Page 254 of Allegiance

It was insane that they’d tied the knot last night, had a pizza party to commemorate it, and then fell into bed absolutely content.

No, they hadn’t had sex.

While he wanted to, his wife, Eve, had been tired. She was growing a human, so he was acutely aware of her needs. His needs had begun this ride, and hers would come first until the day he died.

He was happy.

His soul didn’t feel shredded and destroyed.

For the first time since seeing his partner killed and taken apart by Lottie Tipton, he wasn’t empty.

That said a lot about the last four years of his life.

Now, he was in bed, spooning his woodland fairy, and he couldn’t be happier.

When his phone chimed, he reached across her body to the nightstand where he’d placed it. Eve was tucked against him, her back to his chest.

As he picked up the phone, he read the message.

‘We’re coming in for a brief meeting in an hour. We’ve got an issue and need to regroup. This morning was a shitshow. Chevy got the upper hand. Be ready before your doctor's appointment—J.’

Well, that wasn’t good.

“What’s wrong?” Eve asked, her voice clear and aware of her surroundings. She’d been awake the last hour, enjoying the feel of his body against hers.

Eve had always wondered what it would feel like to have his salt-and-pepper chest hair tickling her flesh as they slept together.

Now, she knew.

And she liked it.

“Chevy shit went down, and not in the way they planned. I don’t have more information. We have a meeting in an hour before our doctor's appointment.”

She looked at the military-grade watch on her wrist.

When her husband started leaving kisses across her shoulder, her body woke up.

“I dreamed about us,” he said.

She rolled over.

“What did you dream?” she asked, curiously. She could feel his erection against her hip, and he was wide awake.

Very wide awake.

He smiled.

“I’ll let you guess. It involved me finally catching a specific woodland fairy that I’m obsessed with,” he admitted.

She ran her hand through his chest hair.

“Is this real?” she asked. “Us?”

He lowered his mouth and found hers in a sweet, gentle kiss.

When he broke it, he was honest.

“If it’s not, I don’t want to wake up. I love you, Evie. My heart is full.”