What was wrong with me? We finally had a little down time when we weren’t running for our lives, and all of a sudden I became a hussy? I never had hussy thoughts before. Hell, I never even had sex on the first date. I was strictly a two and a half date girl. It used to be three, but there was this one time in college… It didn’t matter.
Cyrus was still healing, and he didn’t need me hovering around him being a pervert thinking about sex all the time. If he’d only stop looking at me like he was also thinking about sex.
“Are you done?”
I jerked my head in his direction. “Done with what?”
Cyrus smiled, and it was megawatt. Exactly the type of expression to send my lady bits into a flutter. He really needed to stop it. “I mean, whatever internal argument you’re having with yourself right now.”
“I’m not internally arguing with myself,” I said, strutting toward the bed and knowing that if we got into a fight, I would totally win because he was injured. Besides, no way could he know I was arguing with myself. I was an excellent closet arguer with years of experience.
He shook his head, his smile deepening at my antics. “Come sit down, beautiful,” he said, patting the side of the bed next to him.
I shook my head quickly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Cyrus’s face fell. “Why not?”
There were so many reasons. So many, many reasons. The biggest one because all my thoughts were dirty, but I decided a lie was the best course of action here too.
“You need more time to heal. I wouldn’t want the bed to jiggle you unnecessarily.”
Cyrus snorted and I swear he saw through my bullshit reasons. “I would like nothing more than to jiggle this bed necessarily.”
He did not just say that, did he? From the large smirk on his face, yes, he most definitely did. I didn’t know how to respond to his comment, so I deflected.
“I’m sure lots of women would unnecessarily jiggle your bed.”
Cyrus nodded, not even pretending to be embarrassed about it. “Yes, many women, but there’s only one I want to jiggle the mattress with.”
I wasn’t ready to handle most of what he said, so I addressed the important part. “What did I say about you referencing many women?” That caused Cyrus to outright laugh, and he patted the bed again. “Get over here, beautiful.”
I couldn’t resist my heart any longer and I slowly slid next to him on the bed, doing my best not to jiggle the mattress. “You really need to rest.”
“I’m not tired, but I know something that would help make me sleepy and use up all of this excess energy.”
My eyes widened, and I pushed my legs together, trying to find some relief. “You don’t mean…”
“Yes, I do.”
I wasn’t opposed to the idea. I’d been thinking about it nonstop for days, but not everything was about me. “But Cyrus, your arm?”
He shrugged, using his other arm. I didn’t miss the way he tried to move it as little as possible.
“I had an amazing nurse and actually feel much better.”
“Are you sure?” I hesitated inches from him, not sure how to proceed.
“Beautiful, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Cyrus said and then leaned over to kiss me softly.
The floor didn’t open and swallow me whole, but it felt like it. There was something about our kiss. His tenderness, the way Cyrus used his good arm to intertwine his fingers with mine. How many times had I held his hand over the last two days? But right then it didn’t matter what happened between us. He would always keep me safe. We had a bond forged in something deep. A connection I never felt with anyone else and probably never would.
I leaned in closer, wanting to touch Cyrus, and he hissed in pain. “I’m so sorry,” I said, pulling back and looking at his arm for signs of distress.
“It was my fault. I got too excited,” he said and then laughed, his smile bringing me comfort.
“I want this more than anything, Imogen. You’re all I think about every day from the moment we met. There’s only one problem.”
I sat back on the bed, waiting for him to continue.
