Bait (Wake, #1)(46)
“Well, I told you everything I know about how she got your number. What else can I say?”
“Well, if you take dirty pictures of me, and anyone can just pick up your phone, then others will see them. Possibly send them to other people. It could be quite embarrassing.” I laid back, crossways on the bed and she moved her legs so that they lay over my chest. I ran my hands up and down her skin. It was smooth, but not bare, more like a cat's tongue. It was more perfect than if they'd been perfectly shaved.
“You bring up another very good point. We wouldn't want that to happen. I suppose I'd have to install the locking feature on my phone.” There. Problem solved. If only they would have all been that simple.
“Yes, I think you should.” She looked at me with a face that read “anytime now.”
I looked up and saw it sitting on the table next to her. “Hand it to me then.”
She passed me the phone and I slid the slider over to activate it. I poked around until I found the right settings option. It was ready. All I needed was a four-digit pass code. I looked at the numbers and knew what it should be.
2-2-4-8.
B-A-I-T.
“Did you set it?” She leaned over on her elbow.
“Yep.” I handed it to her. “It's locked. Like Fort Knox. No one’s getting in that baby.”
She took it, tapped it a few times and laughed, tossing it back onto my chest.
“That was easy.” The woman got it on the first try. “Good guess.”
“Good password.” She made a production of fanning her hair out and she lay back on the pillows. “I'm ready for my close up, Mr. Moore.”
I got close up indeed.
The next day was the fourth of July and I wanted to spend it with her. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” I asked as I prepared myself to leave the bed she was in and go to the other room.
“I don't know. I don't really have any. There are a few work things I could do, and I have to work a show on Saturday with my boss.” She curled tighter into my side and nuzzled her face against my chest. “This feels good,” she said softly. I could hear the sleep in her voice. She had every reason to be tired. I wasn't keeping count, but I'm pretty sure she had a handful of orgasms.
“I think you should spend the holiday with me,” I said, as I ran my hand through her hair, root to tip over and over.
“That's right, it's the fourth.” She looked up at me, her brown eyes looked almost golden up that close. “I don't know. Holidays are important.”
“I'm very patriotic,” I playfully assured her.
She deliberated. Her mouth twisted to the side, and her eyes looked out into space somewhere off to the left. “Well, okay then. Since you're very patriotic and I am too, then we should spend the day together. It just makes the best sense.” Then she laid her head back down on my chest. One of her fingers traced a wide circle across the bridge of my sternum. Over my peck, around and back. It was probably a bull’s-eye.
As soon as was sure that she'd fallen into a deep sleep, I snuck off to the other room.
I wanted to stay and sleep with her. I really did, but it made every morning I didn't wake up with her in my arms extra shitty. I hoped she’d understand.
A cruel reminder that she wasn't mine on a daily basis, well not in reality, was really getting to me. I was focused, though. There was something undeniable slowly pulling us together. I had to believe she felt it too and that it would all work out.
Nothing felt more right than when I was with her.
Friday, July 4th, 2008
NOTHING FELT QUITE AS perfect as falling asleep in Casey's arms. I slept like I hadn't in weeks. But waking up to find the spot next to me empty sucked.
I found my phone and sent a quick message to Reggie.
Me: I'm fine. I'll see you later.
I didn't need him worrying. I was shocked at how okay he was with my behavior in the first place. Any rational person would chastise me for my actions.
It was true, Reggie never had anything too positive to say about Grant. He wasn't ever mean or rude or blatantly said he didn't like him or that I should leave him, but it was pretty clear he wasn't impressed, in the least, by my boyfriend.
Fiancé.
Getting up to see what kind of shape I was in, I saw that there was a note written on the hotels stationary sitting on the bathroom counter.
I climbed back into the jeans and T-shirt I'd worn over the night before and washed my face in the sink. He'd left his toothbrush there, and so I took the liberty of borrowing it. My hair was a fine disaster and between my legs was gloriously tender. I felt incredible.
When I got to the room, which was right next door, I heard Casey talking on the phone as he approached the door to answer my knock.
“...Audrey, calm down. You can always drop the class if you don't like it.” He opened the door and gave me a chaste kiss, and then held up a finger to tell me he would be another minute.
“Well, Dad can get over it. Take the classes you want. It's your life.” Then he listened for a few minutes and walked over to the window to finish his call. All he was wearing was cargo shorts and they were hanging so low I would bet money he didn't have underwear on beneath of them.
There were two trays on the table and I could smell the coffee from where I stood. My stomach growled. I looked under both covers and they were the same. A stack of pancakes with whipped topping, strawberries and blueberries made to look like a flag.