Then, everything hit me like a ton of bricks.
“No,” I murmured, “there’s no way.”
Thoughts of Ranger spun throughout my head. His pulsing muscles, blanketing me as he slurped me down. His fingertips, curled into my excess as he held me to his face. My hand gravitated to my thigh, stroking the place where the phantom lingering of his body heat raged against my skin.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes to try and pull myself together.
But, all I felt was a searing pain that rocketed through my skull.
“Careful,” Ranger said, his voice heavy with sleep, “it’s gonna be there for a while.”
I peeked an eye open and found him carrying a massive tray of food toward me. I watched with my hand cradling the side of my head as he sat the tray to my left before pivoting to sit down.
“Did we…?”
I wiggled my finger between the two of us, and his smirk told me everything I needed to know.
“Don’t tell me you already forgot. That’d be a first for me.”
I snickered, but I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. “Never, apparently.”
“Good,” he said as he picked up a mug of coffee. “Now, drink. It’ll help with the bruise on your eye.”
I took it from him. “How does coffee help with a bruise?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Always helps me, though. Make sure to eat something, too. I know you’re starving.”
I looked down and found myself at a specific loss for clothing. Holy shit, I hadn’t dreamt it. Ranger and I had slept together. My cheeks blushed furiously as I reached for a pillow, slamming it down into my lap. I held it against my stomach, teetering the fresh, creamy coffee in my off hand as I tried to cover myself as best as possible.
And the entire time, I felt him watching me. “Self-conscious?”
I peeked over at him before grasping the mug with both of my hands. “Something like that.”
He picked up a breakfast sandwich. “No need to be. You’re beautiful.”
He said it so plainly. So simply. Like it was some universal truth.
“Thanks,” I said before I took a long pull of the caffeinated drink.
“Have you always lived in the area?” he asked.
The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. “You mean, we’re still in town?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much. Just on the other side of it.”
Why the hell was he telling me any of this? “Yeah, born and raised. You?”
He took a gargantuan bite of his sandwich. I mean, he devoured half of the damn thing!
“No. I grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood in California.”
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“Got any siblings?”
I found myself intrigued with his line of questioning. “No. Only child. You?”
He nodded. “Got a younger sister. Well,hada younger sister.”
