Chapter 6
Chapter Six
It was wrong; he knew it.
He just didn’t give a damn.
This was breaking every rule—never sleep with a friend, never let it be personal, and never bring a woman back to his place.
And yet, here they were.
The way she kissed made him hungry for more. The way she clung to him made him eager to get her naked. And the way she hummed turned him on more than he thought possible.
At his bed, he bent over to put her down, but Evie didn’t let go. He had no choice but to immediately cover her body with his, and when she locked her legs around his waist, he was a goner.
She arched beneath him, silently begging him for more, but he didn’t want to rush. This wasn’t some one-night stand; this was Evie. And she was…
Shit.
This was probably going to be one time only.
Once Milo and Nora got back, they were going to have to pretend this never happened.
He wasn’t worried about Milo kicking his ass or anything, but he knew how everyone thought about him—he was the guy who never stayed in one place, the guy who never got serious with anyone, and the guy determined to never settle down.
Essentially, he was a nightmare. Especially to someone like Evie.
So what the hell am I doing?
“Hey,” Evie whispered, breaking the kiss. “Where’d you go?”
He frowned.
“You suddenly seem a bit distracted. Did I do something wrong?”
Was she kidding him right now?
“Evie, if you did anything more right, I’d go up in flames,” he said gruffly. Awkwardly, he reached up and caressed her cheek. “I just had a moment of…”
“What are we doing?” she finished for him. “I know. Me too.”
“Really?” Bracing himself up on his forearms, he studied her beautifully flushed face. “I don’t want there to be any regrets. Once everyone gets back tomorrow…”
“I know. I knew that going into this, Slater. You and I were never going to be…well…you and I. And I’d never push you into something when I clearly know you’re against it. All I know is that I want this and I’m tired of pretending that I don’t. I’ve wanted you since the day we first met.”
That was a surprise.
“I had no idea.”
She shrugged. “That’s because I valued the friendship we were building. Besides, I’m used to most guys not seeing me as…you know…sexy or desirable. I’m almost always put in the friend zone, so…”
“Most guys are assholes then, Evie. Because you are incredibly sexy and desirable, and I’ve had a hard time keeping my hands to myself for the last week. Even before we kissed yesterday. That just clinched it for me.”
A soft gasp and wide eyes were her only response before she whispered, “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” Leaning down, he placed a light kiss on her forehead before he forced himself to say the things he really didn’t want to. “But if this is going to ruin things…”
“Never,” she interrupted. “We’re both adults, and we know what we’re doing. And risking. And some things are worth the risk, right?”
All he could do was nod because it was safer that way.
Evie smoothed one hand up over his abs, chest, and shoulder before raking through his hair. “This is worth it, Slater. Let me have this one night so I know what it feels like to have someone want me. Really want me.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart. It’s yours.”
Then she pulled him back down so there wasn’t even a breath of space between them. “I just want you.”
“I’m yours,” he murmured before sealing it with a kiss.
The sun was just starting to creep in through the curtains, and Slater cursed the fact that the night was over. Morning had shown up uninvited, and he was more than a little disgruntled about the whole thing. He was typically a morning person: up at dawn and ready to tackle the day.
But not today.
They’d barely slept. He was exhausted and felt like he ran a marathon. Which they kind of did. A sex marathon, or maybe it was a sexy marathon. Either way, it was clear they were trying to do as much as they could since it was only going to be one night.
Carefully, he stretched but quickly realized he could barely move. Evie had somehow claimed nearly the entire bed.
One leg flung diagonally across the mattress. One arm stretched over his pillow. The blankets twisted around her like she’d wrestled them into submission sometime around three in the morning.
Slater lay on his side, half-covered, half-exiled, and completely awake.
His little bed hog.
A faint smile tugged at his mouth.
She looked impossibly peaceful. Hair everywhere. Lips slightly parted. Completely unguarded. Like she trusted the world not to shift while she slept.
Like she trusted him.
That did something to his chest he wasn’t prepared to examine too closely.
She slept completely opposite to how she lived when she was awake: dramatically and unapologetically. It was almost a thing of beauty to see her this unguarded.
He just hadn’t known how it would feel to wake up with her tangled in his bed.
Didn’t know how it would feel to know the weight of her in his arms or the warmth of her skin in the dark. The way she said his name when she stopped overthinking and just felt. He’d always thought of her as sunshine. Steady and sweet. His favorite distraction.
