Do you want to get freaky in the sheets with me?”

Talon’s shocked face just might be worth the aftermath.