“What are you doing?” I asked, but didn’t move.
He wrapped an arm tightly around my body. “Sleeping.”
“Sounds more like talking,” I whispe
red, snuggling closer to him. He felt so good wrapped around me.
“Always the sarcastic one.” His lips pressed a kiss to my neck where the skin met my shoulder. “I couldn’t sleep by myself knowing you were in the bed beside me. It felt like cruel punishment not to sleep with you in my arms.”
“I’m tired,” I yawned, snuggling closer against him.
“Then go to sleep,” he whispered against my skin and I felt his smile rather than saw it.
“Then stop talking,” I growled as he wound one of his legs around mine.
“Night, Tater Tot.”
“Night, Jude.”
I finally fell asleep, and it was without a doubt the best night of sleep I’d ever had.
???
When I woke up, I thought I was suffocating. I couldn’t breathe from the body wrapped around mine like a boa constrictor. Jude was literally holding me so tight that my airways were blocked. I elbowed him in the ribs, and he released me…a little.
I hadn’t moved more than an inch until his arms were wrapped around me once more and I was glued to his chest.
“Jude?”
No reply.
“Jude?”
A grunt.
“Juuuuude?”
“What?” He growled, his voice thick with sleep. He was kind of delicious sounding first thing in the morning. “You’re squishing me and there’s something poking me.”
“He’s just happy to see you,” he chuckled. “I’m happy to see you too. You’re pretty in the mornings. I was a bit afraid you might look monstrous,” he said as he released me and propped his head up to look at me.
“That first comment was uncalled for,” my cheeks flamed. I couldn’t help it that I’d never slept the whole night with a guy and I didn’t know these things. “Secondly, I’m offended that you’d think I’d be anything but a beaming ray of sunshine in the mornings.”
He laughed, using his other hand to wipe sleep from his eyes. “You’re so cute when you get mad.” Cute? I didn’t think any girl on the planet liked to be called cute. “You know,” he grinned, “I’m really starting to think you’re a virgin.”
I bristled at that. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with being a virgin, it was just that…I don’t know…Jude had certainly been around and I didn’t want him to think that I was waiting for someone special…that he was someone special. “I’m not a virgin,” I growled. I might as well have been. I’d only slept with one guy and that had been in high school. We hadn’t really dated, just fooled around. It wasn’t one of my prouder moments. I’d been young and without anyone, and found myself seeking comfort in the arms of a guy. A guy that turned out to be a real prick. Thank God he had gone away for school and I didn’t have to look at him anymore.
“I wish you were,” his eyes darkened. “I’m a selfish bastard and I want to be the only one to kiss you,” he reinforced his words by pressing his soft lips to the skin of my shoulder, “to touch you,” he glided a finger over my cheek, “to see you,” his eyes dropped to the swell of my breasts peeking out from the top of the tank I wore. “To hear you,” he murmured, his hands ghosting along my stomach, causing me to let out a soft moan.
The feelings he stirred inside me were indescribable. I felt like we were moving way too fast, and we were, but my God I didn’t care anymore. Sensible Tatum was gone and in her place was a girl I didn’t recognize, but I kind of liked her. I liked feeling happy and wanted. I’d just never thought it would be Jude to make me feel that way. Life never goes according to plan, though.
“You’re right,” I breathed, blinking up at him. “You do sound selfish.”
He snickered. “Leave it to you to ruin the moment.” He eased from the bed, stretching his muscles. I forced my eyes to the ceiling so I didn’t stare at the rippling muscles concealed behind smooth, tanned skin. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, running his fingers through his hair to tame it. I think I preferred his sexy bedhead look.
“I’m going to go brush my teeth and see what we’re doing about breakfast,” he smiled, bending down to kiss my cheek before leaving.
Jude completely baffled me. I wondered when I’d get used to his sweet side…well, it wasn’t even a side, he was just genuinely that way, but he kept it hidden from everyone else. With me, he let his guard down. I was going to have to do a better job of that myself. I stood, staring in the mirror that hung above the dresser. My long blonde hair hung down in a tangled mess. My eyes were a bleak blue, not the happy blue they’d been as a child. They were regaining a little bit of their sparkle, and I knew that was all thanks to the guy who’d just left the room. I rubbed my chest where my heart lay shattered to pieces. I wanted to believe the pieces were big enough to be put back together, but something told me the shards more closely resembled dust.