“You’re going to have fun.” He laughs, getting up and walking away, leaving me sitting there.
She’s drunk. Everly is drunk. Everyone is drinking, except for Jacinta and me. Jacinta ends up convincing Alec to leave, and I lean down to Everly who’s sitting on the floor, trying to play Monopoly by herself. She isn’t winning.
“Let me take you home.” I offer her a hand. She looks to it and scrunches her eyebrows.
“You just want to tie me up again.” She brushes my arm away. “Let me win this game first.”
I drop down next to her. “I will never do anything without your consent again. But please, let me take you home.” She looks up to me. “And, I hate to say it, but you’re losing.”
Her bottom lip puckers and I take it between my fingers, giving it a gentle pull before I stand, offering her my hand again. She looks at it, then shrugs like she’s made up her mind as I pull her up. She falls into my arms and leans her head on my chest. “You smell really good.”
I chuckle at her words and pull back as I hear her mother walk in.
“You’re taking her?”
“He’s taking me home. Not to have sex, though.”
Her mother cringes at her words and nods to me. She walks over and kisses her daughter’s temple, saying goodbye before she starts to walk off.
“Come on, Everly.” I lean down and pick her up.
She wraps her arms around my neck while I hold her bridal style and walk out to the car. She looks up at me and pushes a lock of my hair back and smiles. “You’re so pretty it hurts.”
My lips quirk up at her words. She is very much intoxicated.
Carrying her to the car, I slide her in once I get the door open. She doesn’t let go, instead trying to keep her hands wrapped around me as I try to put her down.
“I hate that I love you,” she whispers in my ear and lets go.
I pull back to see her head resting against the car seat and she’s facing away from me.
I love that she loves me.
Even when she shouldn’t.
“Everly.” I reach for her, but she doesn’t move. “Everly, I need your keys.” Again, no movement. I look at her apartment, which I no longer have a key for, and back to a very passed-out Everly. “Everly, I’m going to have to take you home.” Again, no movement.
Sighing, I drive us back to mine and carry her inside. She wakes when I reach the bedroom and place her on the bed. She grabs the blankets and pulls them up to her chin while I take her shoes off.
“It smells like you,” she says as I look up at her. Her eyes are slightly open as she looks down at me. “Don’t sleep in here.” Then she turns and passes out. I get her a glass of water and place an Advil next to her while I go out and turn on the television. I won’t disrespect her again, so I will do exactly as she asks and not sleep in the same room as her.
Somehow, I pass out and wake with a hand touching me. Opening my eyes, I see Everly standing above me, my blanket wrapped around her. I look to the clock and see it’s been five hours since she passed out in my bed.
“I can’t sleep. Sometimes I can’t sleep,” she says in a soft voice.
I move over, offering her the edge of the couch. It’s big enough for two people to lay comfortably together.
She looks to it then back at me. “Why am I here, Gunner?” she asks.
The light from the television I didn’t turn off flickers across her face as I answer, “I didn’t have a key, and you needed to sleep.”
“Thank you, for not touching me.”
I nod as she climbs next to me with my blanket still wrapped around her. She presses her back against my front, and I turn the television up just a touch to kill the silence in the room. The smell of her hair—which smells like strawberries—wafts into my nose, and I have to remind myself to keep control, not to get hard, tell my cock to stay where he is.
“Goodnight, Everly,” I whisper to her back.
She doesn’t say anything, and when I lean up to look at her, she’s fast asleep next to me.
30
Everly
I’ve just had the best night’s sleep I have had in over three weeks. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I open my eyes and remember where I am. Pushing back, I hit something hard. Turning around, I see a very asleep Gunner behind me. He looks uncomfortable stuck on one side, his front to my back, his hands to his sides, not touching me as he sleeps. I smile at him, even though he can’t see it. He’s made me feel safe, very safe.