“Yes,” I breathe, even though I should tell him to stop. The door is open and, even though you can’t see the bed from the doorway, the house is full of people. Not just people…hisfamily.
I’m about to open my mouth to suggest that his idea of getting a hotel room for the duration of our stay doesn’t sound like a bad idea after all, but when his fingers slide into my underwear and brush against my clit, I lose all ability to think clearly.
My eyes flutter closed as he begins swirling his fingers in torturously slow circles. He takes his time, like he has all night to drive me absolutely insane, before dipping lower and sliding two fingers inside me, his groan telling me he now knowsjusthow badly I want this. Him.Us.
His forehead dips down to touch mine and our breaths mingle as his fingers curl inside me and he presses his thumb against my clit. I roll my hips against his hand in a silent plea for more. More friction, more speed, more of him. It’s as if he knows my body better than I do when, in what seems like record time, I’m ready to fall apart. He captures any sound I would have made with his mouth as I fall over the edge. His tongue tangles with mine and his fingers continue to work me through my orgasm until I’m limp in his arms.
“Tyler,” he says, and I’m suddenly confused. He’s speaking to me even though his mouth is still fully occupied with mine. “Tyler, wake up.”
I open my eyes and have to squint through the bright light shining in through the window. I look over and see Eric beside me, propped up on an elbow, a knowing smile on his beautiful mouth and both dimples on full display.
“Sorry to disturb you,” he says. “But if you’d have gotten much louder, you’d have woken the whole neighborhood up.”
Shit.
I cover my face with my hands and groan, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I just had a sex dream. About Eric. While sleeping next to Eric.
This was a bad idea.
A very, very bad idea.
“Hey,” he says, sensing my unease. “It’s not a big deal.” I pull two of my fingers apart and peek at him through my hand. “I just hope it was good for you.” He winks and I knowI need to do something to squash this, because if I don’t, he’ll use this against me next.
“Oh yeah,” I say, pulling my hands away from my face and grinning. “It was really good.”
“Yeah?” he asks, his cocky grin growing wider.
“Uh-huh,” I say, biting my bottom lip. “Apparently Josh isreallygood in bed.”
The look of shock that crosses his face is worth it as I stretch, climb out of bed, and head into the bathroom across the hall.
THIRTY
Eric
? I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons ?
The last few days have been a blur of family, food, and forced proximity. Not that I’m complaining—not completely. It’s been nice to be home, to smell coffee brewing in the kitchen in the mornings and hear the sound of my parents’ laughter echoing from downstairs.
To sleep in my old room. To wake up next to Tyler. Yesterday morning, I woke to the feeling of her body pressed against mine, her left arm slung over my chest and her leg tangled between mine. I laid there for almost thirty minutes watching her sleep, unable to look away or to move, until I forced myself to face the reality that this isn’t what she wants.I’mnot what she wants.
So, I snuck out from under her and out of bed before she could wake up and apologize and tell me she didn’t mean it. I wasn’t in the mood for a reminder of how differently we felt about each other.
This morning, Tyler’s already out of bed by the time I wake up. When I make it downstairs, I find her sitting in the kitchen with my mom chatting about something, and it suddenly feels like it’s all too much. The way she smiles at my mom, the way she so easily fits in, like she’s already part of the family. It makes my chest tighten and my stomach twist in knots, because I want this. I want it so goddamn bad. I want her to be here with me from now on—tour breaks, holidays, family events—I want her to be mine. To really be part of this family. And it kills me to know she doesn’t want the same thing.
I glance out the window, watching the sun rise behind the trees, turning the sky into a canvas of bruised purples and fiery oranges.
It’s almost over, I tell myself. We’re flying out to San Deigo first thing tomorrow, and part of me can’t wait to get back on the road. Back to our separate rooms. Back to the routine of the band. The endless cities. The adrenaline of playing shows and the escape it offers.
The other part of me hates the thought of walking away from my family, from the comfort of being here—comfort I hadn’t realized I needed until I stepped through the front door and let myself settle in.
As I pass through the kitchen, Tyler’s attention shifts from my mom to me, and her expression softens when our eyes meet. Like she can already sense that I’m not myself this morning.
You okay?she seems to ask.
I force a smile, her eyes following me as I make my way to the back door. I step outside, the cool morning air hitting my skin, and take a deep breath. The yard is quiet, just thesound of birds filling the early morning silence as I walk toward the line of trees at the edge of the property.
My mind is a fucking mess. I’m not ready to leave, but I’m also not sure how much longer I can take the tension that has been building all week. Not sure how many more nights I can sleep in the same bed next to her without getting myself into a metric shit ton of trouble.
