Page 27 of Conflagration
With a little bit of difficulty, we work together to first get me off the floor and then into bed. Ariana tucks me in then places a soft kiss on my lips before pulling away and walking out of the room. She reenters a few minutes later with my pain pills and a glass of water. I try to refuse them, not wanting the total grogginess, but she insists.
“Trust me, babe. You’re going to be feeling that fall tomorrow. We might as well try and preempt a little bit of the pain. Just take them. Please,” she says.
I find that I can’t say no to her. She smiles when I comply then takes the glass from me and sets it on the nightstand. I’m staring up at the ceiling when she slides into bed beside me.
“You good?” she asks.
I nod because, yeah, I’m really good.
She turns off the light, descending us into darkness as I hear her settling in the bed. I mentally curse this huge bed because there’s a cavernous amount of space between us. There’s nothing but the sound of our breathing to fill the silence, and it’s almost deafening.
“Hey, Branson?” she asks.
“What’s up, baby?”
“Is this weird? This is weird, isn’t it? I mean, yeah, we had that talk earlier, but now that we’re here, alone in your bed, are we making a mistake?”
Her voice sounds a little shaky, and I have to think on how I want to approach this. I decide to go for complete honesty. “I guess, for most people, it might seem weird. But do I think it’s a mistake? Hell no. Do you?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.
“No,” she answers instantly. “I don’t. I guess I just wanted to hear that you agree.”
I hold my arm out. “Come here,” I request, and she scoots in close, snuggling against my chest. “Here’s what I think. We were drawn together the first time we met, even if I do only remember bits and pieces. For some reason, even though I was an ass, you still spent time with me, though I have no idea why. And then we just went through something pretty damn traumatic together. I think it’s natural that we have this connection. There’s no one else I’d rather be with right now. Nowhere else I’d rather be. And if it fizzles eventually, like I know most relationships do, then it’ll fizzle. Until then, I want to explore this attraction.”
“I know you’re right and I want that, too. It’s just been kind of a whirlwind. From the accident, to opening my big mouth with my lie, and then by default ending up moving in with you.”
I bring my hand up to her mouth, tracing an outline over her lips. “Hey, I happen to love this big mouth. And while I love the lie you told, I can’t wait to see what else it can do.”
She laughs and pushes my hand away. “Okay, you perv, I think those meds are kicking in. Let’s get some sleep. Who the hell knows what tomorrow will bring?”
“Tomorrow will probably bring a few nosy females from my family and hopefully their men to rein them in,” I tell her, knowing that Mom won’t be able to resist stopping by. Since it’s the Wellington brunch day, I’m half expecting them to decide that brunch will be here.
Ariana shifts, her hand coming to rest on my chest. My fingers absentmindedly stroke her arm. “I don’t know everything that happened in the past,” she says. “Just the few things you mumbled on about when we met. But, Branson, your family loves you. Whatever happened in the past, I think they’ve left it there. I hope that, with time, you’ll be able to do the same.”
Swallowing hard, I still my fingers. “I know,” I say simply, leaning down and placing a kiss on her head.
“Good. Now get some sleep. Night, Branson,” she says sleepily.
“Night, baby.”
She sighs, and I close my eyes, thinking about what she said. She’s right. I know that my family loves me. And I’m finally starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, one of these days, I’ll deserve it.
SOFT STUBBLE is tickling my face as I wake up the next morning, and before I even open my eyes, I’m smiling. I’m pressed up against a warm body, my leg tangled over Branson’s good one, my arm wrapped around his lean waist. After having had the most amazing night of sleep, I roll over and away from him as I stretch my limbs, feeling like a cat who’s just had the most relaxing nap in the warm sunshine. Only it was a full night’s sleep and the warmth was radiating off a gorgeous man, not some giant orb in the sky.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I hear, and I can’t resist the urge to smile again.
I pop one eye open and see that Branson’s still lying flat on his back, watching me with a heated expression. As my eyes wander down his body, I spot the tent in the sheet and pull my lower lip between my teeth, a nervous habit I’ve never been able to break.
Pushing up from the bed, I move until I’m sitting next to him with my legs crossed. “Not going anywhere. I just didn’t want to crowd you.”
He grins, and it’s mouthwatering. Panty melting. Heart squeezing. “You aren’t crowding me, baby. I mean, yeah, it’s been a long damn time since I’ve woken up with someone in my bed, and I’m a bit out of practice, but I sure as hell like it.”
“Yeah? Well, this is a first for me, waking up with someone, so I wasn’t sure how to act.”
His eyebrows draw together. “What do you mean? You’ve never slept in the same bed as someone?” he asks, his tone incredulous.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my face straight. “I’ve never slept with anyone,” I tell him, ready to double over in laughter as his eyes widen until they’re as big as saucers.
He sits up¸ wincing from moving too quickly, then rests his back against the headboard. “Wait. What? You haven’t? So when I mentioned not consummating until the wedding night? You actually were waiting for that?”
