“You can’t tell me where I am?”
“I’d actually rather show you,” I say, voice deepening, and I sip from my mug again.
Smirking, he saunters to where I am and kicks off his house shoes before plopping down beside me. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth and a weird sluggish feeling coming over me.
“Ready to show me now?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” I say against his cheek, loving the way he shivers and his lips part.
“What are you waiting for?”
My face falls a little too quickly toward his, and I jump up blinking my eyes. “I can do it better once this caffeine starts taking effect.”
“Or you can stay. We don’t have to sleep in the same bed if that helps.”
“I . . . can’t.” I reach for the cup again and a dizzy spell comes over me.
“When was the last time you slept?”
“I . . .I . . .” My words come out in slurs. My fingers hit the handle of the mug and I tug at nothing. Shaking off the heavy weight of my body, I grab for the coffee again and knock it off the table.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Honey. This sometimes happens when I don’t sleep for days, but I was sure that nap earlier would have been enough.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I can get you a car if you really need to get home. Wish I could take you myself—”
“Nah.” I wave him off. “I’ll just rest here for a bit.”
“Okay. You can nap and I’ll stay awake and supervise. Make sure you don’t run out the door naked or anything.”
I laugh, my eyes struggling to stay open, and I nod. “Yeah, okay. Put a movie on for us, will ya?”
“Sure.” He reaches for the remote, and as he selects something for us to watch, I position my head in his lap, curling my legs up on the couch. His soft fingers stroke through my hair and they feel way too good. I rub my face against his legs, breathing in the marshmallow scent rising off his hands, and I close my eyes. When I open them again, Henry is laughing and still stroking my scalp. Huey has made himself comfortable on the recliner, and I’m about to lift my head when another wave of sleepiness comes over me. Another nap won’t hurt. Another short nap.
“Don’t let me sleep too long,” I whisper, letting myself slowly doze again.
“Okay.” His hand stills on my neck. “Go ahead and relax. It’s okay for you to rest.”
Wanting that to be true, I nod and let myself.
Twenty-Two
Rafael
Eyes flashing open, panic explodes in my chest when I realize where I am. Floral curtains, green couch, and the same vintage coffee table I saw before my eyes last closed. I’m at Henry’s cabin. Looking around, I sit up higher and take in the tiny glint of sunlight peeking through the curtains, giving off a glowing hue.
“Morning,” he says in a groggy voice, stretching out beside me. I was too focused on the thick coating of my anxiety choking my throat to notice him there. His radiating heat is hard to ignore now, especially with him wiggling his ass into my groin and that sly little smile spreading across his face.
“Morning . . . how . . . when . . .” Shaking my head, I inhale a heady breath and try again. “I thought you were going to wake me from my nap?”
“I planned on it, but I fell asleep maybe a few minutes after you passed out the second time. I’m sorry.” His bottom lip sticks out and he slowly turns to fully face me.
I hook a hand on his hip and nudge my nose against him before smiling against his mouth. “It’s okay, Honey. Looks like you were as exhausted as me.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Since we managed to stay sleeping until morning, maybe that means we both got what we needed.”
“Maybe.” My forehead presses to his and I sigh.
