Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2) by Charity Parkerson, Regina Puckett

as soon as I doze off.”
    Hiding a smile, she did as he bade and he slid in beside her. The weight of his arm landed across her waist as he hauled her backward, molding her against his chest. They still fit together perfectly. She didn’t want to look at things too closely or admit she was playing with fire. It wasn’t only her who would lose this time if Wade shut down, but it seemed she would never shake her addiction to him. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to sleep in the same bed with.”
    “Not as if you had a choice in the tiny studio apartment of ours,” she reminded him with a laugh.
    “Nah. There’s always a choice. I slept in a truck more times than I can count but there was no way I was leaving you alone in our bed.”
    She knew he’d intentionally lowered his voice to lure her into sleeping, and she could feel her eyes growing heavy even though she didn’t want to fall asleep. The warmth of his embrace and the steady beat of his heart against her back took away any choice she had in the matter. As the last wisp of consciousness drifted away, she felt Wade’s lips brush her temple.
    * * * * *
    As soon as Wade was certain Morgan wouldn’t miss him, he slipped from the bed long enough to retrieve his song notes. Returning to her side, he spent close to an hour watching her sleep and simply scribbling in his notebook before attempting to work on his latest lyrics.
    When the light faded from the room, preventing him from continuing, he went in search of Cole. It was going to take some getting used to on his part to keep track of his son’s schedule. He never considered such a thing would ever occur in his life. With Kathy and Mark on the job, he’d let time slip away. By the time, Wade thought to check in on them, Mark had already assigned Cole his bedroom, and Kathy was sleeping soundly at the boy’s side. A swell of gratitude for her friendship with Morgan caught him off guard. He never expected to be thankful for Kathy’s presence in his life. It’s not as if he didn’t like her as much as she was bit overwhelming.
    Wade wandered aimlessly throughout the house, biding his time before Morgan woke. Normally, he didn’t have any trouble filling his day, but with her in his home, he didn’t want to do anything but spend time with her. His feet carried him into the living room and over to the same bay window he’d stood at with Morgan a few hours earlier. With only the glow of the lights from inside of the pool to illuminate the outdoors, the bright white room at his back cast a mirror image in the glass. Even as he stared at the gleaming cherry wood bookcase in the reflection of the window, it still took him a moment to realize Mark had moved to join him. Although Wade was there in body, his mind remained in the bedroom down the hall.
    “I feel guilty for neglecting Cole all day.” As he spoke, Wade glanced at Mark taking note of the guard’s appearance for the first time in months. Although they were together a majority of each day, Wade had a way of drawing inside of himself and becoming only half-aware of the people around him. He realized now, Mark looked exhausted. Mark seemed every bit as steady as ever, but the dark smudges beneath his eyes told a different story. His massive shoulders rose in a dismissive shrug.
    “He was busy checking out the place and didn’t notice either of you were missing. He fell out from exhaustion about an hour ago, and Kathy decided to stay with him in case he woke up scared. Besides, you and Morgan need some time alone. You have the rest of your life to get to know your son.”
    Wade still felt bad, but he nodded in agreement, recognizing the logic in Mark’s words. “Whatever happened to the girl you followed to Nashville?” Wade asked. It wasn’t like him to pry, but he did consider the man a friend, and Mark knew all his business now so it seemed only fair.
    Mark rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets. He