“Fuck. Me,” he whispers on a prayer.

“That would be nice too.”

“Dani-girl, what in the hell has gotten in to you?” He lifts his body and moves out from under me, lightly swatting my hands when I start to grab after him. “I’m just . . . uh . . . I’m just going to go to the bathroom.” He stands from the bed.

I drop back with a pout. “But we were going to fuggle,” I complain.

He turns sharply to ask, “The hell is a fuggle?”

“Duh. It’s a cuddle fuck,” I giggle and reach for him again only to stop when he walks away and starts to pace.

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

I was having the most beautiful dream. Well, every dream that involves Cohen Cage is beautiful—overwhelmingly beautiful. And trust me. There have been a lot of dreams over the years with him as the sole star. Each and every one of them ends in disappointment, though, when they stop before he can get to the good stuff.

This one, even though it lacked the erotic content that usually partners with a Cohen sex dream, was different—it felt so real. God, what I would give to have him in my arms that way for real.

“You coming back to the land of the living now, Dani-girl?”

I still instantly.

Holy shit.

“Uh . . .” I stammer.

“Yeah. There’s my girl,” he laughs. “Let me go call your dad and let him know you’re awake. I thought he was going to lock himself in your room earlier when your mom said they had to go. She tried to tell him you would be fine, but you know how your dad is.”

Why can’t I clear the cobwebs in my head?

“Anyway,” he continues, “they had that charity function for local Wounded Warriors that Maddox runs to go to. If it would have been anything else, I don’t think she would have been able to get him out the door. You should have seen it, Dani. I’ve never seen your dad deflate so quickly.” He laughs to himself, and I feel him shift before the bed lets up when his weight is removed.

Oh. My. Gosh!

Cohen’s in my bed. Like, really in my bed. I don’t think my panic level could get any higher than it is right now. I frantically search the murky depths of my memories to see if I can piece the last few hours together.

All I remember is Nate and his disgusting wake-up call, Daddy dragging me to the doctor, and my Cohen dream. Holy crap. That was a dream, right?

Opening my eyes, I look over to where he’s standing with his phone against his ear. He looks up and gives me that panty-melting smile, and I feel myself flush instantly. Blush like an innocent schoolgirl. How. Embarrassing.

He shakes his head a few times and moves his attention to my dresser full of pictures while waiting for the call to connect. I use this time to study his handsome face.

He’s always been an attractive person. When he was a kid, he had that youthful perfection. His skin always looked flawless and he carried a good tan all year long. His brown hair, until he enlisted in the Marines, carried that sexy shaggy look any female worth her salt would get an itchy palm that just begged her to run her fingers through. Now, he keeps it slightly longer than regulation with a buzz on the sides. It brings out the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones. Not to sound like a freak—hey, maybe I am—but I’ve been studying this man for so long that I could probably draw him to exactness from memory alone.

What all his good looks really do is make him look like one deliciously sexy man who puts me in a state of constant arousal when he’s around. His dark-brown eyes look over at me again, and he raises a brow when he sees that I’m still looking at him, but he quickly glances away when I’m assuming my dad picks up.

“Axel,” he starts only to pause and roll his eyes. “She’s fine. Awake, tired, and I’m sure getting more annoyed by the second that I’m reporting to her father . . . Yes, sir . . . I’m positive I’ll get an earful as well . . . No, sir . . . I’ll get her to eat something as soon as I get off the phone . . . No, she hasn’t taken her meds yet. She just woke up, uh . . . She just woke up.” He looks over at me almost uncomfortably before looking away.

Weird.

I start to cough, and he rolls his eyes.

“It was just a cough, Axel. She’s already back to scowling at me. Yeah, I’ll get the soup and her meds and demand she doesn’t move a muscle indefinitely. No, sir, I’m not making fun of you.”

When I laugh, Cohen shoots me another look. This time, he’s warning me to hush before my daddy goes nuts.

“Yes, sir. She’s fine. I’m sure she going to listen because she knows that’s best too. Okay. Yes, sir. Bye.” He shoves his phone back in his pocket and shakes his head. “Your dad. I swear that man still thinks you’re six and riding a bike for the first time. Remember when he wouldn’t even let you attempt to ride it without training wheels before he had a fully stocked first aid kit attached to his back?”