Page 28 of Late Nights

9

Demi

I’d tossed and turned for the last hour despite being so tired. I had thought for sure once I got in bed, I’d be asleep in seconds, but I guessed after I spent time with my longtime crush, my mind couldn’t stop replaying all of the best moments. Like being able to freely touch him all in the name of being frustrated while playing the game, or when I’d dared to jump into his lap and felt his broad chest against my back, or when he’d lifted me and flipped me onto the couch, trapping me underneath him, or how his hands had touched my skin in the sliver of space between my sweatshirt and the waistband of my shorts as he tickled me, or when we’d sat across from each other talking while the sides of our legs touched. It had all been so amazing.

West’s interruption had been an unpleasant surprise, but after we’d explained ourselves he didn’t seem to think twice about our actions. He hadn’t guessed I was wishing more than I’d like to admit that Cannon would kiss me, that we could be cuddled up on the couch, that I could experience what it would feel like to be wrapped up in his arms.

I turned to lay on my back in a huff. Staring up at the ceiling, I tried to push thoughts of Cannon out of my mind. I didn’t want to think about how jealous I had been tonight, seeing him with that woman at the bar. I didn’t want to think about how thoughtful it had been of him to go buy Mario Kart just because I had mentioned I wanted to play it with him. I didn’t want to think about how much fun I’d had losing to him race after race and how much I’d liked seeing that cocky grin of his. I didn’t want to think about how every time I’d touched him, it had sent a spark of electricity through me. I didn’t want to think about how much I’d enjoyed looking up at him while I’d lain on my back. And I didn’t want to think about the hope I felt that maybe a part of the reason he hadn’t liked Aiden was because he was jealous.

The clock on the nightstand read 3:47 a.m. I closed my eyes and let out another sigh, one full of annoyance. Why couldn’t I just fall asleep? Maybe a glass of water would help.

Pulling back the covers, I got out of bed and tiptoed out of my room, not wanting to wake Cannon. The hallway that led to the kitchen was completely dark. I glanced at Cannon’s closed door as I passed by, noting that it was dark and quiet. He was probably blissfully asleep, not torturing himself with thoughts about his best friend’s sister to the point where sleep escaped him.

I kept moving forward and then smacked hard into a wall.

“Oomph,” I said, feeling myself starting to fall backwards. I cartwheeled my arms, but it wasn’t enough, I was going down.

Warm hands reached out and grabbed my arms, scaring me enough to startle me mid-fall, and I let out a yelp.

Since the hands couldn’t take purchase on my arms, warm bands of muscles wrapped around my upper body a fraction of a second before my butt and back hit the floor.

“Demi, are you okay?” Cannon’s low voice rumbled against my chest, and I could hear his concern in the dark.

He now lay on top of me, his arms wrapped around my back having taken the brunt of my fall, our legs a tangled mess.

I looked up at him but couldn’t make out his features.

I hadn’t run into a wall but Cannon’s ridiculously hard chest.

“Do you realize this is the third time you’ve been on top of me in two days?” I asked instead of answering his question.

I felt him chuckle more than I heard it.

The next thing I knew, he’d rolled us over so he was on his back and I was now on top of him.

Oh, holy cannoli. I was laying on top of Cannon. A shirtless Cannon.

“Is that better?” he asked. His gravelly voice sounded a bit breathless, but maybe that had more to do with the exertion of trying to keep me from falling—and that my full weight was now on him.

My brain short-circuited, and I scrambled to give a coherent response. “Uh-huh.”

I was grateful for the darkness to hide whatever expression was on my face right now. But then, I wished there was just a sliver of light so I could read Cannon’s face. Was his heart beating as fast as mine? Was he enjoying the feel of our bodies together? Or was he wondering why I hadn’t gotten off him yet?

He reached up and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Are you okay?” The gentleness of his hand and voice combined had me melting into him.

“Yeah. Thankfully you took the brunt of my fall.”

“I meant, are you okay…since you’re not sleeping right now.” I couldn’t see his smile, but I heard it.

Oh.

“Um, yeah. I just couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d get a drink of water,” I said, letting out half of the truth. I couldn’t exactly tell him that the reason I couldn’t fall asleep was because I couldn’t stop thinking about him and how things were slowly starting to change between us, that the more time I spent with him becoming friends, the more I wasn’t sure I could handle being just friends.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “You’re not sleeping either.”

He was silent for a few seconds before answering. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just having a hard time coming down from the high of winning so many games in a row.”

I pushed his shoulder, making him chuckle, which sent a vibration through me that only made me want to snuggle into him. That was probably my cue to get up before I did something stupid, like kiss him.

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