When We Fall (Take the Fall, #2)(19)
No damn wonder my sister didn’t sleep with her. Piper is a menace while she sleeps. Another punch to the side and I grunt, then take action. Grabbing Piper around the waist, I pull her into me and throw one of my legs over hers, effectively trapping her in one place.
I wait another minute or two to see if she settles down. First sign of discomfort or struggle, and I’m out of there—bad dreams or not.
Finally, she exhales, her hair puffing out with the movement. I smile and brush the long strands out of her face before skimming my hand along her jaw. Diamonds the size of my pinky fingernail sparkle in her ear. Pretty sure they’re real—a sixteenth birthday present from her parents, if I remember correctly.
Too rich for my blood.
Yet she’s never treated Rowan and me like we’re beneath her.
Then you know—you have to know—that I care about you, too…So much, Jase. I always have. Her words echo in my brain. I won’t ever forget them. Best present anyone ever gave me.
My eyes grow heavy as her warmth seeps into me. She’s soft in all the right places and fits against me just right. Her ass is tucked into my groin; my now semi-hard dick is nestled against her cheeks.
Fucking perfect.
Though I’m turned on, a sense of rightness and peace invades my senses, much like her perfume. It’s subtle and at first I barely notice it, but as the minutes tick by, they overpower me and I allow my eyes to finally close.
Chapter 6
Piper
The next morning I wake up in my bed, completely mystified as to how I got there. I know I fell asleep at Rowan’s house and, despite the fact that I can have coherent conversations while fully asleep, I’m pretty freaking sure I do not sleep drive.
Maybe I’m still dreaming.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I attempt to flop over in my bed and end up hitting the wall. A warm wall. My heart races as my eyes snap open.
“Morning,” Jase says, leaning up on one arm.
I gasp, then shove away from him. “What are you doing in my bed?”
“Funny thing about that—you ordered me to sleep with you.” He yawns, stretching his large, perfectly honed body. Muscles and tattoos ripple in the morning sunlight. His ripped lower abs have the most tempting happy trail that leads directly under the waist band of his jeans.
He slept in his jeans? That seems very un-Jase-like. I would have pegged him for a commando type of guy at night.
I swear I stare at him for a full minute before I’m able to talk.
“Why would I order you of all people to sleep with me?”
“You thought I was Rowan.”
What in the world did I say to him? “And you let me think that?”
“You’re very persuasive.” He grins and I’m confused by that grin. Just yesterday, he’d made it very clear how he felt about me. Clarity returns with my next breath. That’s why he had no problem sleeping with me last night. Heck, we both have the majority of our clothes on, and he wasn’t copping a feel when I woke up. In fact, he wasn’t scooted up to me at all.
“Not to mention you insisted you had bad dreams.”
“You slept with me out of pity?” Lovely. I frown. This morning is going downhill fast.
Jase laughs. His blue eyes are as wicked as ever as he runs them up and down my body. “If anyone should be pitied, it’s me.”
I throw the covers back and huff. “Yeah, it’s such a chore to sleep with me.”
“Damn straight it is. I need pads, a helmet, shin guards—you kick like a motherf*cker.”
My eyes round, I asked, “I still do that?”
“Yeah.” He rubs his chest. “You can throw some elbows, too.”
“I’m so sorry.” I move closer to him so that I can inspect his body for bruises. “Really, really sorry. Rowan should have told you to ignore me and then be on your way.”
He sucks in a breath as my fingers trail over his pecs. “She was asleep when I picked you up, so it was up to Seth to explain everything. Obviously, he forgot to share that tidbit about your sleeping habits.”
My fingers stop exploring him as I glance up into his face. “You came and got me from their house?”
“Yeah.” He shifts away from me. “You needed to come home, sleep in your own bed.”
“Did I need to sleep with you, too?” I ask.
Last night, Rowan had lectured me even more on talking less and doing more, unless I was saying something very bold that would be followed up with an action. She is completely convinced that Jase misunderstood me, or that he thinks he knows what’s best for me. Only because we have been friends for years will I follow her advice again…Only because I trust her implicitly will I follow her advice right now.
But this time, if it doesn’t work and he rejects me again, then I’m done. I’m not going to force myself on a man who wants nothing to do with me. It hurts too much.
“Bad dreams…remember,” he says, his voice deepening.
“No, I don’t remember.” I trace the outline of a snake and skull tattoo that for some absurd reason reminds me of the Death Eaters from the Harry Potter books. His stomach contracts again, but he does not push me away from him. I take that as a very good sign. “Is there anywhere else I hurt you?” Peering at him through my lashes, I lower my head until my mouth is inches from his skin. “I can kiss you there and make it all better.”