Lily
Coming to,I jerk and sit up quickly, my brain a mash of differing sensations. My head is starting to pound and my joints are aching. The warning signs are there that I’m about to have another flare-up and I groan, staring around the unfamiliar room.
“Where the hell am I?” I ask, my heart pounding and my eyes wide. None of which helps how I’m feeling.
But memories flood back to me quickly and my cheeks turn pink as I realize that some of my aching parts are in areas that don’t usually get such a workout.
Areas that I absolutely worked out last night. Or rather Mark worked out last night. I fall backwards and my mouth curves. I grasp the silky sheets and pull them tight to my body, wincing at the slight scratchy feeling.
These aren’t my silky thread count and I feel that little niggling feeling that says I’m about to start itching. Grimacing, I sit up again.
Damn it, I don’t want to make him feel bad again! It’s not his fault that my body keeps going to war with itself.
But, where the hell is he? Sitting up again, I throw my legs over the bed and then slip my feet to the cold wood floor, hissing.
His side of the bed is already cool so that means he’s been gone for a while. A frown scrunches my brows as I really, really hope that he’s not disappointed. I mean, he didn’t seem disappointed when he woke me up last night to take me yet again.
But men are weird critters. Who knows what will set them off?
I turn around and search for my clothes but I remember that most of them were scattered around downstairs and once again, heat hits my cheeks.
He wanted me so much, we didn’t even make it upstairs. Surely, that means something.
Glancing around in the dim light coming in from the hallway, I see a t-shirt of his and pull it on. It hangs all the way down to my knees and I chuckle, running my hands through my hair. It’s not as soft as my sweater though and I start to feel that itch along my spine that signals bad things coming.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter under my breath. My joints are so sore that it hurts to step and I want to go back to bed but I need to get home and hole up for however long this latest flare-up takes. Just let it run its course.
But I need to find my boyfriend and tell him what’s going on first. And I can’t hear him either.
Shuffling painfully out the door, I pick my way downstairs, grimacing when I find my clothes scattered on the steps.
Until I think about why and my smile grows so big it looks like that old cartoon of the green creature at Christmas.
Faint mumbling hits my ears and I follow the sound to the kitchen doorway.
“I’m telling you that it was the most amazing night of my life and that’s all I’m saying, Liam. No details. I’m not that kind of guy.
Giggling under my breath, I study his long, lean, muscular body as he leans against the counter and sips at a cup of coffee.
“You gonna tell Chris that you won the bet?” Liam’s voice is coming from Mark’s phone on the counter.
“What bet?” Mark grumbles, taking another long sip and rumpling his dark hair. I can’t see his eyes but he looks a little testy and I’m really struggling not to just sneak out the door and talk to him later.
“You know, the kiss. You bet that you’d kiss your woman before he found one to kiss.”
My heart stutters at the words and I freeze. Bet?
“I never bet anything of the kind. That was all him.”
“You better let him know that. You didn’t say no.”
“I’m sure I did.’
“I don’t remember hearing you actually say no. He thinks it’s on.”
“Well, Chris is an idiot.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
