"And you're mine," I murmur with my goofy grin still spreading, pulling him back down by the neck.
Even though we try to kiss, our stupid smiles make it impossible. Dane Sterling is mine.
Chapter 11
DANE
Waking up with Rain's naked body wrapped around me has always been a fantasy of mine. This morning, it's real.
Her blonde hair is splayed across my chest, arm, and pillow, and she's wound around me as tightly as she can get. I'm almost positive this stupid grin of mine is never going anywhere.
She mumbles something in her sleep about children, and then she whimpers, but she breathes me in and settles back into me peacefully almost just as quickly. Her lips look so soft in the mornings, and I happen to know they're just as soft as they look. I could have spent the night pretending we were teenagers.
There's always today.
That thought makes my ridiculous grin grow even bigger.
A scraping sound draws my attention to the door, and the trail of debris we left behind last night springs to mind. I need to get it cleaned up before Rain wakes up and cuts her foot on something.
Why am I still smiling? It's official. I have perma-grin.
Carefully and quietly, I disentangle myself from the girl I've loved since I was thirteen. She's mine. Finally, after the hell I've gone through for the past six
years, she's mine.
I kiss her softly on the lips, keeping it light enough not to disturb her, and I'm rewarded by a smile she doesn't even know she's giving me. I just watch her while pulling on a pair of shorts, praying this isn't some elaborate dream.
Without letting the door make a sound, I slip out and head down the hall. The sound of glass scraping against the tile becomes more distinct as I near the kitchen, and I see a wave of platinum blonde hair as Tria sweeps the floor.
"I'll get that," I say while cautiously watching my steps.
She squeals and jerks around, shocked by my presence. This is my house, so why she's so surprised I'm here is beyond me.
"Sorry," I murmur, my brow cocked in amusement.
She covers her chest with her hand while taking a deep breath.
"I didn't wake you up, did I?" she asks, her eyes moving down the hallway, probably searching for Rain.
"Nah. I always wake up early."
Messing with my coffeemaker is always a task, but this morning, coffee is already brewing.
"D'you crash here last night?" I ask, grabbing three cups from the cabinet.
"Um... yeah. Sorry. I sort of couldn't drive. Rye offered to take me home, but given how... well, I didn't want to risk doing something stupid, so he put me to bed in here instead."
I laugh lightly while shaking my head. "Rye wouldn't have messed with you if you were that bad off. He's decent enough. He just looks rough around the edges."
She shifts her weight uncomfortably, and then she bends to sweep some of the glass into the dustpan. As she dumps it into the trashcan, she meets my eyes again.
"Is Rain going to be upset that I stayed? I... it's pathetic, but I was actually hoping to talk to her. I... There's something I need to tell her about... something she needs to know about... Never mind. It's... just forget it."
I frown while she turns her back to me and puts the broom and dustpan against the wall.
"What's going on?"
She doesn't look at me or acknowledge that I've asked anything. After a breath, she turns back with a forced smile on her lips.