Dirty Secret (The Burke Brothers #1)(48)
Author: Emma Hart

I never knew a back could be so hot.

I force my gaze away and climb into his bed. This time I lie on the edge, holding the top of the covers beneath my chin. I squeeze my eyes shut and pull my legs up.

The mattress dips as he climbs in beside me.

“I won’t jump you in the middle of the night,” he tells me in a whispered grunt.

“I know,” I whisper back, my voice barely breaking through the darkness. “I sleep like this.”

He snorts, then a quiet slap rings out as he covers his mouth. “Yeah, sure, princess. The queen of starfishing sleeps in the fetal position. Try again.”

“Things change.”

“Yeah, but I bet your sleepin’ habits ain’t one of them.”

“Maybe they are.”

“Shut up before I spoon you.”

A shiver snakes its way down my spine. Because that’s such a threat. Being spooned by Conner Burke is obviously my worst nightmare.

I shuffle back into the middle of my side of the bed and tuck the quilt tightly around me.

He sighs but doesn’t say anything about it. “Night, Sofie.”

“Night, Conner.”

Sofie’s blonde hair is spread across my pillow, and her breath is fanning across my shoulder. She’s tight in my arms, her fingers splayed against my chest, the blue of her nails a perfect match to her eyes.

She’s also drooling a little on my arm, but she still looks fucking adorable. It takes someone pretty damn special to look adorable while they sleep-drool on you.

I push some hair back from her face and settle my arm over her. For the first time since she got back, she looks like the girl I fell in love with. Her makeup is smudged under her eyes. Her hair looks like she’s styled it with a rosebush, but she’s still Sofie.

She’s still painfully beautiful.

I know I should let her go. It should be easy to slip my arm from beneath her neck, unhook it from her stomach, and roll over.

As it is, it’s hard because this is what my heart wants. It wants me to keep her here against me because it’s where she belongs.

Sofie Callahan belongs tucked in my arms, where I can keep her safe and love her until the laughter of our forever shows in lines around her eyes.

She stirs slightly, rubbing her nose, then puts her hand back where it was. Slowly, her fingers twitch, and she slides it up my chest to my neck. Her fingers trace along the side of my neck and onto my jaw.

I don’t move. I know she’s awake, and moving now isn’t going to get me out of it. It’ll only be me pretending that at some point in the night we both rolled over and ended up tangled in each other.

And I’m sick to fucking death of pretending.

Sofie trails her thumb down my jaw and stops when it’s square on my chin. She opens her eyes. They’re sleepy but blue, so blue I could drown in them if I’d let myself. And I want to. Fuck, I want to.

“Um,” she whispers, swallowing.

“Morning,” I whisper back, aware of Mila still sleeping in the crib next to us.

“Morning?” Her response is a question rather than a greeting, and my lips twitch.

“Yeah, morning.”

“Okay.” She looks down at the quilt, seeing but not seeing the way our legs are looped together. “And this, um? Did you do . . . this?”

“Hug you in your sleep?” I raise my eyebrows. “No, princess, I was just as surprised as you when I woke up.”

“When did you wake up?” She tries to stretch to look for a clock.

I stop her. There isn’t one. “Like ten minutes ago.”

“And you just lay here? Hugging me?”

“Holding you,” I correct her. “Holding you and watching you.”

“I’m sure watching me sleep was incredibly entertaining.”

“It was one of the better things I’ve seen.”

A soft flush rises in her cheeks. “Shut up.”

She makes to move away but I hold her tightly, dragging her on top of me.

“What are you doin’?” she whispers incredulously.

Her eyes are wide, her cheeks still flushed, and her lips are parted in shock.

I want to take them. I want to cover her mouth with mine and taste her. I want her to linger on my lips all day.

I slide my hand up her back to the nape of her neck and pull her down to me. Her lips touch mine softly. I hold her there, perfectly still. I revel in the feel of her body flat on top of mine and . . . her hands inching closer to my head.

Sofie pushes down, kissing me harder, diving her fingers into my hair. She grips tightly, and the way she parts her legs so she straddles me makes me want to flip her on her back.

Instead, I drop my hands to the hem of her shirt and creep my fingertips beneath it. Her skin is soft and hot beneath my fingertips as I work my hands up her back. She pushes herself into me, and I bend my knees. Our hips meet.

My rapidly hardening cock pushes against her pussy and she inhales sharply through her nose. But she still pushes down, the thin material of both my boxers and her shorts no match for the pressure of our connection.

I tense my upper body and push up, bringing both of us to sitting. She nestles against me with her knees on either side of my hips.

I can feel her now, every part of her, wanting me. The same way I fucking want her.

Desperately.

I cup her ass with my hands and pull her even harder. She whimpers quietly in a tiny moan that spreads through my body, igniting my desire like a fucking wildfire.

“Bunna. Bunna. Bunna.”

Sofie gasps. “Oh shit.”

“Mama! Bad!” There’s a scramble, and I turn my head to the side. Mila stares at us. “Mama, Dadda, cuddle!”

Sure. My dick is rock hard against Sofie’s pussy, but yeah. It’s a cuddle.

“Yeah, baby,” Sofie breathes, not moving. “Mama and Daddy are having a cuddle.”

“My cuddle! My tooooo!” Mila extends her arms and flaps them.

Oh fuck.

“Not good,” I hiss to Sofie as she moves.

She fights a smile by pursing her lips. It doesn’t quite hide the laughter that is glinting in her eyes.

I tug the quilt up around my waist until my hip area is sufficiently padded, though it’s barely necessary, as my cock has deflated quicker than a popped balloon. Sofie hands me Mila, who sits herself on my lap, her legs outstretched.

“Mama. Cuddle!” Mila wraps an arm around my neck and reaches for Sofie.

She looks at me hesitantly, and I shrug. She’s the one who let Mila out. Not me. She can facilitate this awkward and slightly painful morning hug.