When he turns away, I watch the muscles in his back contort underneath his gray tshirt, and feel a sudden impulse to reach out and touch him. Then I remember I probably look like hell, and have something even more dreadful than dragon breath.
My throat’s so tight when he returns with the box that my “thanks” comes out in a squeak. Captain Crunch is probably one of the last things you want to eat with someone sleeping a mere twenty feet away, so I pull my blanket up over my head, moving my jaw in slow, precise bites.
“What are you doing?” Adam asks, peering under the blanket with a grin.
“I don’t want to wake Kel!” I whisper loudly, my heart fluttering at the sight of him looking back at me underneath the sheets. I now have a complete vision of what it would be like to wake up with Adam after a night of what I’m sure would be great sex.
Finding a way to control myself around him is becoming impossible.
Still smiling back at me underneath the blanket, he asks, “You want me to find you something quieter?”
“This is good,” I say with a shake of my head. When he drops the blanket, I take one more bite before coming up for air. I’m met with Adam’s soft laughter.
“You’re incredibly weird sometimes.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, because I’m not sure what else to do with it.” A big yawn pulls at my jaw. I quickly slap a hand over it before he catches a whiff of my raunchy breath.
A crooked, sweet grin drags one side of his mouth up. “You can take it however you want.”
I set the cereal on the other side of my bed, and snuggle back into my pillow, staring up at him. “I’m going to take another little nap. When you finally get tired, you can lie here if you want. I mean on the bed.” My lips curl up to show my teeth in a goofy grin.
The idea of lying next to him in the night makes my pulse race. “Just keep your hands to yourself. I hear guys like you are no good for me.”
His eyes dance in amusement. “Fair enough.”
I’m out almost instantly.
Somewhere nearby, a door creaks. My eyes burst open. When I discover Adam’s tshirt twisted inside my fist, I release my hand with an internal gasp and cover my mouth.
He lays mere inches away, his lips slightly parted, his dark eyelashes nearly brushing his cheeks. The shadow dusting his unshaved jaw has grown thicker, making him look older. The bruising around his eye has darkened with the light of day, but at least the swelling on his lips seems to have subsided.
I look past him just in time to see Kelly sneaking out the door, apparently headed for class. Once she’s gone a moment later, I look out the window and see nothing but blue skies and a few clouds drifting along lazily. Skipping class seems like a terrible idea, but I’m still majorly groggy, staying in bed like this with Adam all day is probably the biggest temptation I’ve ever faced. I turn back to enjoy the guilty pleasure of staring at him without his knowledge, breathing in his delightful scent.
And then it strikes me—I’m going to tell him yes. I’ll do whatever it takes for my parents to let me take off for the summer with him, even if I have to sneak around to do it. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than wake up with him like this every day for almost two solid months.
Using the skills it took to sneak out of my parents’ house for parties when I was in high school, I slip from the bed without waking Adam to gather everything I’ll need to take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth, and most importantly, gargle. I’m still feeling groggy as I head for the hallway, but if I’m going to continue hanging out this close to Adam, cleaning up is my number one priority.
Showering and getting dressed into yoga pants and a t-shirt completely drains me, as if I just ran one of Kelly’s insane mini-marathons. All I want is to sink back into my bed next to Adam. But when I open the door to the room, he’s sitting on the edge of the couch. His beautiful eyes brighten when I step in. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I return, setting my shower caddy on the desk. With my wet hair twisted over my shoulder, and not a stitch of makeup, I feel self-conscious. With past boyfriends I would go to sleep with makeup still on so I wouldn’t scare them away by the light of day.
Few people have seen me this bare. I laugh under my breath, pulling at a strand of wet hair. At least I’m no longer barfing.
He stands suddenly, expressionless. “You showered.” Before I have time to respond, he’s taking long strides toward me, his face still void of any emotion. “Good,” he says in a tight voice. He folds me in his arms with an intensity to his gaze that makes me breathless. Then, without hesitation, he presses his lips to mine.