Page 90 of Crazy About Love (All About Love)

Chapter 22

PRESENT DAY

My arm flops to the side against a cold, empty part of the mattress. The morning after euphoric bliss turns into deep heated dread as I pry open my eyes to a familiar scene.

I’m alone.

Again.

I grimace at the pillow still imprinted with Alec’s head shape, swing my arm up, and give it a good solid punch. If he expects me to call or text after this, he’s got another thing coming. His ass better be getting me breakfast or leaving me a cute note that starts a scavenger hunt that ends with roses or something equally romantic and thoughtful.

I huff at the ceiling, refusing to look at my phone as it buzzes on the nightstand. He’s getting the silent treatment until we’re face-to-face. After the epic lovemaking that topped our first night together, I deserve an in-person explanation.

A frustrated growl rips through my throat, and I slam both of my fists into the mattress and shout, “Damn him!” It’s then that I feel the bed shake, and it’s not me causing it.

I sit up, glancing over the side of the bed. Alec’s lips turn up in an adorable sleepy smile, and he stretches his very naked body.

“Good morning, grumpy.”

My eyebrows pull together. “What the hell are you doing on the floor? If you’re pulling a joke, it’s not funny. Jackass.”

He laughs, his smile so big and wide that it sends waves of joy through my heart. “You were having a pretty wild dream last night. I needed space if I was ever going to get some sleep.”

“I didn’t have a nightmare,” I say, shaking my head. I don’t always remember my night terrors, but I almost never wake up in the same spot I fell asleep in. Since I’m still cozied up in the sheets we tangled ourselves into last night, I’m assuming I kept the thrashing and sleepwalking to a minimum.

“I didn’t say nightmare.” He grins. “I said a wild dream. I had flashbacks to when the neighbor’s dog had a thing for my leg.”

I let out a faux gasp, flopping across the mattress to hover over him. “And you ran away? Didn’t want to take advantage of it?”

“Needed energy.”

“For what?” I lilt. He reaches up and slides me off the bed, strong arms keeping me from crashing too hard on top of him. His hand pushes into my hair, gripping tight and sending wave after wave of goose bumps up and down my neck.

“I want a redo,” he says against my mouth. “I want to show you what I’ve always pictured our morning after would be like.”

“Mm,” I moan, halfway between teasing him and just letting him have his way with me. “Does it include breakfast?”

“It does.”

“Then take your redo.”

He presses a quick kiss to my waiting lips, then rolls me around as I squeal with glee.

“God, I love being under you,” I say, grasping his yummy arms. This is my haven.

“Really?” he teases. “I couldn’t tell.”

He playfully bites my bottom lip, then nuzzles my nose. His hair tickles my forehead, and I erupt in uncontrollable giggles. I’d thought that last night, or even the time before that, was everything. But this…our friendship blossoming into more…this iseverything.

He plants silly kisses across my forehead, over my cheeks, down my neck and chest. I arch into him, primed for more loving and warmth and bliss, but his arm wraps around my waist and pulls me up against him as he rests back on his knees.

My phone’s going off, and we both ignore it, ignore our morning breath and the sun hitting us in the eyes and the tangles in my very sex-crazed hair. I love being imperfect with him.

His phone starts ringing, and we both laugh between our kisses.

“It’s Liz,” I tell him, our lips touching.

“You sure it’s not Liz on Landon’s phone?” he teases. Last night, as we lay together after another ride to heaven and back and I traced patterns across his chest while he teased me for crying again—I’m going to have to Google that strange phenomenon—I confessed all my shenanigans of that night to him, from the coughing bush to the basketball-induced nosebleed. I think I embarrassed him a little, but he was mighty forgiving.

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