Page 68 of Stick With Me
“It…” She laughs. “Wasn’t.” More giggles. “The dog,” she lies, finally getting the last word out despite struggling for breath.
I throw myself back onto the bed, covering my face with crossed arms. Before long, a warm body settles beside mine. When arms without fur drape over my stomach, I’m certain it’s actually Hannah and not our dog. I look down and find her already smiling up at me.
“I’m glad you found that funny,” I huff.
“The noise you made really did it for me.” She mimics a deep moan.
I can’t help but laugh, pulling her closer and burying my nose in her hair. Her scent is calming, a mix of vanilla, coconut, and something uniquely her. “I thought it was you. I was half-asleep.”
“Oh, you’d like to wake up with me licking your neck?”
“I mean… I wouldn’t complain.”
She swats my chest playfully, then glances around the room with curiosity. This is her first time in here, I realize. Her eyebrows scrunch together, creating two lines between them. “This room isn’t as nice as the one you gave me. Why didn’t you take the better room?”
“This room is fine, but nothing but the best for my girl,” I say, trying to sound casual, not wanting her to read too much into it.
“What? But this is your house… You should have the nicest bedroom.” The furrow between her brows deepens, and it’s somehow adorable. So much for playing this off.
“It’sourhouse,” I remind her.
“Ryan.” Her eyes dart around the room once more. I can tell she’s still working out how she feels about the gesture. “It’s too much.”
“I think it’s just enough, Sunshine.”
“But you didn’t have to?—”
I bring my lips to hers, not giving myself the chance to second-guess.Fuck it.I’ve wanted to kiss her since the second our lips parted the other night. I can’t stand seeing the worry on her face, and kissing it away feels like the best option—I hope she agrees.
I don’t linger. Only a gentle meld of our lips before I pull back, needing to see her eyes. “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Making you smile makes me happy. So just let me have this, okay?” I gently run my thumb over the lines between her brows, feeling them fade under my touch.
“All right. Thank you,” she relents, and just when I think the moment is over, she shocks me by bringing her lips back to mine in another chaste kiss.
My mind runs off with thoughts of her wanting to kiss me and what that might mean, but she snaps me out of it with her casual question. “So, what’re we doing today?”
Now is probably when I should ask her on a date, according to Fox, but I haven’t figured out how or if it’s the right time. The unexpected kiss didn’t make my indecision any easier.
Before I can come up with a plan, she looks at me with a bright smile. “Want to bring Freddie to the dog park?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.” I kiss her once more. Am I pushing the limits? Maybe, but she doesn’t protest.
Her face flushes prettily, and she exhales a contented sigh before resting her head on my chest.
How the hell did I get so lucky? To have Hannah, my best friend, the perfect woman, curled up in bed with me.
I can’t mess this up.It’s the same thing I tell myself daily.
This isn’t like hockey; I can’t just practice being a boyfriend until I get it right. Technically, I guess this fake boyfriend thing is practice. But most people have multiplerealrelationships before finding “the one.” But I’m here, cursed with finding my person with no clue how to keep her.Okay, cursed might be a bit dramatic.
But the point remains: I need to learn this boyfriend business—and I need to do it fast.
“Okay, I’ve got to get up, or else I’m never going to. Your chest is surprisingly comfortable for being so muscly,” she says, pushing up and standing.
I chuckle. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She reaches the doorway but pauses. Spinning on her heels, she rushes back to the bed and leans over me, her long hair falling around my face like a curtain. She presses her lips to mine for one more quick kiss. The urge to hold her close is strong, but I grip the comforter at my side instead, letting her take the lead. She pulls away swiftly, heading out of my room and across the hall to hers.
I’m left staring at the spot she vacated, grinning like an idiot.
