Thirty-Three
Bay
We had spent most of dinner arguing over movies. It was more of a banter and was kind of fun, but we couldn’t agree on one movie. I’d taken our food back to the kitchen and cleaned up our dishes after telling him to pick whatever. I didn’t care.
When I returned, he patted the mattress beside him again.
“Found something.”
I looked over at the sofa, having planned on sitting there now that dinner was over.
“The bed, Snow.”
Okay, so he wanted me on the bed with him. Why was he so fixated on that? It wasn’t that I didn’t like sitting beside him. It was just difficult to remember who we were when we were sitting close, laughing, talking. And that was a line I should keep drawn.
Walking over to the bed, I glanced at the large screen. “What did you decide on?” I asked, climbing back onto the bed. He had been right; it barely dipped with my weight.
“Midnight Mass,” he said. “It’s not a movie, but more like a miniseries. Have you seen it?”
“I’ve seen it advertised on Netflix, but never watched it. Isn’t it horror? Because I said no horror.”
He smirked. “It’s not really horror. You’ll like it.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. “If it turns scary, you are changing it.”
“Deal. But why no horror? You get nightmares?”
I thought about my nightmares. They weren’t those of horror movies. Just neglect, the absence of security.
“No, I don’t have those kinds of nightmares. I’m just not a fan,” I told him.
I could feel him looking at me, but I kept my focus on the screen.
“What’s the basis of this one?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Can’t tell you. That’s part of the intrigue.”
“Great, so I don’t know what monsters to be prepared for,” I replied.
“The Catholics,” he said.
Raising my eyebrows, I cut my eyes toward him. “Catholics?” I asked, thinking I hadn’t heard him right.
“Yeah. You a Catholic?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not an anything. But I know several Catholics, and they’re nice people.”
He smirked. “Most are in this series, too, but there are a few who have a twisted view on things.”
Okay, so I was intrigued after all. Leaning back, I tucked my legs under me and paid attention. Although the man beside me made it hard by simply being there.
It was still dark outside when my eyes opened.
At some point, I had fallen asleep, watching that messed-up show with Hale, but I didn’t remember throwing my leg over his.
Had I done that in my sleep? Holding my breath, I started to ease my thigh off when the hand he had resting on it clamped down firmly.
I snapped my head to the side to see if Hale was awake or if he was groping my leg in his sleep. His eyes were half lidded, but he was looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Then I attempted to move my leg again, but his hold got tighter. Maybe he wasn’t awake after all.
“Mmm,” he muttered. “Leave it.”
Oh, um…whew. This was confusing.
He pulled my thigh up higher until I felt the hard ridge of his erection. I froze.
“Go back to sleep,” he said in a gruff voice.
Sleep? With my leg draped over him, rubbing against his erection? Sure. No problem. That would be easy.
“Is this not uncomfortable for you?” I asked hesitantly.
“Does it feel like it, Snow?” he asked.
I chanced another glance in his direction. He was almost smiling, but his eyes were closed again.
I lay there for a long time, watching him until his breathing was slow and heavy. I was afraid to try and move my leg again, for fear he’d wake up. But even in his sleep, his erection stayed.
Why wasn’t I more upset about this? The entire situation was wrong.
I should hate this man, but I was finding that even pretending that I hated him was impossible.
And what was going to happen when someone showed up, looking for me?
Because every second I stayed here was one that they had to find me.
Track me. I didn’t want Hale to go to prison.
My mind battled with what I should feel and how I actually felt for what seemed like hours. Eventually, my eyes grew tired, and I drifted back to sleep.