As if the goofy grin I was sporting wasn’t telling enough, lying wrapped up in the warmth of Boden’s embrace while I replayed last night’s events on repeat in my head had me feeling like I was on cloud nine. Boden truly planned the perfect night. The thoughtfulness behind the intimate picnic setup made my heart smile with gratitude.
“Hmm, a guy could get used to this.” Boden’s hand swept up my back, sending a ticklish shiver up my spine that caused me to pull away in a fit of giggles. “Hey now, where do you think you’re going?”
I rolled onto my back, and Boden followed me onto his side. His hand dropped to my waist while he slung a leg over mine, trapping me with a panty-melting smile that would obliterate mine had I been wearing any.
“How are you feeling this morning? No regrets?”
“While I’ve had plenty in my lifetime,” I ran my hand up his arm, tracing the ink on his biceps, “being here with you is most definitely not one of them.”
“Happy to hear it.”
I nodded. “Being here with you now, like this, without anyone around, being watched, it feels real. It’s authentic.”
“Being watched?”
“I . . .” Shit, how did I explain that slip-up? It wasn’t fair that I kept hiding my identity from him, but I was equally nervous about how he’d react. “There was a time I took my privacy for granted, oblivious to the lengths people would go to to hurt or target others.”
His back straightened as he tensed under my palm. “Did someone hurt you?”
“Not physically.”
“That’s not exactly a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
“No, it’s not, but I’m fine.”
“I’m smart enough to know the word fine is not used as a glowing endorsement when convincing another of someone’s state of mind.”
“But in this case, it’s the truth. I removed myself from the situation, and here I am.”
“Yes, here you are.”
“And in your bed.” I lifted my chin, silently goading him.
“In my bed.”
“Naked.”
“Oh, I’m very aware of that detail.” He smirked while pressing the length of his hard-on into my thigh.
“How about we move this into the shower?”
“I like where your thoughts are heading, but now that I’ve had you”—he shifted his weight between my legs—“I’m not that patient. I need you now.”
“The shower is what, fifteen feet away?”
“Exactly, it’s too far.”
I smiled as he enveloped me with a sense of urgency. Kissing him felt like everything in my world was falling into place. He was the one I was waiting for, and when we became one, the feeling was all the confirmation I needed.
* * *
My eyelids were heavy, and my muscles ached. The latter was a perfect reminder of my nearly sleepless night and the reason for said nap. So earlier, when Boden got a call from his electrician with an issue that needed to be addressed on-site, I opted to hang back and rest my eyes.
Uncurling myself from the cozy ball I was in, I stretched before reaching for my phone to check the time. I then discovered several missed calls and texts from Jenna, asking me to call her immediately.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a cold shiver drummed through my veins. My hands shook as I moved to sit up and clutch my blanket tighter. I wanted to surmise Jenna was solely reaching out to check-in, but judging by the urgency of her calls and texts, I knew that wasn’t very likely.
There would be only one reason she was trying to get a hold of me so frantically, and it made me want to crawl under a rock and hide. Knowing I needed to rip the Band-Aid off, I dialed her number before I let my worries derail my focus.
