Shattered Ties(52)

“Jesse? I found some shampoo and body wash for you,” Emma called from the bathroom door.

“Great. Thanks.”

I could see her outline through the glass as she approached the shower.

“Um, how do you want to do this?”

I snickered. She was so damn nervous about shampoo. “However you want to do it.”

“I really hate you sometimes.”

“No, you don’t. You think I’m awesome.” I cracked the shower door enough to get my hand through. “Just hand them to me.”

She slipped two small bottles into my hand and retreated back to the bathroom door. “There. I don’t have any clothes for you to wear, so you’ll have to put yours back on. Sorry.”

“It’s cool. I like to sleep naked anyway.”

“I’m going to strangle you with my bare hands.”

I laughed as I heard the door open and then close again. She was so easy to embarrass. I finished my shower and pulled the shorts I’d been wearing back on. I put both of the bottles Emma had given me on the sink, so we wouldn’t forget to put them back from wherever they had come from. We didn’t need one little slipup to screw Emma over with her mom.

Emma was closing the door to her closet just as I walked back into the room.

“That was fast,” she said.

“I shower fast.”

“I can see that. I’ll be back in a few.”

My eyes followed her ass as she walked out of the room. I was so screwed. I was pretty sure that after spending the entire night in the bed with her, I would physically combust by the time morning rolled around.

I lay down on her bed to wait while she showered. How long does it take for a girl to shower? She’d been in there twice as long as I had, and she still wasn’t back. I was about to get up to go check on her when she walked back into the room.

“I thought I was going to have to do a search and rescue mission to find you. How long does it take you to shower?” I asked as I turned my head to look at her.

Fuck! She had traded her shorts for a pair of those boy shorts underwear, and instead of a tank top, she had on a spaghetti strap shirt. No bra. Her nipples were showing clearly through the tight material, and I couldn’t bring myself to look away. There was no way I would survive this night with my sanity still intact. As soon as she’d come into the room, the effects of my cold shower disappeared, and I was ready to go yet again.

“I like to take long showers. It’s the one time of the day where I can just relax.” She walked to the side of the bed that I wasn’t occupying and sat down on the edge. “You’re okay with this?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I fake yawned. “I’m beat, so I’ll probably pass out soon.”

“Okay. Cool,” she said nervously.

I waited for her to lie down next to me, but she remained where she was.

“Are you going to lie down or not?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

She still didn’t move. I would have laughed if I weren’t putting all of my energy into not tackling her.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” I grumbled as I reached over and grabbed her arm. I tugged, and she fell down on the bed beside me. “There. That wasn’t so hard.”

“I’m sorry. I must look like an idiot right now. It’s just that I’ve never had a guy in my bed before. I feel like a moron for asking you to stay with me.”

I laughed. “It’s kind of cute how nervous you are when it’s just us. You’re never like this in public. You’re always so collected in everything you do.”

She shrugged. “You make me nervous.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’re not like anyone else that I’ve ever met. You don’t give a damn about what others think. You just do what you want. And you’re kind of cute, too.”

“Kind of?” I teased.

“If I said I thought you were hot, your head would swell to twice its normal size.”

“Which one?”

“Ugh! I give up.”

I laughed. “I’m just teasing. Let’s go to sleep and forget all the awkward shit.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m sure you do this all the time.”

“Actually, I don’t.”

“You mean you’ve never slept in a bed with a girl before?” she asked skeptically.

Do I lie or tell the truth? I didn’t want to hurt her, but I also didn’t want to lie to her.

“I’ve been in a bed with a girl, but I’ve never spent the night there.”

“Oh.”

“Come on, let’s go to sleep.” I was done with this talking crap, especially where it was going now. I pulled her tight against me and threw the blankets over us. My arm wrapped around her waist as she snuggled in beside me. “See, this is nothing to get all excited over.”

“Then, what’s poking me? A flashlight?”

I busted out laughing. “It is. Now, go to sleep.”

I held her tight as her breathing evened out. Lying here next to her was physically painful, but somehow, I managed. The last thought I had before falling asleep was how well we fit together.



I was having the best dream ever. Or at least, I thought it was a dream. When I opened my eyes to see Emma lying next to me, I realized that it hadn’t been a dream at all. Shit. I had Emma pulled tight against me with my hand between her legs. How the f*ck did I manage that in my sleep? I started to pull my hand away, but the motion caused her to moan in her sleep as she clamped her legs shut around my hand. Fire shot through my veins as she wiggled against my hand and moaned again.