10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Kallie
“So, you can take the bed; I’ll sleep on the couch in the living room,” Lance tells me as we walk toward his room. The second I walk through the door, I’m surrounded by everything that makes Lance…Lance. His dresser has a few jackets thrown over the top of it. A pocket knife and flashlight are on his nightstand, followed by a paperback and a water bottle.
“No, no, that’s fine. I can take the couch. It’s enough that you’re even letting me stay here. You can sleep in your bed, Lance.” I go to walk out, but he grabs my wrist before I get too far and pulls me back. I hit his hard chest with an oomph, looking up at him, and something crosses his face before he lets me go.
“No. You sleep in here.” He leaves no room for argument, but I argue anyway.
“No. You sleep in here. I’ll be just fine on the couch.” He mumbles something under his breath, but I run out of the room before he can stop me. I’m pretty sure he mumbled something like “Stubborn woman”, and I can’t help but laugh.
Lance doesn’t appear in the living room, so I assume it’s safe to say I won. The only light is from the lit fire across from the couch. Grabbing my bag, I pull out a pair of pajamas: a pair of silk shorts and a matching shirt. I grab the hem of the shirt I’m wearing and begin to pull it over my head then move to unbuttoning the top of my jeans.
I guess I should have gone into the bathroom to change, since Lance could walk out at any moment, but I doubt he’ll be back out here tonight. We are both tired from the power going out and not getting much sleep. Not to mention, I feel like playing with fire after knowing what his body felt like against mine.
Before lowering my jeans, I pull the silk shirt over my head after removing my bra. Next, I lower my jeans, wiggling more than necessary. Instead of my pants coming off gracefully, I wobble and topple to the left. The chair next to me catches my fall.
The second his deep chuckle hits my ears, I can feel my body grow hot. Looking over my shoulder, I see a shirtless Lance leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he smirks at me. I quickly stand, turning so my ass isn’t in his direct sight anymore.
“This is extremely inappropriate, Lance,” I sass, crossing my arms over my chest but making no move to put my pants on, even though I know it's my fault for taking the chance to change out here in the first place. Not sure where this newfound confidence came from, but I’m just going to roll with it for now.
“Hey now, this is my house we’re standing in. I have a bathroom right over there you could’ve easily changed in. But I feel like you wanted me to catch you, didn’t you?”
Can my cheeks even turn pinker? I fumble with the hem of my shirt, not knowing what to say. How could he read me so easily?
“What? Of course not.” I try to deny it, but part of me did want him to catch me.
He just laughs as he walks over to me, bending down and grabbing the silk shorts. “Mmm, these are soft.”
I just nod my head as he hands them over to me.
“Come on. Get dressed and come into the room,” Lance says, disappearing the way he came. I quickly work to pull my shorts up and follow behind him.
As soon as I get into the room, I can’t help but drag my eyes down his body. He has way more tattoos than I thought, a little worn from age but still amazing. His sweats hang low on his hips, giving me a direct idea of his—what seems to be a semi-hard cock. Oh God . I can see his straining erection through the sweatpants. I can’t tear my eyes away from it.
“Kallie—did you hear me?” I shake my head as my eyes snap to him, an arrogant smirk on his handsome face.
“No—what did you say?”
“I said we can just share the bed. There is no reason for one of us to sleep on the couch while I have a king-sized bed in here,” he says, pulling back one side of the comforter. “I promise I won’t bite.” He lowers his sweats to his ankles and pulls them off, leaving only his boxers on, and I almost drool.
Get a fucking grip, Kallie.
I stand at the foot of the bed, feeling a little out of place in this big room.
“Kallie, come on. I won’t touch you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Lance leans back against the headboard, and it’s taking everything in me to not throw myself at him. I’m not worried about him touching me. The problem is, I want him to do way more than simply touch.
I make my way to the opposite side of the bed and pull back the corner of the blanket. Lance watches my every move, his hand gripping the comforter until his knuckles turn white, as if to stop himself from reaching out to me. I wish more than anything that he would. I can’t make the first move. I refuse. My dad will love me no matter what, but I can’t make a move if he’s not willing to take the chance of losing my dad.
I lay on the bed and have to stop myself from groaning at how comfortable this mattress is. My hair fans out behind me on the pillow, and I feel Lance move down into a more comfortable position before the room plummets into darkness. The only sound is the small fan in the corner that I silently thank him for. I can’t sleep without one.
The bed dips a few more times as he moves to get comfortable. He closes the distance between us, his body pressed against my back, but other than that, he doesn’t do anything else as I lay still as a statue. It doesn’t take long for his breathing to even out, and I know he’s asleep. Thoughts won’t stop running through my mind. My feelings towards him have shifted, morphing into something I dare not admit even to myself. Even though I know I’ve always had feelings for him, it was never our time. He didn’t see me the same way I saw him—rightfully so—and things never lined up until now. There was a reason I walked into his bar. There was a reason my power went out and forced us together. I just can’t help but wonder if this all happened for a reason.