The three of us climb back into bed, and as soon as Parker gets settled between us, Landon and I scoot closer. Parker rolls onto their side, facing Landon. I press closer, curling my body around theirs while they shimmy and shift until they have their face tucked against Landon’s throat.
When they finally stop squirming, they hum. “This is good. Very good. Purple again.”
Oh, my heart.
Landon’s eyes go glassy as he looks up at me, and I’m not sure I’m doing much better.
Parker’s almost asleep when they let out a little breath. “Lied before.”
“About what?” Landon whispers.
“The kisses,” Parker says. “Do wanna be kissed like that.”
My stomach flips wildly. “How about we talk about that when you’re not delirious from sickness, Cotton Candy?”
Parker hums. “’Kay. Lan too.”
“What?” Landon asks, fingers playing in Parker’s hair.
“Kiss you too.”
Landon’s breath catches in his throat as he whispers a near-silent “Okay.”
These two are going to ruin me.
Chapter 16
Landon
Everything is calm.
I’ve been awake for a while, just soaking it all in, reveling in the feel of Ben’s hand where it’s splayed wide across my stomach, his arm stretched over Parker’s side. His fingers keep twitching. It’s endearing.
Parker’s curled against my side, head buried against my throat. Their breath is fanning across my skin, nose brushing my neck with each small shift.
The two of them are still asleep, their breaths deep and even, sometimes even syncing up.
Parker feels cool. When their fever broke in the middle of the night, it stayed that way. Thankfully.
Ben’s hand jerks, fingers flexing before settling again. I’m not sure how Parker is even still asleep with the way they’re being smooshed between the two of us, but I don’t want to move. I don’t want this to be over.
Given the change in Parker’s breathing, though, I don’t have much more time to enjoy it. I’m surprised when they shift a little, nuzzling my throat with their nose. “Mmm, it’s warm.”
My heart flips. God, I love this. I’m in so much trouble.
“Bad warm?” I ask softly, not wanting to wake Ben up.
Parker shakes their head, scooting impossibly closer to me. “No. Gold. Bright, warm, fuzzy gold.”
I can’t help but smile. The way they describe things in colors might be my favorite thing in the world, and if I’m being completely honest, I’m also happy that it’s no longer black or gray or green, but not the jealous kind.
“Yeah?” I whisper, fingers itching to run through their hair. “What’s gold?”
“This.”
Well, that doesn’t give me much, but if they feel anything like me right now, I’ll take gold.
“I’m glad.” God, I want to touch them so badly. “Can I play with your hair?”
