I helped her pick up and moved Audrey to the bedroom. Carina was in the kitchen, getting a glass of water when I grabbed my pillow and blanket. I was just getting ready to lay down when she stopped at the end.
“Oh, my god. Just come to my room. I can’t stand to watch you sleep on that tiny thing one more night.”
It wasn’t that tiny, but I was a big guy. A big guy who wasn’t going to argue with the offer to sleep next to the most beautiful woman I knew. I hopped up. “Hell, yes.”
“Calm down,” she warned. “Just to sleep.”
Walking past, I waggled my brows. “If you insist.” She slapped my back and narrowed her eyes. “Alright, alright. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Standing across the bed from her as I stripped out of my clothes and she pulled her long hair up in a messy bun thing felt surreally natural—domestic. I had to stop and stare and take in that this was my life right now. It may only last a moment, but it was a moment I wanted to recreate again and again.
The more domestic moments we had, the more I realized how much I wanted it. My parents accused me of never wanting to settle down, but they were wrong. I did want a family of my own. One better than the one they gave me. I just never found anyone who made me want to try.
“What the hell, Ian?” Carina whisper-yelled.
“What?”
“Where are your clothes?”
“Umm, sorry, but I don’t have pajamas. I figured I was being a gentleman by leaving my underwear on.”
She tried not to, but her eyes kept bouncing down my body like she was in a battle with her mind over where her eyes should look. If she kept looking, I’d get an erection that would be impossible to hide behind these boxer briefs.
Her eyes slid down until they rested on my crotch. Heat built and burned its way to my cock. I knew making me hard wasn’t what she wanted, so I broke the moment, rocking my hips Magic Mike style.
“Oh, my god.” Her hand shot up to cover her eyes, and I laughed.
“That’s the real reason you invited me in. You just wanted a show.”
She glared between her fingers, and I linked my fingers behind my head, exaggerating my dance moves, even humming a song.
She shook her head but laughed. “God, get in bed, you perv.”
She may have given me shit about what I slept in, but the way her breasts swayed under that thin cami and her thighs flexed in her short shorts as she got in bed was damn near indecent.
I quickly got under the covers before she could catch my semi. She flicked off the light and moved around about seven million times before settling on her back. She didn’t even have to speak for me to know her mind was going a thousand different places. I closed my eyes and counted, making it to seventeen before she finally spoke.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” The answer was heavier than I intended, and I made a joke to ease the tension radiating off her. “I’m bound to break something if we stay here.”
She laughed, but it faded, and I could hear her thoughts again. Shifting to my side, I took in the shadow of her profile. Her nose perfectly sloped over pouty lips she was currently gnawing on.
“Carina, look at me,” I commanded. After only a moment, she complied, turning on her side to face me. We were both at the edge of our pillows and less than a foot apart. “We’ll make this work. Even if we’re just friends the whole way. Like Batman and Robin.”
“K, but I’m Batman.”
I narrowed my eyes, and she pinched her lips, fighting back a smile. “Fine.”
Her lips parted as she finally gave in to a full smile. With just the moonlight shining through the curtains, she glowed like a siren calling me to her. My breath stuttered in my chest as the smile slipped from her lips, and her eyes dropped to my mouth. Unable to help it, I licked my lips just imagining the taste of her on them.
“Can I…can I try something?”
Her words took me back to the night at the bar when we first met. She’d uttered the same words before kissing me, and I held my breath waiting, barely getting the answer out. “Of course.”
She inched forward, closing the small distance between us. I tried to stay still but could only hold back so long and moved to meet her halfway. Our lips barely pressed against each other’s, but my body quaked with desire. She pulled back, but only enough to take in a breath and latch on to my bottom lip, flicking it with her tongue.
I lost it.
My hand buried in her hair and held her to me, trying to meld myself to her. Her soft hand explored my ribs and tugged me closer. I wasn’t going to deny this woman anything and inched over until my cock pressed against her body. She moaned, and I took the opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth, making my own sounds of pleasure as her tongue tangled with mine.
Her nails dug softly into my skin, and I abandoned her hair to grip her thigh, tugging it up over my hip so I could rock my hard length against her hot core.
“Ian,” she gasped. The desperate plea of my name on her lips shot down my spine, lighting me on fire.
I was just about to roll her over—take control of the situation—when a soft baby grunt came from her side of the bed, and she froze.
Each of her muscles tightened before she softly pushed back and lowered her leg out of my grip. I didn’t want to ruin what we had accomplished tonight. I didn’t want her to think she couldn’t give an inch without me taking a mile. I didn’t want her to overthink this and come up with some off the wall conclusion that had her changing her mind about moving.
So, I brushed her hair behind her ear and pressed a gentle peck to her lips before re-situating back on my own pillow. “Don’t overthink it, Carina. Just enjoy the comfort tonight, and I’ll let you get away with hiding from it tomorrow.”
Her jaw dropped, and I knew challenging my little hellcat on hiding would be enough to bring out her fight rather than flight.
“I’m not hiding.”
I just cocked a brow and smirked, barely holding back my laugh when she growled and rolled to face the opposite wall.
Pushing my luck, I gripped her hip and tugged her back to me, wrapping my arm around her. She laid stiff for only a moment before finally relaxing.
When her breathing evened out, I kissed her shoulder and whispered my promise.
“I’ll make you happy, Carina. You deserve it.”
I thought she’d been asleep, but her hand moved to slide her fingers through mine and when she didn’t say anything, I took my own advice.
I didn’t overthink it. I just held her close and enjoyed the night.
18 Carina
“This place is amazing.” My eyes roamed from the hardwood floors, past the floor to ceiling windows, up to the exposed ceilings. “Are all the walls brick?”
“For the most part,” he answered, setting down a box we’d just carried up. He looked around with me like he was seeing it for the first time. “It had been mid-renovation when I stumbled upon it, so I was able to have a say in what was kept and what wasn’t.”
I stacked my box next to his and tried not to drool over the wall of bookshelves. “I love it.”
“Well, feel free to make any changes. It’s yours now too.”