Nothing.

“Alec.”

Not a bloody peep.

“ALEC!”

Alec jolted awake, jumped upright and brought my duvet with him in his panic. Now that I was free from his crushing weight I quickly rolled to my left and stood up off my bed and onto the floor. I rolled my neck on my shoulders and stretched my arms and legs out.

That felt better, much better.

“Are you okay? What's wrong?” Alec asked as he crawled over the bed to me in a blind panic.

He kneeled on our mattress and placed his hands on my shoulders. It was dark in our room, but the light from the hallway shone in and helped me see Alec's handsome face. I watched as his eyes squinted and scanned over my face through the darkness. He pushed me out to arms length and looked down my body, his eyes scrutinising every inch of me. He let me go after a moment and sat back on his heels with a frown on his tired face.

“You look okay,” he muttered.

I couldn't help but smile. “I am okay.”

That was the furthest thing from the truth.

Alec stared at me for a long moment before he growled, “Why did you shout my name then?”

Because you were crushing me to death.

I shrugged. “I needed to use the toilet and you were pinnin' me to the bed so I called your name to wake you up,” I lied.

Alec deadpanned, “You didn't just 'Call my name', you shouted it like you were being murdered.”

An image of the gun going off in my nightmare struck me, but I shook it off.

“I would have screeched or at the very least given a high-pitched white-woman scream if I was being murdered. I wouldn't have shouted at all if I knew it would have upset you this much.”

Alec looked exhausted as he rubbed his hand over his gorgeous face. “Why a white-woman?”

I shrugged, again. “It's usually the white ones who scream the loudest that get killed in the slasher films.”

Alec blinked his tired eyes then turned away from me and fell back down onto his side of the bed.

Nice talk.

I turned and scurried out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the bathroom. I relieved myself and sighed in delight while doing so. After I finished my business I moved to the sink and washed my hands. I splashed some water on my face and stared into the mirror.

“It was only a dream,” I told myself.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I turned my head in the direction of the kitchen and sitting room and listened. I relaxed and went back to my bedroom when I heard Storm's reassuring snores.

I was like a mama bear when it came to him, even more so after he was hurt last year. Every time I used the toilet at night I always listened out to make sure I heard his snores so I knew he was still breathing. It relaxed me knowing he was okay.

Once back inside my bedroom I crawled into my bed and snuggled into my pillow. I covered myself with my duvet and closed my eyes on a relaxed sigh. I opened them not a second later when I felt something graze against my behind.

I instantly narrowed my eyes. “Don't even think about it.”

Silence.

I didn't move my body, but I did open my eyes and concentrated as I listened for Alec's movements. I heard nothing but his breathing and frowned.

Maybe it was the duvet that touched—“Alec!” I shouted, interrupting my thoughts.

Alec chuckled like a youngster as he wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me backwards until my back was moulded into his front. He rolled his pelvis into my behind and as soon as I felt the hardness of his length I knew sleeping was out of the question. I allowed him to turn me onto my back, and I could sense his smile when I turned my head and kissed the closest part of his body my mouth could reach, which turned out to be his collarbone.

“I knew it was you who touched me,” I murmured.

Alec leaned down and brushed his nose against mine. “Whenever something touches a part of your body when we're in bed, it's a ninety-nine-point-nine percent chance it's me, not Storm, looking to cop a feel.”

I lightly snickered. “I can never be sure, a few times Storm has come into the room and nudged me as he snuck up onto the bed.”

Alec scoffed. “An overweight German Shepherd shouldn't be able to sneak anywhere. I'm serious about setting up cameras to see how he's so stealthy when he's creeping around.”

Joy filled me as Alec's antics pushed away the worry and nagging fear leftover from my nightmare.

I grinned. “He is a ninja dog.”

My new codename for Storm grated on Alec's nerves.

“Ninja dog, please. More like suspicious dog. I swear he was a human in his past life.”

I laughed then and flung my hand over my mouth to keep quiet.

“Why are you being quiet?” Alec asked. “It's only us here.”

I nodded in the direction of the hallway. “Storm's asleep.”

Alec hated when I was quiet in our bedroom.

He groaned. “A man shouldn't have to worry about keeping his woman quiet in the bedroom, he should worry if she's not loud enough.”

I smiled, but remained quiet.

“Are you going to spread your legs and give yourself to me... or are you going to make me beg?”

I pretended to think on it.

“Come on, Kitten, I only have God knows how long before we have kids and sex is nothing but a fond memory in the back of my mind.”

I bit down on my lower lip as I reached out and placed my hand on Alec's bicep. I ran it all the way up to his shoulder then curved it around the back of his neck and pulled his head down to mine.

I gave him a whisper soft kiss then murmured, “Do you think you can make me scream, Playboy?”

“I fucking know I can,” Alec growled.

Then, like a snap of my fingers, he was between my legs.

I licked my lips and lifted my pelvis up so Alec could slide my underwear from my body.

“I don't understand why you even bother to wear these to bed,” Alec muttered to himself as he flung my knickers over his shoulder.

I rid myself of my tank top and tossed it somewhere in the room. I was naked, and spread wide as I waited for Alec. He reached over and flipped on the lamp on his bedside locker so he could see me. He squinted for a moment then smiled down at me with his big blue eyes when he could see me clearly.

“There's my pretty Kitten.”

I flushed.

Alec then scooted back a little and lowered his head to my pooch aka my stomach.

I groaned when he kissed the spot above my belly button. “Why is it always me belly you kiss first? The one part of me body I hate and you—”

“Show you that I love it just the way it is.”

Silence.

Damn him for being so bloody cute.

“It's fat. I'm fat.”

Alec looked up at me with pained eyes then moved up my body until he was resting on his elbows as he hovered over me. “Are we going to have this talk again?”

Yes.

I shrugged. “I've gained a stone since we started datin', don't try and tell me I haven't gotten bigger. I know I have, me favourite pair of jeans not buttonin' up anymore is a clear sign.”

Alec leaned his face down and brushed his nose over mine. “You aren't fat, you gained some weight, but not enough to even border on being fat. You look healthy.”

I scoffed and gripped my belly pooch.

“Explain this?”

Alec looked down and rolled his eyes. “That is just some excess skin from when you were heavier a few years ago. Not everyone's skin snaps back when they lose weight, you know?”

Tell me about it.

I grunted, “Yeah, I know.”

I had the pooch to prove how well I knew.

Alec kissed my forehead. “You're beautiful, inside and outside, with or without your excess—”

“Pooch,” I corrected.

Alec snorted. “With or without your pooch.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “You say that now until a perfectly toned woman or man walks by and you wonder why you aren't with him or her instead of stumpy me.”