But now?
Now she was like…sexy sunshine.
Ugh…that didn’t sound right, and yet it fit.
She was still sweet, still stubborn, and still the woman who drank too much coffee and pretended she wasn’t soft.
But now he knew so much more about her: the breathy sighs, the soft skin, the glorious curves, the secret places he could touch that made her wild, and the way his sweet, practical girl was one hell of a tigress in bed.
He reached out before he could stop himself, brushing a stray piece of hair off her cheek. She made a quiet sound and burrowed deeper into his pillow, stealing even more of it.
He huffed softly. “Unbelievable,” he murmured under his breath.
They’d agreed that they could only have the one night. That they could keep it simple. That it would stay contained.
Watching her sprawled across his bed like she belonged there, he had the uneasy feeling he’d just made a very complicated mistake.
And the worst part?
Hell, he wasn’t even sure he could agree with it only being one night.
How was he supposed to watch her leave his cabin and then see her later on and not want her?
It wasn’t possible. He had an excellent memory, and he knew every time he saw her from this moment on, he was going to remember the way she looked sprawled out naked on his bed.
Or the way she gripped his hair in both hands while he did all kinds of wicked things to her with his tongue.
Or the way she panted his name and begged for more.
How was he supposed to just tuck all of that away and be okay with never experiencing it again?
Beside him, Evie shifted and then stretched, which would’ve been harmless… if she hadn’t rolled over and stretched directly into him.
Onto him.
Her leg slid over his hip. Her hand dragged across his chest. Her forehead bumped against his collarbone.
Slater went very still as she made a soft, sleepy sound and burrowed closer. “Evie,” he said quietly, and then held his breath.
“…mmm?”
“You’re stealing the bed.”
For a moment, she didn’t utter a sound, but then she snuggled closer again.
“I don’t believe that,” she mumbled.
He gave a quiet laugh. “You’re diagonal.”
“I like options,” she said, still half asleep.
Her fingers flexed against him. Then stilled.
Everything stilled.
Her breathing changed first, not sleepy anymore, but definitely aware. Very slowly, she lifted her head. Her hair was a mess. There was a faint crease on her cheek from the pillow. Her eyes blinked open—soft and unfocused—and then widened when she registered exactly where she was.
“Oh.”
Slater lifted one brow. “Morning.”
She didn’t move, which meant she was still half on top of him.
“Oh,” she repeated, this time quieter as a flush crept up her neck.
He tried not to smile and failed. “Sleep well?” he asked.
She squinted at him while she tried to decide how to respond. “Fine, but…maybe you can move over a little,” she said finally.
“Move over…” He glanced down at the fact that she was fully draped over him. “If I move over any more, I’ll be on the floor. Hell, I’ll probably take you with me the way we’re tangled together.”
That’s when she glanced down and carefully removed her leg. “Um…right,” she muttered. “Sorry. I guess I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have bed manners.”
He bit back a grin. “Bed manners?”
“Yes, bed manners, Slater. You know, spatial awareness. Mattress distribution. Not taking up the whole darn surface. Although, I am a lot smaller than you. You could have nudged me over if it was that big of a deal.” But when she went to move again, he banded an arm around her, keeping her close.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he said solemnly. “I kind of enjoyed waking up like this.”
“Waking…?” Then it seemed to hit her that the night was over and sunlight was softly illuminating the room.
She sat up abruptly, instinctively clutching the sheet to her chest before realizing he’d already seen…
everything. But her eyes flicked to his, and he already knew the conflict going on in her mind because it had been there in his too.
But the longer she held his gaze, the more he saw it—the awareness. It wasn’t awkward in a regretful way, just a new and different one.
She cleared her throat. “So.”
“So,” he echoed.
Silence stretched between them, neither of them quite sure of what to say.
She studied his face carefully. “Are we… okay?” The question was light, almost casual.
Only…it wasn’t casual. The answer to that question would forever define them moving forward, and he knew there was only one correct response.
Propping himself up on one elbow, he smiled. “Yeah,” he said gently. “We’re okay.”
Her shoulders loosened a fraction. “Good,” she said. “Because I refuse to lose a friend over… mattress distribution.”
“Well…it was just the one time. It would be a serious issue if you were a repeat offender.” He was playing with fire, and he knew it, but he was wildly curious about how she would respond.