When I wake up, I remember that I fell asleep in his bed. I do think that I just experienced the best sleep of my entire life. When I fully come to, something dawns on me; there’s a weight around my waist. Beckett is still here, and I’m pulled firmly against his chest.
“What are you doing? It’s…” I look over at the clock. “Beckett, it’s nine in the morning. Why are you still here?” I panic, waking up as I try to get him out of bed.
“I picked work over you once already. I’m here to make sure that it never happens again, because you’re right, you deserve to be picked first,” he whispers, placing a kiss on my clothed shoulder.
“I… I’m…why?” I stutter, turning in his arms, and he pulls me closer.
His arms are wrapped around me, his chest bare and now on display. I feel my face heat.
“Because I need to make up for the other night. Never again do I want you to feel like you aren’t important to me, because you are, and I think that’s what scares me the most,” he whispers, his eyes find mine, and stare into my soul. He reaches up and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to take the day off for me. I’m used to it. I’ve never been the first choice,” I whisper, looking away. He stops me, his hand grabbing my chin and making me look at him.
“That’s the problem. You shouldn’t be used to being the second choice, because you are theonlychoice, Sloane. I was so fucking stupid to run away the other night. I hurt you, I know that I hurt you. I…I don’t know how to take myself out of work mode,” he whispers, and I see emotions on his face that I don’t know how to describe.
“You don’t have to. I was selfish. Your job is to save lives, people could’ve been hurt or dying?—”
“I had the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my bed, and I walked away from that. You trusted me with something special, and I threw it away. I’m not always a good person, Sloane. I’ll make mistakes. I don’t think that I’ll ever deserve you, but I want to try. If I have to spend every moment thissummer making up for the other night, then I will. You deserve to be the first and only choice.” It’s not until he cups my cheeks and wipes my tears that I realize I started crying. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I want to try, and I want to try with you. And if that means that I have to take off a day of work just to make you smile, then I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
“No, none of that. I should be thanking you because I don’t deserve a second chance. But I’m so grateful that you’re here with me, you have no idea.”
I bury my face into his chest, and he kisses the top of my head, holding me close.
We lie in bed together for a long time, his arms wrapped around me, snuggled into his chest as he occasionally presses soft kisses to my body.
“What do you want to do today?” he asks, and I shrug.
“I don’t know. Can we maybe just have a lazy day? I don’t have much energy today,” I admit, and he nods.
“That sounds perfect,” he says, nuzzling his face into my neck.
“Are you sure?” I whisper, and he nods again, pressing a soft kiss to my neck.
“Yes.”
I nod as he presses a kiss to the bottom of my jaw.
He pulls away and rolls us so that I’m under him, and I get to look at him for the first time in the early morning sun.
“You’re pretty,” I whisper, and I watch as his eyes soften and he smiles down at me.
I swear I melt when his cheeks flush slightly, and then I find myself embarrassed because I didn’t mean to say that out loud. We both just stare at each other, blushing and smiling like a couple of idiots.
We stay like this for a couple of minutes before we untangle ourselves and make our way downstairs to make breakfast together.
He stands with his arms around my waist, his face nuzzled into my neck.
“You smell good,” he whispers, and I giggle as his fingers absentmindedly wander over my skin.
His teeth nip at my neck, and I can’t help the moan that slips through my lips. My head tips back to lean against his shoulder.
He smirks against my skin as he leaves little kisses and bites. It feels so good. He doesn’t push me for anything more than teasing kisses, and I appreciate it.
“I bet that I can guess your favorite flavor,” Beckett says as several half-eaten containers of ice cream sit in front of us on the counter.
He somehow managed to convince me that we could haverealice cream with our movie, and not that ‘weird organic shit.’
