Preacher by Dahlia West

Author:Dahlia West [West, Dahlia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Rapid City Stories
Publisher: Cardinal Points Publishing, LLC
Published: 2015-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Six

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Erin awoke slightly before Julio and way before Jack. She was relieved to find that not only was he still there, but that he was sleeping peacefully beside her.

She hadn’t been sure he’d even agree last night when she finally worked up the nerve to ask him. But after the shower, she couldn’t stand the thought of going to bed alone, without him right next to her.

It might have been just a quick romp for him, a way to let off steam, but Erin hoped to God it wasn’t.

Lying here next to him, with the sunlight filtering in through the sheer curtains, this was exactly where she wanted to be. And Jack, at least Jack’s subconscious, agreed. He slept soundly next to her, no screaming, no fighting with specters that only he could see. He seemed so tired, always tired, always on the verge of exhaustion. And for some reason, Jack always looked like he slept in his clothes, like he was getting by, day-by-day, with one foot already in bed.

Or in the grave.

He’d put on a little weight since the beginning of their arrangement. It looked good on him, a little less like the Grim Reaper might swoop down at any moment and grab his shoulder.

But even Jack too thin was better than anything Erin had seen before. Especially with his shirt off. Her eyes always bounced, as they were now, between the muscles of his arms and the tattoos on his back and torso. From her usual vantage point of the kitchen, she had never gotten a really good look at them. She’d only seen them from a distance, when she was pretending not to watch him work. Lying this close to him now, with the colorful swirls of ink right in front of her, she couldn’t resist touching them.

She traced them lightly, not wanting to wake him. He needed rest. He worked himself until he couldn’t stand, even though she’d never asked him to. He seemed to prefer it that way.

As she fingered the artificial lines on his skin, she wondered how much of Jack’s life was painful. And how much of that was voluntary, like the tattoos. As she lay next to him, listening to his slow, steady breathing, she wondered how much of him, if any, preferred Thunder Ridge.

At least here, he could sleep.

Sort of.

Julio called out, announcing the start of the day and Erin silently cursed the damn rooster. It wasn’t fair to hold it against the bird for doing his job, but Erin wanted Jack to rest.

Or maybe she just wanted to lie here next to him longer.

It had been a long time since she’d had a man in her bed, and there had never been one like Jack.

Christ, they hadn’t even had sex yet, but things were already incredible. Not that she wouldn’t have been content to just watch him from afar and admire that lean, muscled physique every day, but now that she’d had him, those fingers, those lips, that salty, thick shaft on her tongue, she couldn’t go back to just looking.

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