“Alex is probably pissed that we left him back at the wedding,” I said, clearing my throat and forcing myself to appear uninterested. Connor was becoming so close to my heart and I needed to step back and remember why we were here.
“I guess so,” Connor said quietly, and I could see the confusion that flickered over his face before he replaced it with a look of polite disinterest. My chest ached a little, though I knew it was better this way than any other. “There are some clothes on the towel rack for you. I’ll let you get dressed.”
I nodded, watching the width of his shoulders as he left the bathroom. I let out a breath, leaning against the sink with my hip. Tomorrow, we would need to go into the studio and film another segment for the show. Once a week, every two weeks, the two of us would be in the Games of Love studio. We had been told that at the end of four months, our contracts would be up, and the fifth month was actually just for the producers to perfect the episodes. So, it wouldn’t that long for us. I thought of Connor and how I felt about him, and I wondered how Emily was doing with her faux man. I needed to text her and catch up because it seemed like we could be friends in the future, maybe after everything was over and done with. I didn’t have many friends in New York City, and she seemed like someone I would like to have around. It was unlikely, in my mind, that she had grown any sort of feelings for the redhead, Luke, though I wasn’t counting on it. I pulled on Connor’s sweatpants and t-shirt, and then stepped out of the bathroom feeling better about my mom, but oddly heavy.
“Maureen sent us some soup,” Connor said as I entered the kitchen. There were two steaming to-go cartons of what I knew was my favorite chicken noodle soup from the diner. Connor leaned against the counter and his eyes were tired. “We should sleep though. We’ll have it in the morning.”
He was right. It had to be at least two in the morning. Connor had changed into a soft-looking sweatshirt and flannel pants. His hair was tousled, and his cheeks were flushed. Outside the window, the city was a blur of yellow in the dark night. Out there, it was freezing but in here, it was warm. I watched Connor and I wanted to wrap myself around him and just sleep. I wanted to be in his arms and as close to him as possible. I closed my eyes quickly and tried to push away the intrusive thoughts. The promise I had made to myself was still foremost in my mind. I had to keep Connor at arm’s length. He had gotten closer to me than anyone had in a long time. It wasn’t real and it would never be real.
“You can take the bed,” Connor said quietly, and before I could object, he was settling himself down on the couch.
There was nothing left to do but wander down the dark hallway, into the empty bedroom. The soft lights of the city below were a warm blur in the dark room. Connor’s sheets were silk, and his comforter was thick Sherpa. I wrapped myself in the softness of his bed and while my mind was distracted with thoughts of sleep and the exhaustion of the day, I fell asleep quickly. My dreams were as bright as the sunlight of a new morning.
“Sadie,” said a low voice from behind me in the bed, curling like a cool breeze over the curve of my neck.
“Connor,” I breathed, and my skin was a live wire, aching to feel his touch.
“You want me?” Connor all but growled in my ear, running one long-fingered hand over my hip, and dipping his fingers beneath the soft silk of my pajama pants.
“Please,” was all that I could get out between panting breaths, and Connor flipped us over so that he hovered above me.
When that soft mouth pressed against mine, I let out a noise that might have been embarrassing at any other time but now seemed to fit. Connor’s tongue touched my lips and I opened them, letting out a cry that was muffled by his mouth as his fingers slid beneath my lacy underwear and curled softly. I let him tug my sleep shirt over my head and arched up as his mouth found the sensitive skin of my breast. I reached my shaking hands down to pull off his underwear and as the skin underneath was revealed—
I woke suddenly with a gasp, sitting straight up in Connor’s empty bed. My heart thumped hard in my chest and my legs shook. For a moment, I wanted to turn and find Connor behind me, naked and pressed against me. I realized without warning that I ached for him, so much so that his presence had somehow taken over my dreams. I shook my head and flopped back onto the pillows, trying to calm my racing heart.