Sammy
I’m deliciously warm. Cocooned. Safe. I’m wrapped in someone’s arms and they are curled around my back, making me the little spoon.
My eyes flutter open. My bedroom is dark. It’s late. The peaceful calm of the small hours of the night. Somehow I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is Blue who is behind me, holding me.
Something about the feel of him is achingly familiar. Which is strange, as we’ve barely touched before. I’ve also never noticed the way he smells until now. All fresh like the ocean. A hint of salt, a dash of power. Mysterious and deep. Invigorating and exhilarating, and somehow just pureBlue.
“What happened?” I ask.
The last thing I remember is sitting back-to-back with Blue while the boys performed a magic ritual on us.
“It didn’t work, and it made you faint,” says Blue.
“Oh.”
Blue shifts slightly, and I think he is peering over my shoulder at me.
“How do you feel?” he asks, and the concern in his voice is giving my poor heart all kinds of wrong ideas.
I consider his question for a few moments. Nothing hurts or is sore. My mind feels fine. I’m not even groggy. I’m fairly certain I have all my faculties.
“Fine,” I say.
Intense relief washes over me. My head spins in disorientation. I could swear that relief was Blue’s. It’s a little bit creepy, but not as much as it should be. Being so close to someone that you can feel what they are feeling, is kind of awesome. I’ll never get to experience it again, so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
I wriggle over to face him. He must be able to feel my emotions too, but there is nothing like a little face to face for proving honesty. There is enough light seeping through the window from the streetlights to be able to see him. And his eyesight is bound to be a billion times better than mine.
“Absolutely,” I grin.
He stares deep into my eyes for a long moment. Then he nods.
“Sorry,” he says.
I shake my head. “Not your fault, so stop apologizing.”
Blue’s lips begin to curl up in a wry smile, but then they falter and his eyes widen with a look of panic.
Oh shit. He moved slightly and brushed over the bulge in my sweatpants.
“I’m sorry!” I exclaim in horror. “It doesn’t…I don’t…I won’t,” I trail off.
How do I explain that I woke up snuggled next to someone? Someone lovely. Someone whose genuine care for me was wafting in the air like the best perfume ever invented. It’s not surprising that my body has got the wrong idea. But I know Blue is not interested in sex. That’s why I wasn’t paying any attention to my early morning glory.
He moves away from me. Not far, just a few inches. But his absence hurts.
“I know,” he says with surprising calm. “I know it’s just a physical thing.”
This time, the relief flowing over me is all my own.
“I’m sorry,” I say again. “It will go away in a bit,” I add lamely.
A new look swirls in his expressive eyes. Something that drives away all of the panic. But I cannot read what it is. And the mate bond is being no help at all.
“You could…sort yourself out,” he says softly.
All I can do is stare at him and blink. Several times. Color floods his cheeks and it looks like he is about to turn away and shut down.
