Page 6 of Friends Rucked Up

“Yes. I just wish I’d worn my other bra.”

I blink at her a few times while I try to get my brain to restart. I shouldn’t be thinking about Saylor in her underwear.

“What’s wrong with this one?” I hear myself say without over analysing it.

“There’s a chill in the air which is giving me goosebumps on my arms so who knows what it’s doing to my other parts. The bra I’m wearing is only made from thin fabric and I wish I’d gone for full coverage.” She sighs before continuing, “Ignore me, I probably shouldn’t care about something so trivial when people’s lives could be in danger.”

A visual pops into my head as I desperately try to shut it down while keeping my eyes focused on the fire engine. Getting a hard-on right now would be wrong on so many levels.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you covered up.” I adjust my hold on her slightly but avoid touching any intimate areas. We stay in this position for what feels like hours until eventually a fireman comes over to address the crowd.

“There’s an electrical fault between the third and fourth floor. We’ve managed to get the fire under control, but we need an inspector to assess if the building is safe,” he says in a loud, clear voice.

“How long is that going to take?” the woman in her pyjamas asks. Everyone else stays silent while they wait for answers.

“A couple of days,” he replies, causing outrage throughout the crowd.

“Can we collect some of our belongings?” Saylor asks over the chatter.

“No one can go back into the building until the inspector has done his assessment. I suggest you all call your insurance companies and see where they advise you to stay for the night.” He answers a few more questions from the people closest to him.

Saylor turns to look over her shoulder at me. “Don’t shout at me for being irresponsible, but I don’t have insurance. I thought it was a waste of money, and my rent is already half of my wage.” She bites her lip, unable to hide the worry. “Now I feel stupid for not considering something could go wrong.”

I would literally do anything for this girl. Tonight, I can be her knight in shining armour. I only live across the street, and it makes sense for me to offer up my bed.

“Don’t be daft, you have somewhere to sleep. You can stay with me,” I reassure her, hoping I’m not making a huge mistake.

Having her in my space for the night will be torture. Especially when I wouldn’t be able to get the visions of her in my bed out of my head.

“Are you sure?” she asks, turning in my arms to face me.

“Yes. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Come on, let’s get out of the cold.”

We start to walk back across towards my flat leaving the chaotic crowd behind us. The firemen have enough people to deal with, and they can’t do any more for Saylor.

“It’ll only be for one night, maybe two at a maximum. I promise not to make a mess and I’ll be off your couch before you go out for your morning run.” She’s rambling, making me wonder if she’s nervous.

My eyebrows pull together while I try to decipher her words. “You can stay as long as you need and there’s no way am I letting you sleep on the sofa. You can have my bed.”

Her eyes widen with shock. “I can’t take your bed. You’re already being so good to me by letting me stay over, the couch will be fine.”

“I’m a gentleman, remember. You’re taking the bed.” She seems less nervous; maybe I misjudged her emotions, and she doesn’t want to feel like a burden.

“No, I can’t do that.” She shakes her head trying to convince me I’ve made an error, but I’m not backing down.

“You’re taking the bed and that’s final.” I give her a stern look hoping she’ll accept what I’m saying.

“Fine.” She playfully huffs, but I can see I’ve won, and she’s not broken up about it. After a few seconds she says, “We can share the bed. It’s big enough for the both of us.”

A red flashing light starts to go off in my head. It’s one thing to offer her my room. It’s a totally different one to share the space with her.

“No, I’ll be fine in the living room.”

She stops me in my tracks giving a pointed stare. “Unless you want to insult me by making me feel like an ogre, you’ll get your ass in the bed.”

I scowl at her wanting to argue more, but she’s tricked me. If I don’t agree to her idea, she’ll think something is wrong with her, rather than the truth, which is I’ll spend most of the night obsessing over her. This is going to be hard, literally. She knows how to push my buttons like nobody else, and I’m trapped in a situation I can’t win.

“Fine, we can share the bed, but I’m setting my alarm for 5.45 a.m.,” I snap, unable to hide how much it unsettles me.

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