Page 83 of Major Love

But before I can open my mouth, she reaches over and cups my jaw.

And my eyes are on hers the second that her palm touches my skin, my stubble scraping her soft hand as she strokes me more gently than anyone has before.

My chest swells and I swallow hard, keeping still even though I want to lean into her touch.

We broke the touch barrier a little while ago but this is the first time that Sunday has made a move toward me. The first time that she’s showed me that this physical attraction isn’t totally one sided.

And I knew that she liked me as a friend but, right now, with her in my house, stroking my stubble as the snow-covered pines sway outside… it finally feels like more than that.

Chapter 20

Sunday

I quickly pad across the hallway, my baby pink towel wrapped tight around my chest, not wanting to spill shower droplets on the upper story carpet before I manage to curl back up on the bed.

It’s just after midday on Friday so Jason is still out at work, but I close the guest room door behind me anyway, just in case he comes back early while I’m nude.

I drop the towel beside me on the quilt and get changed into my favourite baby blue thermals, glancing at my reflection in the mirror and feeling relieved that my skin is finally back to normal. Golden and flushed due to the winter chill, rather than shockingly pink because I caught my nephew’s temperature.

I’m still a little sleepy and probably won’t be fully recovered until tomorrow, but I’m feeling a million times better than I did when Jason first found me at the start of the week.

And seeing as Haven also caught a temperature, we’ve spent the week sending each other cute little selfies, as well as hourly prompts to rehydrate.

I left my hair dryer back at Casey’s so I towel-dry my hair and then turn on the room’s mini heater, hoping that the boost of warmth will help my curls fluff up into their usual pouf.

I jog back to the bathroom so that I can hang up my towel and then I’m back on the guest room bed, waiting in front of my laptop for Casey’s scheduled call.

I’ve been talking to mom every day, and she’s sent me the most gorgeous winter photos from Montana, but Casey is a lot harder to get a hold of while he’s deployed.

He emails me as much as he can but it’s not the same as getting to see his surly face.

And the second that the videocall connects I’m instantly the happiest girl in the State.

“Hey, soldier,” I say softly, laughing as he reclines in his chair, his hands clasped at the back of his neck in an end-of-the-day kind of stretch.

He sighs and drops his arms, his body shifting in a way that tells me he’s probably kicking out his long legs.

“Hey, Sunday,” he starts, but then his rumble halts as he glances at his screen.

His brow furrows slightly and his eyes flash to meet mine.

He inhales a steady breath. “Whose bed is that?”

It takes all of my little-sister restraint not to taunt his overprotective ass off. “It’s not like that,” I tell him, laughing at his murderous expression. “The power in your place went down last weekend–”

“Last weekend?” he growls.

“And then, even though Jason got it fixed–”

He cracks his knuckles. “Coleson?”

I roll my eyes in amusement as I say, “One and the same. The power went out at the cabin and Jason got it fixed, but then I caught a winter temperature fromyoursweet little angel. So Jason said that I could crash at his place until it was out of my system, so that I wouldn’t be on my own if it got exacerbated for some reason.”

Casey ignores all of that. “Tell me you’re staying in a guest room.”

I throw my head back against Jason’s soft pillows, my chest shaking with laughter.

“Casey, you’re so annoying. Of course I’m staying in his freaking guest room! Do you really think thatanyguy would want to shack up with a woman while she’s got a fever?”

---