Page 69 of All Your Firsts

“Definitely not shocked.”

“Let me guess... my aura tells you?”

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Whatever,” she says as she attempts to pull her hand from mine. She forgot it was there, but I didn’t. I hold onto it tighter.

“I’ll give you a tattoo, but I wantall your firsts.” She blushes and I can’t help the smile that tugs my lips. She thinks I’m talking about sex. “Trust me, I want that, but I want every other first, too.”

Fifteen

Rosie

My eyes spring open as I hear a moan, and I instantly regret it. My head feels like it weighs a ton. I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night.

I try to turn, but Vic’s wrapped around me like I’m his life-sized body pillow.

What happened to our little wall of purity?

He’d die if he realized how tightly he was holding me or, more accurately, my breast. I look down at his fingers against my chest and smirk. I wish I had my phone to take a picture and send it to him later.

As I tilt my head back to look at him, I can see the perspiration trickling down his face and hear his faint moans of discomfort. Is he sick?

With all my strength, I move his arm and turn to face him, carefully placing the back of my hand on his forehead to check his temperature. It’s clammy and warm.

“No,” he says, his brows furrowing into a deep crease as his eyes remain closed. “Please,” he pleads, his voice filled with desperation, “come back.”

Shit, he’s having a bad dream.

Who’s he dreaming about? Who does he want to come back?

I tenderly touch his cheek with my trembling fingers as he lets out another moan, his breath tickling my hand. I move to his hair, which has gotten a little longer since I first arrived. It glides between my fingers as I rub his head. The action calms my nerves and seems to have the same effect on him. He relaxes and doesn’t make any other sounds.

Whenever I’m trapped in the clutches of my nightmares from the attempted kidnapping, Alexa has always been there to console me, making the transition from slumber to wakefulness much smoother. So I continue to rub through his whole scalp, at least what I can reach, and then down to his shoulder that is naked.When did he take his shirt off?I continue my exploration of his skin to his mid-chest until I head back up.

His chiseled abs are on full display as he peacefully sleeps. I yearn to trace my fingers along their defined edges, but I resist the temptation out of respect for his unconsciousness.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a flicker of movement, and when I meet his gaze, I’m taken aback by the intensity in his eyes.

“Sorry, you were having a bad dream, and I—ah...” I got nothing.

How embarrassing.

“You were touching me.”

“Only your hair,” I blurt.

“I distinctly remember your fingers traveling south.”

“You were awake?” I ask, mortified.

He says nothing but grins bigger than I’ve ever seen. It’s then I notice how close we still are, and Vic does, too. He rolls away before bouncing up and out of bed.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Can you hand me a bar in the top drawer?”

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