Page 80 of The Write Track
I could have spent the rest of my life in this moment and died a happy man. She felt right against me. We fit despite the mismatch in our heights. She got me. More importantly, for the first time ever, I got her.
I wanted to hear every thought, witness every emotion, and feel every feeling. This was right.
Even though my bladder was screaming for reprieve, I stayed still so as not to wake her. I gently combed my fingers throughher hair, liking the way it splayed across my chest. She looked like an angel in sleep. A tiny, petite angel. Who knew this angel would have a dirty mouth? She had last night, something I wanted to witness again.
When she murmured, I looked down at her. My bladder was in emergency territory, but I was desperate to be the first thing she saw when she opened those incredible eyes. Slowly, her long lashes fluttered, and I held my breath as she greeted the day. She seemed confused at first—she was a heavy sleeper, so that was hardly surprising—but she smiled when she looked up and caught me staring at her.
“Good morning.” Her voice was raspy.
“Good morning.” I did what I had to do and gave her a quick, hard kiss on the mouth. “Don’t you even think about moving,” I ordered. “I have to go to the bathroom—we’re in embarrass myself territory—but I’m not done doing this.” I shifted her off of me as quickly as I could without jarring her then raced naked to the bathroom.
She laughed as she watched me go, and there was that beautiful sound again.
Once that business was finished, I splashed water on my face and hair and brushed my teeth. When I opened the door, I found Bella wearing my polo shirt from the night before and standing on the other side of the door.
“Took you long enough,” she teased.
“Wait.” I rested a hand on her shoulder, suddenly terrified. “You’re not… I…” How was I supposed to explain what I wanted here? I’d never had to do anything like this before.
“I’m not done cuddling,” she assured me.
Cuddling? I never considered myself a cuddler, and yet… “What are you doing?” I wasn’t ready to lose her to the bathroom.
“What did you do?” she asked pointedly.
“Oh.” Of course she had to go to the bathroom. What was wrong with me? I shifted to get out of her way but stopped myself. “Don’t brush your hair.”
She looked surprised by the order. “Why?”
“Because I’m not done with it.”
Her expression told me that was a weird thing to say. I didn’t care.
“Okay,” she said, laughing. “I started coffee. Why don’t you bring two mugs of it to bed for us. I’ll be with you in five.”
I couldn’t see anything—my shirt dwarfed her—but I watched her disappear behind the door anyway. How had such a little thing filled up such a big place in my heart? I hadn’t even realized I’d been missing anything until now.
This feeling was just so odd.
To make sure I didn’t stand outside the bathroom like a stalker—I would have if it wasn’t creepy—I went to the kitchen and filled two mugs with coffee. I added the flavorful creamer Bella had bought to both then took them to the bed.
When the bathroom door opened, I held my breath and waited for the blast of happiness I knew was coming. Sure enough, when she appeared, everything was right in my world.How is this so right?
I didn’t realize I’d asked the question out loud until she cocked an eyebrow while padding to the bed. “You mean us?” Her smile was curious.
“Actually, I was talking about what I feel when I look at you.” I put the coffees on the nightstand then lifted the covers. “Come here.” My voice was husky and commanding, but she didn’t seem to care.
She rolled under the covers and waited for me to get comfortable. That included pulling her to my side and holding her tight.
“I didn’t know I was missing anything in my life until you,” I admitted, opting for honesty. This was not going to work—we were two people with a lot of baggage—unless we were honest. “Now I’m afraid I’m totally going to screw this up.”
She didn’t laugh. “I know. It’s messy.”
“So messy.”
“What do you want?” Fear lurked in her eyes.
There was no hesitation when I answered. “You.”
