Chapter 17 #2
“Wow, your skin is so soft.” She moved her hand up and down on my thigh. I really wished I had work jeans or thick pants. The closer she got to my inner thigh, the more I had to force my legs to stay closed.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I replied.
Emma and Remy had gone to the restroom, so it was just me, Kaia, and Cora, who was looking at me with raised eyebrows.
“She’s drunk,” I signed.
She grinned annoyingly. “Yeah. Drunk on you, Daisy.”
I rolled my eyes. She definitely wasn’t. She had been drinking too much, that was all. “Oh, shut up.”
I turned back to Kaia when her hand left my leg. Her eyes were wide and her signing frantic. “Oh my God, Daisy!”
“What?!” I tilted my head in confusion.
She brought her hands to my face, her touch soft and gentle. She caressed me, like she wasn’t sure I was real. I looked at her inquisitively.
“You are so gorgeous,” she said, her movements less frantic.
I smiled. She was really drunk, but I accepted the compliment all the same. “Thanks, Kaia.”
She took my hands into hers and stared at me. I was unsure what was happening, what she was doing, so I sat there, waiting for her next move.
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and her gaze traveled from my eyes to my lips before coming back up to meet my heated stare.
Was she—?
No. There was no way she was thinking about kissing me. Right? There couldn’t be.
My question was answered when she leaned in ever so slightly. I did the same, my body having a mind of its own. That answered the question of whether or not the gesture would be welcomed.
When all was said and done, I had thought only a few times about what kissing her would be like, but I didn’t think tonight was the night. We had both been drinking, and it didn’t seem right. I’d always feel, in the back of my mind, like I was taking advantage of her.
Before I could do anything, she released my hands and pushed a stray hair behind my ear before sitting back in her stool. She sat back a little too far, and I reached my hand out and grabbed her arm to stop her from falling.
After she righted herself, I shook my head. “Let’s get you home, doodle.”
She nodded and took a final drink before standing up on wobbly legs. “Let me just go take a quick tinkle before we go.” She did her silly little potty dance that always made me laugh before she walked toward the bathrooms.
I turned to my friends, who were staring at me with the biggest grins on their faces. My cheeks turned about three shades of red before I shook my head. “We’re going to go. She’s a little drunk, obviously. Thanks for a great night.”
“She’s drunk, but are you?” Remy asked with a raised eyebrow. “She wasn’t the only one to lean in. Honestly, did you forget we were all sitting right here?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I love you guys. I’ll text when we get home, okay?” I blew them a kiss goodbye and headed to the bathroom to make sure Kaia was okay.
She came out before I made it and waved goodbye to my friends as we left. She yelled something that looked like a goodbye, and they all shook their heads and waved us out.
Thirty-five minutes later, I was practically carrying Kaia through the door, thankful I didn’t have stairs. I walked her to the couch, and she threw herself onto it, closing her eyes.
I smiled and shook my head, taking her bra out of my purse and throwing it in the hamper.
She had thrown it in my car, claiming she had too many clothes on.
I managed to distract her before she could try to take off her romper.
As much as I wouldn’t have minded that view, she was inebriated, and I didn’t want her to do something she would regret in the morning.
I nudged her leg off the coffee table and handed her a bottle of water and aspirin. She smiled and took the pills before draining the whole bottle of water with it. “Thank you. Why did I drink so much? I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
I brushed a hair out of her face and kissed the top of her head. “You enjoyed yourself. Even falling off a stool, you could never embarrass me. We can talk more about it tomorrow when you’re not falling asleep.”
I smiled as she yawned for the third time since we got home. Without a word, she stood up and wobbled slightly. I helped walk her to her room and picked out some pajamas for her to wear as I set her on the bed.
I turned around and gritted my teeth when she already had her romper piled on the floor at her feet.
Her bra was off and still sitting at the bottom of the hamper, and she wore thin lace underwear.
I forced myself not to stare too long and handed her a pair of shorts and a tank top, her usual sleeping uniform.
She took it, and our fingers grazed slightly before I let go and took a step back, creating as much space between us as possible. “Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” I asked, trying to keep my hands and mind busy.
She worried her bottom lip. “Do you think you could sit with me? At least until the room stops spinning?”
I smiled and nodded. I walked over to where I knew she slept and pulled the covers back, motioning for her to get in. She got under the covers, and I walked to the other side and slid in next to her. She cuddled up against me and placed her head on my chest.
It was odd how comfortable the action felt. Like we did that every night. She wrapped her arms around me and looked at me with a smile. I kissed her forehead, and she settled back onto me.
I let her rest on me, enjoying the warmth of her body and feeling her chest rise and fall as she drifted off to sleep. I waited a good while, claiming that I wanted to make sure she was fully asleep before I tried to move.
In reality, part of the reason was because I was too comfortable to go anywhere else. I enjoyed feeling her on me. She’d felt safe enough to fall asleep in my arms, and I didn’t want to shatter the moment just yet.
Eventually, I forced myself to lay her on the pillow, trying to be as slow as possible so I didn’t wake her up. At that moment, I was grateful for alcohol because she didn’t move an inch.
I brushed the hair out of her face and kissed the top of her head before turning to leave her asleep in the dark and shutting her door behind me.