For everything she is.
This is dangerous territory. Getting too close. I didn’t realize that being near her was a hazard to my self-preservation.
When she takes away the empty glass and leans over me, I cup her face and kiss her. Kiss her like she’s the only fucking reason I exist, like I’ve never kissed any other girl before.
She’s smiling when I surface for air, and hell, that’s the one, the smile I love, the one that makes her eyes shine and puts a hint of dimples in her rosy cheeks.
More brash words get caught in my throat, and I struggle not to say them. God, this girl. I’m staring at her and can’t seem to stop.
“Shall I turn off the light? You must be tired.”
“Nuh-uh.” I’m wide awake, caught in my thoughts about her, and in pain. My swollen wrist throbs in time to my heart.
She snuggles in beside me, and when I unfold my arm in invitation, she leans her head on my shoulder and sighs contentedly.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers and kisses my shoulder. “That you didn’t die. That you didn’t break your bones. That you didn’t drown in that car. I’m so frigging happy, Ocean Storm.”
I grunt, because I love how she feels against me, and her soft curves pressed to me means my sluggish body is stirring again, my dick hardening. “I’m happy, too. Shocker, I know.”
She snickers, her breath warm on my naked skin. “Have you told you parents? Or maybe you don’t want to worry them? I’m mostly saying it because your car is gone, and… I don’t even know why I’m saying this. No, I know. I mean, Micah said you go visit your parents over the weekend most of the time, and I don’t know if that’s where you went today, but—”
I tap a finger on her soft mouth, and she gasps and falls quiet.
Too many thoughts warring inside my head. She’s right. My car is gone. Hadn’t given this much thought until now, not even when the policeman was asking me questions. For the life of me, I can’t remember what he asked or what I replied.
Hell. How am I gonna visit Mom?
Kayla shifts and turns away, and I reach after her, cursing when my ribs scream at me. “Where are you going?”
Funny how panicky I feel at the thought of her leaving.
Goddammit, Ocean.
But she giggles. “Turning off the light.”
A click, and darkness descends. It’s softened by the street light, seeping through the blinds on the window.
Thankfully she turns back around and crawls into my arms once more. Her head is a welcome weight, her soft hair tickling my neck.
“Let’s sleep,” she says. “It’s getting late.”
“Not tired,” I say, interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn. “Can’t sleep.”
She mock-snores, and I laugh, then stop when pain explodes in my ribcage. I press my free hand against my ribs, and her hand covers mine.
It’s damn nice to feel her hand on top of mine. Her warm body pressed at my side. Can’t remember the last time I’ve been so close to someone, that I was touched like this, gently and softly.
But with the tension leaving me, I’m looking at her one moment, and the next I’m gone, drifting into deep sleep. Can’t recall anything else after that, until sometime later the nightmare jerks me wide awake.
Chapter Thirteen
Kayla
Blue loves Kay.
His words echo in my head as I try to sleep. Not “I love you,” or even “Ocean loves Kay.”
Because he doesn’t. We screw around, then he won’t answer my calls, then he speaks nonsense words, and I drown in them.