I don’t even fucking care. I will gladly fall under her spell and do anything she asks.
I press a kiss her temple. "I'll be right back. Crawl under the covers, baby, and get comfortable."
I help her curl under the sheets and stop in the bathroom for a warm washcloth. As perfect as she is with our releases spread across our bodies, I want her to be comfortable tonight. I watch as she gently wipes her face and then closes her eyes and rests her head on my pillow again.
Seeing her in my space gives me pause because my chest is filled with sensations I’ve never experienced before. I pull the blanket up over her shoulder, indulge myself in listening to her contented sign, and then I get us the water we never finished getting in the kitchen.
As I walk back to my room, where Laney is cuddled in for sleep, I notice how right this scene looks. How much lighter I feel.
I hand her the glass of water and she sits up, holding the sheet to her chest.
"Thank you," she says quietly before taking a sip. After she swallows she looks up to me. "I was sort of joking before, but," she pauses and looks down at her lap. "I want to stay the night."
"Like I'd let you leave now.” She’s insane if she thinks I’m letting her out of my sight ever again. "Of course you're staying the night. Tomorrow we'll ride out to Deja Brew and then you can go home, if you want to."
I’m not prepared for the emotional toll of sliding into bed behind her. We’ve shared a bed before but I never expected to be in this situation again. The bubble of a laugh fills my throat again.
I’m fuckinghappy.
"Okay, I'll umm need to stop home before we go tomorrow morning." Laney says as she rolls to face me. "I don't have anything to wear."
"You weren’t concerned about that earlier." I say as I raise an eyebrow and tuck my chin to look down to her.
"Well that was before I fucked myself on your counter." She says with a set to her jaw helping to bolster her confidence.
"And that changed things for you?"
She pauses. "Yes. Did things change for you?"
"Yes Laney, things have changed for me. I’m not careless with my body, or yours." Her eyes soften so I continue. "This marks a turning point in my life. All the time before thirty minutes ago was B.F.L., and now, my life is A.F.L."
"A.F.L.?"
"After Fucking Laney." She laughs and smacks my shoulder with the back of her hand. I snatch it and kiss the inside of herwrist. "How about this? In the morning we'll drive to your place to get clothes and then take our ride."
"Okay, that works." A yawn pushes past her swollen lips and I am desperate to keep her near me.
I lean back and prop one arm behind my head and hold the other one out to her. "Get over here. I'm going to hold you all night."
Chapter seventeen
Laney
What's Stranger Danger Again?
WakingupinMiguel’sarms is like waking up inside a dream.
Except there is a quiet musical tone getting incrementally louder with each passing second.
Miguel stirs and squeezes me to him while the alarm continues to sound.
“What time is it?” I ask through a yawn.
“5:05.”
“Why are we awake this early?”
“I’m going for a run.” He states matter of factly then presses a kiss to my temple.
