Page 39 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
“I get to spend time with you.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I like it.”
“Hmm,” she released another jaw popping yawn and her eyes closed all the way. “Funny video next.” The words were slurred with sleep. I listened to the video, but I drank in the sight of her all snuggled up to me.
Closing my own eyes, I took a deep breath, filling myself with her nearness. When I twisted a little and lifted her up to settle in my lap, she didn’t stir. Yeah, having her warm and pliable against my lap was a torture of its own, but I could wrap her up better and she just seemed to melt against me.
Yeah, no more being cold for her. I watched three more videos as her breathing deepened and grew more regular. Holding her was nice.
Real nice. I’d have to move her to her bed—eventually.
Yes, I’d tuck her in, but first, I just wanted to hold her.
Chapter
Sixteen
FRANKIE
Warmth clung to me like a second skin, thick and suffocating, and for one indulgent moment, I didn’t care. I burrowed deeper into it, refusing to open my eyes, refusing to move. My fingers curled around the edge of the blanket as I stretched, slow and content. My nose brushed against what I thought was my pillow, and I inhaled deeply.
Jake. The scent was unmistakable—clean, warm, and unreasonably familiar.
A distant purr buzzed from the direction of my desk, and I thought I felt the faint bounce of a cat leaping off the bed. A yawn tugged at my jaw. I cracked one eye open.
Still dark. Perfect. More sleep.
I shifted to settle deeper, and that’s when I felt it—the hand. Heavy. Warm. Sprawled across my stomach… and sliding upward.
My breath caught.
Wait.
What?
My eyes snapped open, and a jolt of adrenaline surged through me. I was in my bed. Definitely. But there was also someone else in it. Curled tightly against my back, solid andbreathing andreal. The thundering in my chest drowned out everything else.
I twisted, heart slamming against my ribs, and stared into the dim shadows.
“Jake?” My voice cracked.
He grunted, low and lazy, like I hadn’t just had a mild cardiac episode.
Then he moved—his hand tightening at my waist, anchoring me. He curled me into him with terrifying ease, pressing his face into my hair, his breath a warm gust against my scalp. His stubble rasped against my skin, sending a ripple of sensation straight down my spine. My stomach twisted as I tried to turn, limbs tangled and awkward.
“It’s the middle of the night,” he mumbled, barely conscious. Still, he managed to roll to his back and drag me with him, like I was some oversized teddy bear. Dim yellow light leaked in through the edges of the blinds, just enough to catch the shape of him beside me.
His arm remained slung across my shoulders, though his hand had slid away. My own hand, traitorous and confused, settled on his chest—because I didn’t know where else to put it.
“Jake.” Sharper this time, but quieter. My pulse was racing, sleep a distant memory. “What time is it?”
He groaned, dragging me closer. One of my legs hooked over his without permission.Why did this feel so normal?So easy?
“Two-ish,” he slurred, breath warm against my temple. “You fell asleep. I carried you in. I was gonna go, but…” He yawned, wide and unbothered. “Didn’t want to.”
My mouth was dry. “You’re sleeping in my bed.” The words came out flat, pointless. Obvious.
I blinked rapidly. My eyes burned. My hand was still on his chest, where the steady thud of his heart knocked against mypalm, loud and strong. We’d done sleepovers before. Years ago. Back when co-sleeping didn’t mean anything.
This wasn’t that.
