Page 17 of Blind Attraction

She’d never played the needy card before. Unfortunately, tonight she had the best hand. “But what if I need something before morning? What if I wake up and need to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water?”

Silence.

“I don’t want to yell out and wake everyone.”

He cleared his throat. “I can sleep on the floor in here then.”

“No.” She shook her head with a huff. “You can sleep in the bed. If you’re worried about me groping you, or sniffing your hair during the night, you can rest assured I’ll stay on my side.”

He laughed, long and loud, the sound growing closer with each passing second. His weight came back between her thighs, his breath back on her skin.

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” His fingers ran through her hair and she leaned into his caress. “You’re probably still in shock. And Blake’s right. You don’t even know me, can’t even see me. I don’t want you to regret anything when you wake up.”

“Nothing needs to happen.” She found the sides of his thighs and moved her hands up to rest at his waist. “Just sleep.”

His lips brushed her cheek. “If I stay,youcan rest assured I won’t get a lick of sleep because all I want to do is grope you and sniff your hair.”

Mitch punched his pillow and changed his position for the eighty-fifth time. The temptation to kiss her not only made him restless, it made his cock hard. There’d never been a more inviting pair of lips. He could see them clearly in his mind, luscious and full, still glossy from the last swipe of her tongue. He’d done well to refrain. And holy fuck, if he didn’t get a ticket into heaven for doing it, he’d be pissed.

Every time he looked at her he became entranced by her long brown hair, her mouth, her dimples. Then his gaze would focus on her eyes and he’d cringe. Blake was right. He needed to back off.

Alana wasn’t a hussy. He remembered the way she startled at his touch when they first met. She’d been wary, not slutty—coy, not cocky. He couldn’t ignore that. If he kissed her now and she did melt in his arms, he wouldn’t be sure where her consent came from—desire, exhaustion, or even delirium.

His unwelcomed change into a boy scout didn’t mean he’d stop wanting to sleep with her. He only needed to refrain from seducing her until she could see who she was sleeping with. Or at least get enough rest to ensure her best judgment.

“You’re not comfortable?” Her voice was soft and tired.

He pushed out a breath. “I’m comfortable enough.”

“You can’t sleep because you want to grope me and sniff my hair, right?” She snorted and he wanted to smother himself.

He reached under the covers and poked her in the ribs. “You’re blind and in a predator’s bed. I’d stop tormenting the bear if I were you.”

She sniggered and he smiled at the sound. Her beauty had him in awe. Not only the defining facial features which made her appear angelic, but her attitude, her innocence, the way she made him chuckle. She didn’t fawn over him or treat him like a god. And he liked it.

“You…don’t scare me.” She sounded confused.

“And that surprises you?”

She let out a long sigh, paused a moment, then gave a derisive scoff. “I’m different, Mitchell. I’m not used to…people. I’m not familiar with the real world.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?” He turned to face her, using the opportunity to move a little closer before leaning up on one elbow.

“I live on a retreat outside of Monument, Colorado. My upbringing was…different. I didn’t get the chance to travel into town often, and my interaction with people only came from those who stayed on the property, or the occasional delivery driver. So I thought I’d be more…nervous and uncomfortable in a foreign place, surrounded by strangers. And yeah, it surprises me that I’m not.”

Mitch couldn’t contemplate the solitude. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and when Reckless Beat hit the big time, he moved to Manhattan to be closer to the other band members and their studio. He wouldn’t know the first thing about nature or serenity or isolation. “Do you like it?”

Seconds passed.

“For most of my life it was all I knew. I was homeschooled so there weren’t many children for me to play with. When I graduated, I did a photography course online, and the few times I left the property to go into Monument or Colorado Springs, I didn’t stay long.”

He felt the bed shift with her shrug. “But now I’m beginning to think that lifestyle won’t be enough for me.”

She fell silent and his mind drifted from the beauty of nature to the beauty of her body. He bickered with his libido and tried to convince himself to roll over. At the moment, Alana lay right in front of him, her features shadowed, her hair aglow from the red digits from the alarm clock. He stared at her, his gaze roaming the sheet clinging to her breasts and thighs and back to her face. Her breathing changed, each exhale coming longer, each inhale deeper until there was no mistaking the sound of slumber.

Damn it.

He fell onto his back, waiting, wondering when his cock would take the hint and stop its salute to perfection. With a huff he rolled over, gave his pillow a covert uppercut and resigned himself to reciting chords, lyrics, or baseball scores until his mind and body numbed to the point of unconsciousness.

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