Page 65 of Wish Lists and Road Trips

He kissed my cheek and rolled off of the bed, leaving me even colder.

He came back with a towel and gently wiped the inside of my thighs while I lay there, boneless.

He pulled his boxers back on and dug in his bag for a clean T-shirt, tossing it to me, and I slipped it over my head, tugging the collar to my nose and sniffing with zero shame. When he’d climbed back in, he hovered over me, forearms bracketing my face as he touched small kisses to my cheek and jaw and forehead.

“Still okay?” he asked, grinning at me. His eyes were dancing, and I wondered what it was about my face that made him keep asking. Did I look on the outside like I felt on the inside—shaken down to my soul?

“I’m okay,” I whispered. I wanted to lay my head down in the perfect notch of his shoulder and cuddle him all night. I wanted to sneak outside and detach our car from the rest of the train so we’d be left behind here together forever. I wanted to do it again.

All of those rapid-fire thoughts made me realize I actually had no idea what to do next.

I shifted over, squishing myself against the wall so he could lie beside me. It was a tight fit but quite possibly the best place I’d ever been.

Still, I knew I shouldn’t assume. “Do you want . . . um. I can’t pull my bunk down by myself.”

There was a latch I couldn’t reach and,oh, please, Nick, don’t make me leave.

His forehead crinkled. “You’re sleeping in your bunk?”

“Oh. I wasn’t sure . . .”

He laughed and then Ireallywasn’t sure. He tightened his arm around my waist and rolled so his weight trapped me. “Sorry, Brit. I’m not pulling your bunk down. If you want to leave me, you’ll have to grow a few inches.”

His lips turned up into a sweet smile and I giggled into his arm. Happiness bubbled over in my chest. Nick wasn’t leaving me, and he wasn’t making me leave and, oh my God, I was going to touch him all night long. And for as long as I could after that.

I wasn’t usually into morning sex. Most days, I woke up with a to-do list written on the backs of my eyelids, and as soon as daylight hit, I wasn’t able to relax long enough to enjoy it. There were too many pulls on my attention, too many places I needed to be that I couldn’t let myself accept the indulgence. But this morning, my list consisted of waiting for this train to start moving again and watching Brit sleep, and all I could think about was getting back inside of her.

She was beautiful, all sleep-teased and warm. After all the time I’d spent stealing glimpses of her in the passenger seat, I couldn’t believe I had her like this, cheek on my chest and bare leg thrown over mine, her perfect little ass in my hand. I stroked my fingers up and down her back, impatiently waiting for her to wake up so I could touch her again, put my mouth on every part of her. But I also wanted to show her how much she meant to me.

I’d been lying there, grinning at the top of her head like a fool. My face was sore from it, which was a pretty potent reminder that I hadn’t used these particular muscles in a while. I had no idea how I got to this place.

Most of my relationships fizzled early when women realized I was spread too thin to give them what they needed. Only a few had drifted into real feelings territory, enough so that I’d been disappointed when they ended. But this? It had been a matter of days and I knew I wasn’t coming back from this.

Brit shivered when I skimmed my fingers over her hip, and I watched her eyelids blink open. “Hey.”

“Hi.” She dragged a hand over her mouth and lifted her chin, looking all shy and cute.

I, on the other hand, already had a hard-on that was bordering on uncomfortable. She definitely noticed, and for a few moments we just lay there, smiling at each other, adjusting to everything that had changed.

“Nick,” she said, her hand walking down my stomach, making me swallow.

“Yeah?”

“Pass me some of the gummy bears.”

I cracked up. “The sun’s barely up and you’re eating candy.”

“Either that or I get out of this bed to brush my teeth.”

I weighed the options. There was only a little rum in them. And I really didn’t want her to leave.Sold.

I reached to the little cubby above my head and pulled down the bag. Brit sprawled out over my chest and grabbed a handful, stuffing her mouth. I did too. I was still chewing them when she crushed her lips to mine.

“You’re adorable,” I mumbled around the candy.

“And you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”

I laughed and shook my head, running my hands down her back to palm her ass. She was still naked from the waist down and I let my fingers creep lower until her eyes rolled closed and her lips parted on a pant.

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