He smirks and runs his hand up my leg, along my stomach and between my breasts. His fingers ignite my now sensitive skin. He wraps his fingers around the back of my neck softly and pulls me down toward him with a little gentle pressure. I don’t resist, and I smile when our lips meet. My ribs grumble at the odd angle I’m holding myself at, but I don’t care. Every one of his kisses is worth it.
He pulls away to speak and I slide back into his side where I was so comfortable before.
“Have you finished with your little tantrum?” he chuckles.
I blow out a sulky breath but I don’t really mean it. “I really wanted to meet your mom in better circumstances, can we reschedule? Please.” I look up at him hopefully.
“Nope, we can’t reschedule. I have some things I need to see to, and I won’t have you left on your own. She’s coming to look after you for an hour…two hours, max.”
“I don’t need looking after, honestly, I’m fine,” I whisper.
“But you’re not fine, you’re recovering and until we find out what caused you to blackout, I don’t want to risk leaving you alone. I know I promised you that I wouldn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to but I don’t have a choice here, Ari. Please don’t make it hard for me,” he says sincerely. I can’t help but look into those beautiful eyes. Even after such a little amount of sleep and all the worry he’s had over the last few days, his eyes still hold that twinkle.
“I know that you’re anxious about meeting her. But, really, there’s no need to be. She knows all about you. She’s excited to meet you.”
“Really?” I ask, surprised.
“Yes, really. Of course she would rather have met you under different circumstances but we’re making the best we can with the hand we’ve been dealt.”
“Okay,” I say quietly and reluctantly. His logic makes it hard for me to argue and I really don’t want to make his day any more difficult than I have already. Surely he wouldn’t throw me to the wolves if his mom was a real dragon, would he?
“Good girl.” He smiles at me then kisses my nose. Ugh. How am I ever going to say no to him. “You want me to go and get you a change of clothes?” he asks kindly.
“What I would really love is a shower. Would you take me back to my room to get freshened up?” I ask, knowing he will be glued to my side anyway and won’t let me cross the hallway on my own. I don’t blame him actually, I’m a little nervous about being on my own after not knowing why I fell or blacked out, so for today I’d actually feel better about having him next to me.
“Of course, you want to go now?” he asks, pushing himself up on his elbow and looking so deeply into my eyes it feels like he finds parts of me that have been buried for a long time.
“Just ten more minutes here,” I say smiling softly before nuzzling into his chest. He always smells so…I don’t know, just sexy, familiar, comforting. It would be easy to fall asleep resting here like this. The steady rise and fall of his chest and the rhythmic beat of his heart right next to my ear is calming. I could stay here all day.
I trace my index finger down the middle of his chest, and let the rest of my fingertips fall across the ripple of his stomach. I move my hand in figure eights, feeling the taut muscle and letting myself explore the sensation of his warmth and theunspoken trust between us. I want to feel every part of him. Every emotion that he brings out in me. Not only do I want to feel it, I want to embrace it.
“That’s real good, Stunner, but I’m begging you not to dip your finger any lower on my waistband. You’ve only been out of the hospital for just a few hours so…”
“So what?” I say, teasing him by running my finger a little lower.
He grabs my hand with the speed of a ninja and with a smirk on his face says, “So, don’t make this difficult for me. I’m beginning to think that ‘Trouble’ is actually a better name for you…”
I say nothing. I just pout and try my best to make a sad face, when all I want to do is smile a full megawatt smile aimed totally at him.
“No sulking. Now, come on. Let’s get you showered, and that should keep you out of mischief for a while.”
He brings my captured hand up to his mouth, and kisses my knuckles before helping me stand, holding me steady for a second while I gain my balance.
Denham lets me link my arm in his and we go to my apartment. I can’t help but look up and steal little glances at him, noticing the lines in the corners of his eyes. He looks tired after all the worry of the last couple of days, and he’s also unshaven, which I really like. It gives his already chiseled, handsome face an edge and I love how he can pull off so many looks so effortlessly.
We enter the apartment, and it feels weird. My feet feel heavy and I’m reluctant to push further, coming to a standstill just inside the doorway.
“You okay?” Denham asks, his voice filled with concern.
“Yes, I’m…just trying to remember. I…I remember coming back into this room but I don’t remember anything else. I should remember, shouldn’t I?”
“Your memory might just come back to you, Ari. If it doesn’t, well then, we just draw a line through it and move forward. No use dwelling over something we can’t do anything about.”
“You’re right.” I shrug. “If I can’t remember, I can’t remember. That’s it,” I say more positively than before. I have wasted so much time looking back and thinking how different things could be that I never learned to look forward and change things for the better.
Denham goes straight to the bathroom and I hear the clink of glass bottles and cupboard doors opening and closing. “Could I have a bath instead?” I call out.
He pops his head around the door. “Sure thing,” he says with a wink.
