“I’d take you back to my apartment and we’d have sex.”
“You’re very certain about that.”
He gives me that smartass smirk I remember from years back. “I am. It’s almost a shame you don’t remember anything from that night.”
“Almost. So, then what? You part ways and that’s that?”
“Yes, I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. But that was then.”
I smile back. That was then.
And this is now.
Chapter 10
NOAH
ILOOK AT Lauren, who fell asleep while we were watching Harry Potter after our first date, and feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. Is that my heart swelling … with happiness? The movie ends and Lauren is still sleeping. Carefully, I move away and make sure she’s comfortable, covering her with a blanket. Should I leave? I don’t want to, as odd as that is.
The recliner chair is good enough for the night. I turn the TV off , sit, and close my eyes, not falling deep asleep but dozing off. Around midnight, Lauren wakes up.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she says groggily. Her eyes meet mine and I can’t help but smile.
“It’s okay. I can only assume you’re tired. You’re growing a person and all.”
“Yeah, no big deal, just creating life.” She sits up. “You didn’t have to stay.”
“I didn’t want to leave you,” I blurt. “I can’t lock the door behind me. That’s not safe.”
“Oh, right. Thanks. Do you want to stay the night?”
Stay the night? With her? Hells yes. “I thought you said no sex.”
“I did, and I didn’t mean it that way. It’s late, and you’re here…” She looks into my eyes again.
“Then yeah.”
She leads the way to her bedroom. “I have an extra toothbrush. I’ll set it out for you.”
“Thanks,” I tell her and get ready for bed, stripping down to just my boxers. Lauren is in bed when I come into her room. Her eyes widen as she looks at me, eyes slowly trailing over my body. Then she closes her eyes and looks away. Trying to resist temptation, is she?
I won’t tempt her—because really I’d be tempting myself. She’s tired and needs extra rest, right? Shit.
Before I know it, I’m in bed with Lauren Winters. Again. Though, this time nothing is going to happen. My leg touches Lauren’s as I try to get comfortable. Her skin is soft and warm and instantly turns me on. I want to feel more of it, to run my hand up that smooth calf, past her thigh and—stop. Dealing with an erection while next to Lauren in bed isn’t something I want to do right now. With a huff, I roll over, moving as far away from Lauren as I can without falling off the bed.
Lauren stretches her arm, fingers brushing my bicep. I tense. There is no way I can sleep like this when all I can think about is parting Lauren’s legs and diving in between.
“Can you, uh, move over?” I ask.
“It’s okay if you touch me,” she says. “But not like that,” she adds before I can make a pass. There is no middle ground. If I’m touching Lauren, it’s leading to something. I bring my arms close to my body, figuring I’ll just stay like that until I fall asleep. Lauren laughs. “You’ve never just literally slept in bed with someone before, have you?”
“Nope,” I tell her. “I’ve never stayed the night with someone like this either. Especially someone I’m attracted to. This is weird.”
Lauren laughs again and moves her pillow, scooting closer to me. “Here,” she says and rests her head on my chest. I swallow hard, feeling something rise inside me, something other than desire.
“I don’t like to cuddle,” I say out loud. “But this is nice.” It feels right. Holding Lauren like this, innocently, softly, brings me a sense of content I never thought I’d feel. “Your no-sex rules includes blowjobs, doesn’t it?” I ask, joking. Though I wouldn’t turn one down.
“Sorry to disappoint, but yeah, those are out.”