Page 53 of Safe With You

After my shower, I change into my most comfortable dark gray leggings and a chunky cream sweater that hangs off one shoulder, letting my hair mostly towel dry. With a large pot of coffee brewing, I open the fridge to figure out what I’ll make us for breakfast when Ryan’s clothes, still piled on the floor fromwhere he dropped them on our way to the bedroom, catch my eye.

I gather them up, shamelessly holding the fabric of his sweatshirt to my nose and inhaling his intoxicating scent. It crosses my mind to hide his clothes – pretending they disappeared overnight and forcing him to spend the day at my apartment wearing just his tight briefs sounds like my ideal Sunday. Instead, I fold them neatly and set them on top of my dresser, stealing another glance at his sleeping frame.

A better woman might let him rest as long as he wants, understanding that he works hard and deserves his beauty sleep, but I’m selfish. I want his company more than I want my next breath. With a large cup of coffee in hand, black, just like his soul, I tiptoe down the hall to the bedroom.

Staying quieter than a church mouse, I set the mug on the nightstand by his phone. With a knee on each side of him I straddle his muscular back, leaning down to shower his smooth skin with kisses.

A sleepy smile crosses his face, eyes still closed, as a hand reaches behind him to run up and down my thigh. In a surprisingly smooth motion, he grabs me, spinning to pin me under his weight as I squeal.

He tucks his arms under my chunky sweater and buries his face into my damp hair.

“Morning,” he rasps, voice still half asleep.

I rake my hands through his waves, inhaling his musk, letting his warmth wash over me. “Morning, sleepy head.”

With that, he pops his head up and squints to look at the clock on my side table, seeing it’s nearing ten o’clock.

“Holy shit. I haven’t slept this long in God knows when.”

“Do you have anywhere to be today?” I ask with hesitation, praying he will be able to stay at least for the morning.

He lays his heavy body back on me and nuzzles in, rolling us both to the side. My leg instinctively crosses over his. “Nope,” he says with a pop. “Gonna stay here and bother you all day.”

“Good. Can I tempt you with breakfast?”

“You’re always tempting me.”

“True. But I haven’t tried with eggs yet. Omelet? Packed full of everything?” I playfully pat a hand over his stomach, feeling the ripple of his abs under my palm. “You need to build up your strength for what I have planned for you.”

His palm slides down my back to squeeze my butt before finding it’s home on the back of my thigh. “That’s a challenge I fully intend on meeting.”

We lie together for a few more minutes, and I relish the feeling of his warm body on me, not caring to hide the dopey expression plastered on my face as his lips lazily press against my skin,

“What do you have going on today?” Ryan asks once we head to the kitchen, his coffee in hand.

I watch him slip on his tee shirt and joggers he took from the pile on my dresser, and I silently kick myself for not hiding them. “I have some studying to do for an upcoming test, otherwise just hang out and relax.”

“I can help you study if you’d like?”

“That’d be awesome. I focus much better if someone is quizzing me.” I circle the kitchen island to the fridge, opening it up to pull out ingredients for the ultimate garbage omelet as Ryan joins me, noticing I already have the NFL pregame show on.

“You’re a football fan?”

“Yeah.” He goes to ask another question, but I hold up my hand to stop him. “Let me clarify. I like watching games with other people and eating snacks, but when they say it’s third down or off-side, I don’t understand all that. But my dad is ahuge fan, and a game is always on at my parents’ house. I find myself having it on most Sundays when I’m home for comfort.”

“You miss your family, don’t you?"

“Yeah.” I pause, slowly spinning my coffee cup on the counter in front of me. “I still get homesick, even though I’ve been here almost two years. We’re close, my family and me. My sister is going to college about an hour from my parents, so they still get to see each other a lot. I’m missing out when they’re all together. I see them maybe every few months, at best.”

He sets his cup down, putting his arms around me as I lay strips of bacon on a baking sheet. With his chin resting on my head, he holds me, slowly swaying side to side. “You never said why you decided to move so far away. You lived in Minnesota, if you wanted a larger city, you could have chosen Minneapolis, or Mayo Clinic in Rochester.”

I needed to escape and live a life where no one knew what I had been through, where no one stared at me in the grocery store with their sad faces. “Sweet little Lainey Peterson, always too trusting. She should have known better.” I needed to escape to a place where I’d never run into him.

“Oh, I wanted a change of pace. I’ve only known life surrounded by my family; thought I’d choose a city far away from home.”

“Well, I’m glad you chose Chicago. And that you spend your downtime at dingy cowboy bars.” He spanks my ass as he grabs his cup and saunters over to the coffeepot, the lingering sting reminding me how much I enjoyed that last night.

Another swift slap pops my daydream as Ryan walks by me. “Now, quit daydreaming about me fucking you, woman, and make us some breakfast.”

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