Bait: The Wake Series, Book One(22)

“What were you doing up here all by yourself drinking?” In her honey-brown eyes, I saw the sweetness and playfulness I couldn't get enough of.

“I was just thinking. And drinking.” Her eyes darted away and something magical happened. Her nose flushed again, the tip blushing that same pink as it was when I came in.

“What were you thinking about?” She gave me a stubborn look that said ain't going to happen. “You can tell me. It doesn't matter anyway. You're leaving tomorrow and you'll forget all of this happened. So, spill it. What's got your nose all pink?”

“My nose is pink?” She quickly covered it with a small, cupped hand. “Mo mits mot.”

I couldn't fight the chuckle that came from deep within my gut. “Yeah it is and it looked like that last night, too.”

“Whem?” The palm of her hand muffled her embarrassed denial.

“It was a little rosy when I kissed you in the bar, and it was full on red after we—” I stopped as her eyes widened. I moved her hand away from her face. “Stop. Don’t ever hide yourself, it’s you”

“Oh.” Her eyes still eluded mine, until I swerved my head to meet up with them.

“What were you thinking?” I asked.

Her small, pebbled nipples pulled against her shirt as she drew in a lung full of air and released it.

“I think I was tired.”

Tired? Not quite, honeybee. “So you're tired now?”

She shrugged a weak yes. I moved her small body off mine and stood. “Stay right there.” Quickly, grabbing the trashcan on the way, I went to the balcony. Just as I had expected, mini Tequila, Whiskey, and Vodka bottles lined the rim of the small table. I threw them away and straightened up the seats. I returned the receptacle under the desk and headed for the fridge to get two waters and I brought the blanket from the bed back with me.

I planted my ass down on the end of the couch and pulled her down to rest on my lap, throwing the thick white comforter over her legs and bare feet. She lay on her back and gazed up at me.

“Is this what you came here for, Casey?” she asked in the sweetest voice.

“Yep.” And as I ran my fingers through her hair and watched her heavy eyelids battle to stay open, I realized I didn't have it in me to tell her goodbye.

I couldn't evade it. I didn't fully understand it. But it sucked.

“You wanted to come up to my room and talk to me while I am drunk and make fun of my nose and call me a fish.” She brought her hands back to her face, standing as a barrier between her eyes and mine. “You men are all the same.” She was funnier when she wasn't funny at all. She tried to joke again, pretending like she’d heard this song and dance. But this was a brand new song, and I didn’t think either of us had enough footing yet to dance to it.

“Uh-huh, this must happen to you all of the time,” I said sarcastically.

“It does. It's so unoriginal.” Finally, her smile crept across her face and I took one of her hands so she wouldn't eat it whole. I laced my fingers with hers and she placed our joined hands on her chest, right in between her perfect breasts.

Before I could filter my words, I asked, “Is that how what's-his-face got you?” I heard the bitterness and quickly growing jealousy, over someone who didn't even belong to me, saturate my voice.

“Yep. Well, everything but the pink nose thing. He wouldn't notice that.”

I thought about how I couldn't wait until she dumped that poor bastard. Then I realized that I wouldn't even know.

“So we're going to be friends then, honeybee?” The flame faded fast in her eyes as they took long blinks.

“Mmm. Hmm.”

I watched her fall fast asleep and I wished I had had a drink. I would sip it and savor every second of both the liquor and the view. Her hair was soft and I threaded my fingers through it, over and over. Combing them clean through without a knot to yield me.

After what seemed like minutes, and light years alike, my legs gently slid out from under her head and I moved silently away from her. Crouching down by the couch to get one last look at her, I tasted her lips one more time.

She must have settled into a dream, because heard a soft hum come from her. I pretended it was me she was dreaming about as I kissed her. She hummed again and I considered many things, like moving and kidnapping, but settled on missing.

As I shut the door to a room, where only the night before was full of panting and sweating, I wondered if I'd ever see her again.