Chapter 12
Eric
I try to forget what I just saw…what I just did.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I make some eggs and toast for Ariana, grabbing a bite of it while I plate hers. Barkley looks over at me as if to say, “What’s your problem?”
I can’t remember ever wanting someone this badly. When I got with Tori, we were in high school. It wasn’t like this. We were teenagers. Of course, I was horny back then, but this…this is a whole different level. It’s been months since I’ve been with a woman at all. I’ve hooked up here and there over the years, but I keep it to one-night stands and hookup buddies. I’m sure a therapist would tell me that I’m trying to protect myself by never getting into a place where I have a relationship or feelings again. And that’s not wrong. But the way I feel about Ariana is…different. I have this need to protect her. She’s like a wounded butterfly. I see her improving each day, starting to spread her wings and fly on her own. I see her confidence building and the true Ariana coming out to show herself. She’s so amazing and she doesn’t even know it.
I hear her yell for breakfast and I place the food on a tray and walk up to the bedroom, hoping it’s not awkward after what just transpired between us. I want her. I want her so badly, but I’m not sure I should act on that…at least not yet. I need time to process what I’m feeling. I can’t just fuck her and forget her, as Earl once called my…what did he name them…right, escapades. I shake my head at his vernacular as I push open the bedroom door and step inside.
Ariana is curled up in bed with a book she must have found on the shelf. I want to groan when I read the cover. It’s a romance book. My sister loves romance books.
“Hey,” I say tentatively as I set the tray on the bed.
She looks at the food and smiles. “That looks amazing. Thank you.”
“Of course. Eat up, doctor’s orders,” I say as I push the tray closer to her.
She looks at me with such intensity, I have to look away. I cough a little and walk over to the window, pushing back the curtains as if that’s the most important task in the world. I wish I hadn’t done the morning chores before making breakfast. I need an excuse to leave this room before I do something I might regret.
I hear her starting to eat.
“Did you eat?” she asks. I turn and she’s holding up a piece of toast.
“It’s for you. I’m fine,” I assure her but she keeps the bread held up for me.
“Just a bite. If you are hell-bent on taking care of me today, then you should take care of yourself too,” she says. I swallow because there’s no way that’s a double entendre. No, she definitely did not mean it like that.
I slowly walk over to her and she pushes the toast higher up to accommodate my height. I don’t know what overcomes me but I lean down and take a bite, licking my lips as I pull away. She sucks in a breath and her cheeks flush as she brings the toast to her lips. I watch her take a bite. She chews slowly, matching my pace as we both watch each other. My eyes focus on her lips as her tongue darts out and licks a crumb from the lower one. Fuck, I want to do that. I want to lick crumbs from all of her skin. My eyes inadvertently glance down at her breasts, as if they have a mind of their own and hope to find crumbs there.
I turn quickly, breaking our stare because it’s too intense. “Would you like me to bring you anything else?” I ask.
“No. I think I’m going to snerdle today,” she says and I can hear the grin on her face as she says it.
Looking back at her, I confirm the grin. “What’s snerdle?” I ask.
She giggles and pats the bed. “Come here. I’ll show you.”
My eyebrows shoot up and she laughs some more. “I’m not going to bite. I promise.”
I give her a pointed look but I comply for reasons I do not want to explore right now. I crawl onto the bed, careful to keep a good foot or two between us.
She pulls up the blanket and motions for me to get under the covers. I give her a warning look. What is she playing at?
“Do you want to know or not?” she says with a huff.
“Fine,” I grumble as I slide my legs under the blanket. She fluffs it up around my waist and smiles.
“There. Now, read this to me,” she demands as she shoves the offending book in my direction.
I hold up my hands. “No way. I know what’s in that book. Nope.”
She frowns, pushing out her lower lip in an exaggerated way that is adorable but I still don’t want to give in. “Please!” she begs.
“Little catastrophe, I don’t know what you are playing at, but no,” I repeat.
She sighs. “Fine, I’ll read it out loud, but it would help if you did it. My head still hurts a bit,” she protests.
“It does?” I ask, suddenly concerned.
