“Sorry about sleeping all over you like that. I’m not usually a cuddler,” she says as her cheeks redden and she bites her lower lip.
Running my thumb along her lower lip, to tease it out from under her teeth, I say, “Anytime. Especially after last night. You can use me as your own personal body pillow whenever you want,” I say.
“What do you mean after what happened last night? The storm?” she asks, getting to a sitting position and no longer looking at me as she stretches her arms over head.
What does she mean:What happened last night?Does she not remember? Was she not awake? I mean she used the bathroom! But Sadie uses the bathroom, hell, she’ll make a full meal while sleepwalking. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Did I take advantage of a sleeping woman . . .
“Umm . . . No, not the storm . . . a . . . what happened in the middle of the night. After . . . after you woke up to go to the bathroom,” I say as I get up, distracting myself by going to the kitchen.
“I woke up last night?” I hear her ask as she follows me to the kitchen. I take out the coffee and mugs to make coffee before I even realize that we still don’t have power, even though the rain seems to have to let up and the wind is still howling outside.
“Yeah . . . yeah, you did. You really don’t remember?” I ask before turning around, but before I can say anything, she starts laughing, comes over and wraps her arms around my middle.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I was just joking, and then you believed me. I swear I was awake; do you really think I could sleep through one of the best orgasms I’ve ever had?” she asks, her blush creeping its way under the neck of my T-shirt she’s wearing.
“You’re evil,” I say as I wrap my arms around her, tickling her sides and making her giggle. Pulling back and tipping her head back, I place one hand on her cheek so I can look at her face. “I was picturing getting my ass kicked, and rightfully so, by Levi, then JJ, and then Lacey. Pure evil,” I say as I start laughing.
“I’m sorry,” she says with a small giggle and a sparkle in her eyes, reaching on her tippy toes to kiss the underside of my chin. Lost in the feeling of her in my arms, my mind wanders back to what she just said about that being one of the best orgasmsshe’s ever had. Considering I barely touched her, that’s just sad and unacceptable. Locking that little fact in the back of my mind for next time, I get to touch her instead of asking her for an explanation.
“I’m starting to learn that you’re a lot sassier than I originally thought,” I say as I join into her laugh. Once we’ve calmed down, I notice that she’s still in my arms; she doesn’t seem to want to let go. Before I can get lost in her, I need to make sure. “I can see you’re going to keep me on my toes. But seriously though, are you okay with what happened last night?”
“Can I be completely honest?” she shyly asks, once again, hiding her eyes from me.
“Always,” I say against the top of her head.
“It was very out of the ordinary for me. I’m not, not even when I was younger, someone to just jump into bed with someone. But no, I don’t regret it.” Taking a deep breath, she pulls away to look at me, “Honestly, you kind of took me by surprise. Not just last night, but in general. I’m usually a practical person, but for some reason it’s like I lose all sense when you’re around.” Looking back down, but not before I catch a glimpse of uncertainty, she continues, “But I don’t even know if I want something else or more to happen between us. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t even know if or when I’ll be ready to get into another relationship. Not that I expect you to want a relationship with me because of what happened last night.”
Bending my knees, but keeping her securely against me so I can look her in the eye, I reassure her. “Hannah, if I’m being honest, you’ve had me captivated before I even saw your face. You were line dancing with Lacey and Ellie, and I’m assuming one of them said something funny because you had your head thrown back laughing and all I could think about was how soft your hair looked and how it would feel to run my fingers through it,” I say, as I run my fingers through her bedhead. “Like I saidlast night, I owe you a date before anything else happens. Or it doesn’t have to be a date, we can just keep hanging out together. Nothing has to be official. Just know that if we just hang out together, I’ll only be hanging out with you.” I need her to know that I’ll take anything she wants to give me. I won’t rush her.
“Okay,” she finally says after a few seconds of thinking about what I just told her. “Let’s just see where this takes us. No promises, no timelines, no rules. Just promise me that if you get sick of me, or want to stop hanging out with me, you’ll tell me,” she demands, letting the insecurity that her ex-husband created seep through her voice.
“I will.”
“Pinky promise?” she shyly asks as she leans in towards me.
“Pinky promise,” I say, wrapping my pinky around hers. Why do I feel like I’ve just entered into a friends-with-benefits arrangement with this girl?
After our impromptu make out session in my kitchen, we make our way outside to my back porch where I boil some water on the BBQ for some instant coffee. Next thing you know, I’m sitting on my back deck with Hannah on my lap wrapped in one of my sweaters and a blanket over us to cut the wind that’s finally starting to settle.
“You know this isn’t that bad,” she says as takes another sip of coffee.
“Definitely not what I was planning on giving you if I ever had the chance to wake up next to you, but I least I know you’re easy to please,” I say with a smirk, winning me an eye roll.
Just as we’re enjoying the view of the mountains in my backyard and the soft breeze that still lingers, we hear the tell-tale sound of the power coming back on.
“I guess the storm is officially over,” Hannah notes, without moving off my lap.
“I guess so,” I say, holding on to her a little tighter, not wanting to lose the closeness she’s giving me.
We keep sitting in silence sipping our instant coffee, just enjoying each other’s company. Suddenly, I feel her shiver. “Wanna move this inside?”
“Please,” she agrees and slowly gets up as if she doesn’t want to, making her way into the house.
“How about I start an actual pot of coffee and make you breakfast after a quick shower?”
“Or, I can make breakfast while you’re in the shower as a thank you for saving me last night?”
“Or you could just join me in the shower,” I say with a wiggle of my eyebrows, making her laugh.
