Page 54 of Taming You

Oh, he’s good. He knows there’s no way I’m saying no to that. He kicks up his feet on the table, crosses his ankles and playsEpisode I. There’s no way we’re pausing in the middle of a movie, so we eat our dinner on the couch, playing the next movie as soon as it finishes. When we hit the halfway point inEpisode III, I feel myself getting tired, all the excitement of the day finally hitting. I relax further into the couch cushions and find myself leaning towards Matt. His arm goes around the back of the couch, and it’s like my body takes that as a sign to curl up into his side. I question it for a minute, until his arm drops around me and his thumb moves slowly up and down my arm.

A contented sigh leaves me as I get more comfortable, relaxing into Matt. I force my eyes to stay open until the end of the movie, not wanting to miss anything no matter how many times I’ve seen the movie.

The credits roll, and we sit and watch them. My eyes are getting heavier as the words scroll up the screen. Matt tucks my hair behind my ear, and I smile, revelling in his delicate touch as my eyes close.

“You can take my bed,” he says, and I just rub my face against his side. “Jayden will probably wake you up in the morning, but I think he will here, too.” He chuckles. He runs his hand over my hair, and it only lulls me to sleep more. “I’ll take the couch.”

“No.” I didn’t think I was awake enough to answer as quickly as I do. I rub my eyes and yawn. “I’m not stealing your bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.”

I push up from my position and stretch. When I face him, I can tell he’s being his usual stubborn self, and I don’t have the energy to fight him. “Fine, we’ll behave like adults and sleep in the same bed.”

I watch the wheels turn in his head before he finally nods, pushing up from the couch and making his way to his bedroom, opening the door quietly. He comes back out with a pair of shorts and a black T-shirt.

“You can wear these to sleep. Those should be more comfortable.”

I take them from him and head to the washroom and quickly change before meeting him in his room.

“What side should I take?” I ask.

He points to one side, and I move and settle under the blankets. Matt’s scent envelops me, and it’s intoxicating. I pull the blankets up, hoping to smell them and not look like a total creeper.

Matt gets in beside me, and I kind of hate the distance between us. I was enjoying being curled up in his side as I slept on the couch. Now I’m all alone on my side of the bed, far from where I want to be. I shuffle a little closer to the middle, and I swear I feel Matt do the same. I toss and turn for a few minutes, but ultimately fall asleep, too tired to keep my eyes open any longer.

CHAPTER 21

Matt

What the hell, why am I so hot? I’m sweating through my pyjamas, and something is wrapped around me.

The events of last night hit me.

Zoeyis wrapped around me.

My eyes fly open. Zoey Williams is wrapped around me, in my bed, and I’m sporting morning wood.Of fucking course.As much as I absolutely love her this close and in my bed, I need to slide out so I can deal with my situation before Jayden wakes up, which I know will be any minute now. I’m surprised he hasn’t woken me up yet.

I go to lift her leg, but she clamps it down and tightens her arm around me. This woman has me so torn. On one hand, I want to stay with her and just enjoy this, because who knows if this will ever happen again, but the last thing I want to do is freak her out when she wakes up and finds me hard.

My rational brain wins out, and after some finagling, I manage to slide out and make it to the bathroom. I lean over the bathroom counter.

Okay, get your shit together, Matt. Zoey only slept over last night because there was no way you were letting her drive home with how tired she was. It was nothing more. She only cuddled you last night because she was probably cold, and you were right there. It doesn’t matter that you’ve never enjoyed cuddling but wanted to stay in her arms.

Jayden starts making noises, and I take a look at myself in the mirror and give my head a shake. I open the bathroom door and make my way to Jayden, but I stop in my tracks when I see Zoey standing beside his crib. Last night, I never took in how good she looks in my clothes. My shorts come almost past her knees and my shirt swallows her, giving her no shape, but damn is she gorgeous. She’s pulled her messy hair into a bun on top of her head, showing off her face and bright smile as she bounces Jayden and talks to him.

“Didn’t we have a long sleep? Do we think we’re ready for a new nappy and some breakfast?” She presses her face into his tummy, and he giggles. Watching them together like this has me wishing we could do this every morning.

She turns and smiles when she sees me. “Good morning.”

I smile back. “Good morning. Did Jayden wake you up?”

She looks at him with the softest expression. “He did, but what a great way to wake up to this adorable little one. I was just going to change him and make him a bottle.”

I reach for him. “Why don’t I change him?”

She laughs. “Sounds good, because I think he left a present in there for you. I’ll get his bottle ready.”

I take him from her, kissing his cheek and, without thinking, kiss hers as well. I swear she blushes, but she’s around me before I have the chance to confirm my suspicion.

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