“It’s OK. Just a little. Nothing serious and much better than yesterday. My ankle is almost back to normal, so I must not have twisted it very badly,” she says quickly.
I grab the book from her. “Just for a few minutes,” I groan.
She grins. “Really? You will?”
God, I hate that she can manipulate me like this, but my protective instincts are on high alert and I don’t want to make her head hurt worse. “Yes,” I grumble as I open it to the page she has marked by dog-ear.
I look over the book at her. “You bent the page,” I mutter.
She shrugs. “How do you keep track?” she asks.
I reach into the nightstand drawer and fish around until I find a piece of paper that looks like a shopping list my sister must have left here on her last visit. I place it in the book and shut the pages. “See, easy,” I reply. “I’m not a book page-bending monster,” I add.
“OMG! You are so extra!” she says.
I chuckle. “OK, pot,” I tease.
“Whatever, kettle, now read,” she urges before sticking out her tongue at me.
Shaking my head, I open the book again but glance over at her before starting. “Are you going to tell me what snerdle is, or will I have to guess?”
“Oh, right, it’s this,” she says motioning between us as if the answer is obvious.
“Uh…huh?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s lying in bed, under the covers, reading a book, and generally doing nothing all day,” she explains.
“Oh…alrighty then,” I reply as I look down at the page and begin to read. I want to sigh with relief when I realize this isn’t a steamy part of the book. I read for the next hour. Ariana curls up on her side and rests her head on her hand as she watches me. It feels…natural and normal as if we do this all the time.
I pause at the end of a chapter and she smiles sleepily up at me. “I like your voice,” she says with a yawn.
“I think you should take a nap,” I state as I snap the book shut.
She pushes the tray down to the chest at the end of the bed and then repositions herself closer to me. “Keep reading, please,” she pleads.
I can’t say no to her, or maybe I don’t want to. “Fine, but just for a little while longer,” I reply, opening it again. She smiles and snuggles closer to me, her knees touching the side of my thigh. I feel like I’m on fire where our bodies are touching. I keep reading, mostly to distract myself.
Eventually, I hear her breathing slow, and when her hand reaches out and curls around my arm. I glance over to find her eyes closed. She moves in her sleep, her arms coming over my waist, her head resting on my lap. I can’t help myself, I reach out and stroke her long, curly hair. It’s so soft and silky. I continue to run my fingers through it and she gives the smallest almost imperceptible moan in her sleep. My dick jumps to attention.
“Eric,” she whispers.
“Yes?” I ask.
“Eric,” she mumbles again and I realize she’s dreaming about me. She whispers something else that I can’t make out and then she presses her body against mine. Holy shit, does she not have a bra on? I can feel her hard nipples through the fabric of her top. My fingers itch to feel them, to pinch them between my thumb and forefinger.
I slowly set the book down on the nightstand and then attempt to pry Ariana from my side. I get her lying on her back. I hover over her for a long moment, brushing the hair off her face with one finger. She’s gorgeous. Her beauty is so immense it’s almost painful to watch her and not be able to touch her.
I’m about to move away when her big, blue eyes open. She blinks twice and smiles.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi,” I reply as I look into those baby blues, memorizing each fleck of dark blue and green.
“Eric?” she asks. I watch her neck constrict as she swallows.
“Yes?”
“I want…” She blushes.
“What?” I ask as I keep my gaze locked on her eyes. “What do you want, Ari?” I say, giving her another nickname.
She licks her lips. She’s quiet for a few seconds and I don’t know what to do. My body and mind are at war and I’m not sure which will win, but my head keeps leaning closer to hers as if her lips have some kind of magnetic pull.
“Kiss me, please,” she whispers. It’s the please that does it for me. She’s not just asking, she’s pleading, and that protective instinct I have had when it comes to her takes over. I have to kiss her now because she’s begging me to.
I don’t speak as I close the last few inches between us. Our eyes stay open as I softly press my lips to hers. I tilt my head a little, deepening our kiss with a long stroke of my tongue along her lips. She moans and her eyelids flutter closed.
Her tongue darts out to meet mine and I stroke mine along hers. She tastes like coffee and toast. The sweetness of the honey I put on that toast coats my tongue and I want more. I want to taste her everywhere.