Ethan guffaws loudly from the living room, and I roll my eyes. “You’re on your own this time, buddy,” I barely manage to spit out.
“It was worth a shot,” he says before he sticks an arm out to brace himself against the wall, and I shove him and urge him on before he ducks clumsily into the bathroom. But I instantly regret the contact with his warm skin when my stomach dips again.
“I hate to interrupt, but I think my ride’s here,” Ethan calls out.
I shuffle back into the living room to bid him good night and thank him again. “And tell Mrs. T thanks for me.”
“No worries. She won’t mind once she hears about all this,” he says with a cheeky smile before he closes the front door behind him.
I don’t even get the chance to stress about what he means to tell his grandmother because there’s a loud thump in the bathroom.
“Landry? You okay in there?” I yell. I round the corner just in time to watch him staggering into my room and falling face-down onto my bed. “Landry?” I poke his shoulder. “This isn’t your bed.”
“But mine’s too far. Can’t we just share this one?” His voice is muffled by the blankets. “Married people sleep together.”
“Not in our case,” I remind him.
He lifts his head and smiles, patting the empty space beside him. “Hmm. Just think of it as a payment toward that marital debt. Night-night, ‘Punzel,” he murmurs before his cheek hits the pillow. Then the only sounds he makes are obnoxiously loud snores.
I groan in frustration. I’m tired. It’s past time for me to take my epilepsy medicine, and I know I’m more likely to have a seizure tomorrow if I don’t get a decent amount of sleep tonight. I change into my pajamas and return from the bathroom to find Landry hasn’t budged, but I don’t have the energy to do anything about it. I slip beneath the covers and drift off to sleep beside him in no time at all.
CHAPTER 23
landry
I can’t feelmy arm.
It’s the first thought I have that morning, though it’s quickly followed byouch, my head.
I keep my eyes closed while I gather my whereabouts. My arm is numb because it’s pinned beneath something—someone. I attempt to adjust my position and realize I’m spooning the culprit, my other arm draped over her side while my body curves around hers. I flex my hand and curl my palm over the nearest body part. It’s soft and squishy and—yep, this is definitely a woman. She’s warm. And she smells amazing, like … honeysuckles and lavender essential oils.
Lavender?
My heart begins racing for a second, panic setting in. But my bed buddy distracts me when she squirms, rubbing her butt against me and making my breath hitch. The contact feels so good that I know this can’t be real, especially since neither of us would actually allow it to happen.
I must be dreaming.
And since this is only a dream, there’s no harm in enjoying it, right? I mean, sure, facing my roommate is going to be awkward after this. But I can’t exactly control what happens in my sleep, and she’ll be none the wiser.
Might as well just let Dream Landry get this out of his system.
It’s also been a while since I’ve gotten this close to a woman in real life, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the way this seems to be going, even though Daisy’s still wearing clothes.
Not for long, if I can help it.
I bury my face in the back of her neck, and she gasps when my hand slips beneath her nightgown. My lips curl up into a cocky grin before I move to press a kiss over her freckled shoulder. I knew she’d be into?—
“Oh,shhit,” I blurt out as soon as my eyes crack open, only to discover that I’m surrounded by a mass of actual blonde waves. I mumble a few more curses under my breath as I loosen my hold on her and back away.
Daisy clears her throat beside me, and I squint through the painful throbbing in my head after all that sudden movement. “Um, good morning?” she offers hesitantly when I finally open my eyes again.
“Oh God, what have I done?” I mutter to myself.
She snorts and adjusts her gown. “Gee, thanks.”
“No, I didn’t mean it likethat,” I spit out awkwardly. “It’s just … I didn’t realize we were almost … but you’re Rowan’s little sister, and I could never …”
She sits up. “Not helping.”
