Chapter Ten
Tayler
Disoriented. That’s what I am. Disoriented but surprisingly comfortable.
I blink my eyes open and lift my head, attempting to get my bearings. Oh, I’m at Luke’s. Not only that, I’monLuke. Well, almost. My head was on his chest and my hand somehow found its way under his tee. It’s resting on top of a hard stomach. I can literally feel muscle. I’m tempted to run my hand over the rest of his bare abdomen, but that’s a terrible idea. Not only that, his hand is firmly planted on my ass. At least it’s on the outside of my yoga leggings.
I look left to the big window to gauge the time, but the old curtains are drawn. No matter the time, I need to get up, get home, and prepare for class. I’ve got a test this morning.
I roll to my left, attempting to get my feet beneath me, and lose my balance, landing on my back on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. The urge to laugh at my predicament hits me, but I do my best to hold it in. I don’t want to wake him up.
As I’m about to push myself up, a messy blond head appears above me. Messy blond hair and sleepy eyes. “Fall down, babe?”
“Well, I was trying not to wake you up.”
“Stealth isn’t your thing, apparently.” His laugh is husky sounding like pure sex.
“Shut up,” I grumble. I’m not a morning person. Especially not before coffee. “I need to go.”
“It’s three in the morning.”
Oh.
“Come back up. I set my phone to go off at five.”
“You did?” Wow, that was really sweet of him. I know for a fact that he isn’t working tomorrow—er, today.
“Come on.” He pats the spot next to him on the couch. “I need my beauty sleep.”
No he doesn’t. The man is way too beautiful as is. He’s testing my resolve. The truth is, besides his hand on my butt this morning, he’s been a complete gentleman. At one point in the movie, I half expected him to push me onto my back and ravage me, but he didn’t. He stayed close and kept me safe from that stupid movie. I probably only fell asleep because the couch was so dang comfortable but having Luke’s arm wrapped around me sure didn’t help.
Staring at the empty spot on the couch, I push up to my knees. I know he won’t try anything. He knows where I stand on all this. I’m not a hookup.
So, I do something I probably shouldn’t. I crawl back onto the couch until I’m right back where I started, except this time, I leave my hand to rest on my own hip. My head is on his chest, as he pulls up the throw blanket until we’re both covered.
“Go to sleep, honey.” His voice is soft and husky, making me shiver.
Snuggling into him, I rest my hand on top of his shirt. I breathe in his clean scent. Sure, it could just be laundry detergent, but it smells a bit too musky for that. I feel his heartbeat beneath my cheek, and I smile. I could get used to this. I won’t, but I could.
Taking in a deep breath, I do my best to concentrate on sleep. When his breathing evens out, mine does too. When I feel his palm slide back down to rest on top of my ass, I know I should probably ask him to move it, but I don’t because his big palm is warm and rather comforting.
Bad idea, Tayler.
* * *
Twelve days ago,we painted his bedroom blue, and he promised me I could choose the living room color if I helped him paint again. Sadly, I’ve heard very little from Luke Green. Correction: I’ve heard nothing from him. I’ve seen him, though. I stopped into Cy’s with Quinn and the other girls from Beedle Drive, but he barely spared me a glance. Sure, it was super busy that night, but still. I didn’t bother trying to talk to him either, assuming he was either in a bad mood (shocker, I know) or worse, he was over our friendship. Part of me wishes I’d found a way to talk to him that night because all I’ve done since is worry and fret. And believe me, worrying and fretting isn’t helping me focus on school.
That’s why I’m where I am right now––wondering why he’s been ghosting me. The wondering is driving me crazy and because I can’t stand the unknown, I’ve taken it upon myself to find out:
Me:I’ve chosen your living room color.
I wait several hours before he responds, and no, I wasn’t staring at my phone the entire time.
Half the time? Absolutely.
Luke:Yeah?
I know I should wait to respond, but I’m not like that. I hate those stupid games people play.
