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anyone, she'd be showing weakness. You couldn't be weak in the world of journalism. It was like a pool of sharks that fed upon themselves. Weakness meant you ended up as fish food.
    Pillowing her head on his wide chest, she let her hand drape over him, feeling that trail of hair under her fingers. She could smell him, a musky, manly scent mixed with something spicy and warm and very appealing. His heart beat under her ear as his arms came around her, holding her close, his hand resting on her hip on top of the comforter.
    "Comfy?” he asked, turning his head to whisper the word against her hair.
    "Yes,” she mumbled, her eyes closing to savor his presence.
    "Good,” he said and she could feel him smiling against her hair. “Go to sleep, Mac. I'll chase the boogey man away."
    Phrased like that, how could she do anything else?
    * * * *
    Hair tickled his nose, a soft hand stroked over his stomach, arousing not only his wakening conscious but also his desire. It had been a long time since he'd slept with a woman in his arms and he savored the way she felt, warm and heavy with sleep. Her breasts pressed into his chest, her fingers slipping under the waistband of his jeans.
    His eyes opened as he heard her sigh.
    The small lamp on the bedside table was still on, giving a weak yellowish light that shone over her. He couldn't help but stare, her cheeks were rosy in sleep, her lips parted and her eyelids fluttering with her dreams. She'd kicked off the comforter during the night, her leg coming up to lie across his thighs. She was wrapped around him, using him for a pillow.
    Her fingers brushed against his belly once more and he thought he'd explode... His jeans were tight over his erection, his blood throbbing in his veins as it rushed to his groin. He heard a moan and knew he'd made that sound, unable to stop as his skin became almost unnaturally sensitive to her touch.
    Gideon held his breath, waiting to see what she would do next, as he fought off the urge to roll her under him and strip the clothes from her body. He wanted to plunge into her and hear her scream of pleasure. Instead, he forced himself to be still, even as his entire being centered on that small hand that was sliding under his jeans.
    Kenzie's hand found the tip of his cock, her fingers sliding over it in her sleep. She murmured something that he couldn't hear and then she sighed, snuggling closer.
    Her hand didn't move.
    It stayed where it was, wrapped around him, making him long to push into her hand.
    "Mac?” he whispered.
    When she didn't move or change the deep even cadence of her breathing, he reached over and unbuttoned the top of his jeans, giving her more room. He yanked on the zipper, carefully running it down, freeing him from the denim to press more fully into her hand.
    "Mac?” he tried again, a bit louder now that he'd kept himself from breaking a part of his anatomy he wanted badly to keep.
    She mumbled his name, her hand closing into a fist around his hard cock. She stroked him once, and then again, making his breath hiss out of his mouth in an exclamation of pleasure. His hips moved without his permission, thrusting slowly into her hand, seeking the sweet release she seemed to promise.
    "Oh God,” he groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head drop back against the pillow. “Mac!” he called, wanting her to wake up before he embarrassed himself.
    "W-what?” she mumbled, stirring sleepily against him, her eyes still closed. She opened them at the same time that she seemed to realize what she was doing. “Oh,” she whispered, a blush infusing her cheeks.
    Gideon opened his eyes when her hand didn't move off of his cock. He looked down at her to see why she hadn't dropped him like a venomous snake and jumped from the bed. Her eyes were staring at her hand, her fingers still moving slowly over him, almost as if she couldn't stop herself.
    "Mac,” he growled, his voice a husky rumble. “If you don't stop, I'm going to come."
    "Really?”