“Are you fucking with me?” I asked, feeling amused.
“Maybe.” Her smile widened. “It’s a little fun. You frown so much, I just kind of wanted to see if it worked the other way around.”
“I smile.”
She hummed and gave me a knowing look.
“Sometimes,” I corrected and tossed down the wipe to grab a band-aid. “When it’s necessary.”
“Necessary,” she repeated in a deep voice in her attempt to imitate me. It was cute. She was cute. And her hands were warm. And her legs were more exposed because she’d moved positions. The robe crept up her thighs. I wanted to press my fingers on her skin and pull her closer until she sat on my lap.
I kept my eyes on hers because I didn’t want to miss a moment of her happiness. This wasn’t a forced kind of happiness. It was alive and real. For a second, we felt like something that could be real.
Her lips parted with a sigh when I finished wrapping the band-aid. I didn’t let go, even though I was done. Instead, I pretended to inspect my handy work.
“How does it feel?” I wanted to drag this out as long as possible. Touching her seemed as close to heaven as I’d ever get.
“Stings a bit.” She watched me examine her. “Thanks for cleaning me up. You did a great job.”
I met her gaze then. She’d leaned closer, pretending to be curious about the finger. Her eyes strayed to my mouth. I pressed my back teeth together, failing to relax. I couldn’t kiss her. Not here. Not when I still had so much to say and needed time to learn how to say it.
My brain said one thing and my body did another. I leaned in. She didn’t move. Not toward me, but not away either. I paused when I could feel her exhale on my lips. Naomi tilted her head slightly, gaze still stuck on my mouth. I used the hand not cradling her injured finger to touch her cheek.
She felt far softer than I’d imagined. The back of my fingers brushed her cheek, and she leaned into the touch. My chest tightened when she closed her eyes as I made small circles on her skin.
Damn, I want this woman in every way imaginable.
“Naomi,” I whispered. A shiver ran through her, and I frowned. “Are you cold?”
She shook her head, eyes half-open now. “Only a little. Your…your hand is kind of cold.”
I pulled away, and she frowned.
“Sorry,” I breathed. “I didn’t…”
“It’s fine. I…” She paused and was the one to pull back this time. Someone was coming down the hall. I turned around in time to see Sam’s guest padding into the kitchen, dressed in one of his T-shirts.
She smiled and waved at us. “Hi, sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on y’all.”
“It’s fine.” Naomi smiled too and began straightening up her things.
I watched her pile her supplies into a plastic bin. The girl lingered in front of the fridge, trying to decide on what to drink from the near-empty shelves. I swallowed a frustrated sigh, praying she’d decide on something soon, so Naomi and I could be alone.
Naomi didn’t seem to want that to happen. In fact, she looked determined to avoid it. My stomach twisted when she said, “I should go to bed. Think sleep’s finally calling.”
“Okay,” I said, watching blankly as she pushed off the ground and walked toward her room.
“Good night,” Naomi said, her voice sweet and normal as she waved at the girl and me. My skin felt like it was on fire from touching her. I don’t think I could stand yet.
“Have a good night,” the girl called at a volume a little too loud for this late.
Naomi’s door clicked shut, and I heard her shove something against it. I sighed and leaned on the couch with my head tilted to the ceiling.
“You two are cute together,” the girl said with a water bottle in hand.
I grunted in response as she gave me a smile before retreating upstairs.
God, I felt pathetic. I wanted Naomi so much it hurt. I’d thought maybe she could feel the same. Except, she bolted, and I think trying to kiss her was a mistake.
