"With those puppy dog eyes. It makes me want to cave even though I shouldn't."
I did the opposite and cranked it up even more. If I didn't fully believe he would be fine, I wouldn't be begging so hard. But I had faith in him, even if he didn't.
"Fine, I'll stay. But you have to promise not to try and wake me again. I can't handle it if I hurt you again."
"You didn't hurt me. See." I showed him my unmarked neck, but he didn't look convinced.
"Roll over so I can hold you."
I did as he asked, surprised to discover that he was a cuddler. When he said he only fucked women, I figured that meant no snuggling in bed. And while I learned very quickly that Lex might never have cuddled before, he was damn good at it. In his arms, I instantly felt safe and cherished.
However, I struggled to doze off knowing that Lex might not get a wink of sleep that night.
When I wokeup the next morning, I noticed two things. Lex was still in bed like I’d begged him to be, and his eyes were closed. I tried to remember if I heard him call out in the middle of the night, but my mind was still trying to wake up.
"I can feel you staring at me."
I startled so hard, I almost fell out of the bed.
Of course Lex was right there to catch me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said while leaning over me.
"It's okay. I just thought you were sleeping. Did you get any sleep?" I asked cautiously. Then released the breath I was holding when he smiled at me.
"Yeah, baby. I slept a couple of hours."
"Really?" I asked with so much hope in my voice. "No nightmares?"
Lex shook his head. "Nothing. But it was more cat nap than actual sleeping."
I was so happy I could cry. "That's okay. It's a start." When he leaned down and brushed his lips across mine, all thoughts ofcrying quickly disappeared. I was lost in all things Lex for what felt like mere seconds but was probably longer.
"We have to go into town," he said after pulling away and resting his forehead on mine.
"Do we though? Can't we just stay in this bubble forever?"
Lex laughed, and damn was it the sexiest sound in the world.
"We could, but then I wouldn't get the pleasure of punching your ex-husband in the face."
I laughed so hard I snorted, then proceeded to cover my face as embarrassment flooded my body.
"Nowthatwas the cutest sound I've ever heard."
I smacked his naked chest. His very defined and totally drool-worthy chest. "Let me up."
He did as I asked, but only to wrap me up in his arms so we were cuddling together on the bed. That was fine by me. I didn't want to go talk to people anyway. I would've been happy if we never left the apartment.
Well, that wasn't true. I would want to visit my kids occasionally. See Jimmy heal and watch him make the comeback I knew he could make if given the chance.
"We really should move," I said a few minutes later.
"I know. I was just enjoying the moment."
Lex would soon become the king of sappy quotes at this rate. And damn did that make me swoon over him.
Eventually he let me go and I rolled out of bed to get in the shower. I took my time under the spray. The last few days had been nothing but rushed showers and constantly being on the move, so I soaked up the hot water while I could. There was no telling what the next day would bring.
Lex jumped in after me but only took about a quarter of the time, barely leaving me enough time to get ready before he was demanding we get a move on.