Meet Me Halfway(69)

The moment the air left my mouth, I froze in horror, yanking the comforter up to cover my face. Morning breath was no one’s friend on a good day, but I’d fallen asleep without even brushing my teeth.

Oh, hell no.

I lunged up, knocking into his bent knees and practically climbing over him to reach the edge and jump off. Dashing into the bathroom with nothing but a quick, “I’ll be right back,” thrown his way, I shut the door on his responding chuckle.

Feeling minimally better after I’d brushed my teeth, I gathered my hair in a messy bun. Garrett was in my bed. Jamie could see him and would know he’d stayed over. I covered my face with my hands, what had I gotten myself into?

I splashed water on my face, giving myself a mental pep talk. I could do this. I just needed to get rid of him before Jamie got up. I opened the door, preparing myself for the eye candy sight of Garrett lounging in my bed, but the spot he’d been in was empty.

“Feel better?”

I jumped, twisting to see him standing near the edge of the bed, holding his phone. Blushing ten shades of red, I mumbled out a yes, and made my way past him to find a clean sweater.

He grabbed my wrist as I passed, twisting me to face him. His fingers brushed along the curve of my jaw, and my eyes widened, my pulse echoing in my ears. He leaned down, placing his mouth above the shell of my ear. “Then can I kiss you now?”

Like a deer in headlights, I stared up at him, slack jawed and completely caught off guard. “You want to kiss me?”

“I wanted to kiss you the moment I opened my eyes and had to bat your wild hair out of my face to see you snoring beside me.”

But why? Literally nothing he’d just said was attractive. He tilted his head to the side, his tongue pushing into the inside of his cheek, and I realized I’d voiced my question out loud.

“It baffles me how a woman as beautiful and amazing as you can see herself in such poor light.”

I frowned. I liked to think of myself as a good mom, and I definitely worked hard, but beautiful and amazing were pushing it.

His gaze intensified, hardening with his determination to prove whatever he saw on my face, wrong. “Have you never woken up next to a man who couldn’t wait to press his lips to yours? Where just the sight of you next to him was driving him wild?”

“No. You’re the first man I’ve ever woken up next to besides my ex.”

His tongue wet his bottom lip, and I swore his chest moved a little faster. “It’s really been five years since a man has touched you? Kissed you?”

I gripped the hem of my shirt and nodded, watching his eyes darken like he wanted to consume my soul. Heat flared between my legs, and I could feel my nipples hardening against my shirt.

“All this time, you’ve never wanted to take someone home? Just one night to release all that stress and tension I see in your shoulders every day?”

Without meaning to, I huffed a laugh, and he quirked an eyebrow in response, waiting for my answer. “Sex…” How did I explain this? “Sex has never been much of a stress reliever for me. So no, I’ve never wanted to take someone home.”

Although, with the way he was looking at me, I was second-guessing that thought process.

He took a step closer until his stomach brushed against my peaked tips, and my lungs started working double time. “You don’t find yourself ever needing release at all? Needing someone to help you find that sweet spot and press it over and over again?”

My legs were full on shaking now, and I had to squeeze my thighs together to control the throbbing that was taking over every thought in my head. The hint of a smirk on his lips let me know he hadn’t failed to notice.

It didn’t matter, my voice gave me away a second later anyway. “In another world maybe, if anyone other than me could find it.”

His head pulled back, an incredulous look in his eyes. “Wait, you don’t mean—as in, ever?”

I looked away, knowing every visible inch of my skin was vibrant red. How the hell had we even gotten here?

“As in ever. My body doesn’t work right, I guess. I enjoyed sex just fine, but I had to, you know, handle things myself later.” I waved it off like it didn’t bother me to have spent my entire adult life feeling like I was broken.

He heaved out a sigh, brushing the pad of his thumb across his bottom lip. “I can’t decide if I want to go find that bastard all over again for ever making you think it was a you thing, or if I want to spread you out across that mattress and show you how goddamn wrong you are.”

Could you orgasm from just verbal stimulation? Because if you couldn’t, I was about to be the first. I’d break the fucking records. “You want to have sex with me?”

“I want to do a lot of things with you.”

He reached out to wrap his hands around my waist, but I stepped back out of reach, watching his eyes immediately shutter.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship, Garrett. I wasn’t lying that day to Layla. I don’t have the time a relationship deserves.”

His features relaxed. “I know you’re new to the idea, but you don’t have to be in a relationship to enjoy the feel of someone’s skin, Maddie.”

Looking toward the door, I rubbed my palms down my thighs. When had I started sweating? “So, you mean friends with benefits. No feelings.”