I will.
I put my phone down, finished my slice of pizza, drank my water, and got up to wash my hands. The store was closing in an hour and a half and I wanted to get out of here early for a change.
I had plans for tonight.
Two hoursand fifteen minutes later, I walked through the kitchen door into my house. I could hear the low murmur of the TV in the living room but all the lights were out.
I tried to move silently through the kitchen but my house was old and the floors creaked.
Still, J.J. didn't appear.
I stopped in the living room doorway and saw him sprawled along the length of the couch, asleep.
While part of me was disappointed, it was also sweet to have a chance to watch him without being caught.
The air in the house was chilly due to the blasting air conditioner, so I crept back into my room and grabbed a throw from the reading chair I'd placed in one corner. J.J. was still sleeping, one hand thrown over his head and the other resting on his chest.
As gently as possible, I draped the throw over him and picked up the remote from the floor where it had fallen. I turned off the TV and the lamp on the side table next to him. Another small lamp burned on the table at the other end of the couch, but I left it on. It would keep him from tripping and falling if he woke up disoriented.
I wanted to brush his hair back from his face but I didn't want to rouse him.
I settled for a whispered, "Good night, Jay."
"Good night," he murmured back. Then, he shifted and his eyes opened. "Hey." He reached out and bracketed my wrist with his fingers, tugging me toward him. "C'mere."
He was half asleep so I wedged my hip against his on the sofa. He kept pulling at my wrist, trying to get me to lie down.
"I don't think this couch will hold us both," I argued.
"It will if you lay on top of me," he retorted, his voice still sleepy.
I settled for running my fingers through the hair that fell on his forehead. "I think a bed is a better idea."
His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist in lazy circles. "Mine or yours?" he asked.
I touched his cheek, enjoying the slight roughness of his stubble against my fingertips. "You're tired. You should probably go to yours."
The movement of his thumb arrested. "Is that what you want?" Bright hazel eyes no longer looked sleepy. They were alert and focused on me.
"I haven't changed my mind," I said. "But you're exhausted. You need to rest."
"I just had a nap. I'm okay," he stated.
"Jay—"
He used his grasp on my wrist to pull me closer, his other hand coming up to cup the back of my neck. I didn't resist because I didn't want to. Not really.
The kiss wasn't gentle or light. It was hungry, as if he'd been starving for me since I left earlier this afternoon.
I was breathless when I pulled away and looked down at him. "My bed, I think."
His grin was a quick flash and suddenly we were both standing and he was pulling me toward the door. J.J.'s steps were quick and determined as he walked down the hall toward my room.
I had to smile at his impatience. It was an echo of the same restless urgency I'd been feeling all night.
As soon as we entered my room, I stripped my shirt over my head and tossed it toward my hamper. J.J. laughed and did the same.
"It seems we're on the same page," he said.
