Page 2 of Call You Mine
“Looking for these?” Anderson’s voice carries from above, I resist the urge to let out a groan as I pull the top half of my body out from underneath his bed.
Sitting up on my knees, I find him lying on his side now, facing me. His carved, strong body is completely exposed, aside from where part of the bed sheets cover his waist.
My eyes beg to trace every ridge, every muscle—every inch of his body—but I don’t let myself look past his raised brow and the underwear he holds up for me to see.
“I didn’t take you for a panty thief,” I quip, snatching the fabric from his hands. “It’s not a good look.”
“No need to be a thief when you leave them for me to find as your parting gift,” he teases.
“Just something to remember me by,” I say in the sweetest voice I can muster, as I slip the underwear up my legs and turn to find my leggings thrown over his desk chair—much easier to find.
“Surprised you stuck around this long. What time is it? Two in the morning? That’s got to be a record,” Anderson jokes, but there’s a slight edge to his voice, like he’s trying to hide the hurt in it.
“So is the volume of your snoring. You reach decibels that belong inThe Guinness Book of World Records,” I fire back, pulling my curls into a bun on the top of my head. “I can give them a call for you if you’d like.”
Anderson’s chuckle is deep and warm, and I feel it wrap around my entire body. It takes a lot of willpower to act unaffected.
Turning to face him, I can see him watching me closely.
I would’ve been able to see it even if my eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness—his smile is bright enough to see from a mile away. Wide enough that the skin around his eyes crinkles from years of sharing it with the world, an ease to it that makes you feel deserving because it’s so genuine.
Letting out an exhale, I tear my gaze away, only for it to catch on the mess of his bedroom.
Most of Anderson's clothes are on the floor, including the ones I threw there after ripping them off his body when I got here. The blankets and sheets are askew, condom wrappers discarded on the floor.
The overall mess of the bedroom makes the tips of my fingers prickle.
I begin opening and closing my fists, counting every time I feel my nails against my palm as I look around the space, the discomfort thick on my skin.
I keep counting, needing to get to seventeen before I can stop and focus on something else.
“Are you sure you have to go?” Anderson asks, his eyes still on me, his voice heavy with concern, though he tries to keep it light. “My place is closer to Hey Honey’s anyway.”
As I finish the last squeeze of my hands, I feel my mask coming over my face. One that always reassures everyone around me that nothing is wrong. That nothing iseverwrong. There’s no impossible war happening inside me right now. There is no fight to keep control of my compulsions, no intense need to find order.
I cross my arms over my chest, tucking my hands under them to keep from starting the counting again, like an itch Ineedto scratch. “Most men wouldn’t care about this arrangement.” My voice comes out even, despite my inner turmoil.
Anderson doesn’t say anything at first, but I practically feel his gaze travel down my body as he eyes me up and down.
He cocks his head to the side when his eyes meet mine again. “How many times do I have to tell you, love? I’m not ‘most men’.”
I keep my face neutral with a hint of indifference, pretending it isn’t as hard to do as it is. The term of endearment is nothing new, nor something that should fluster me.
But it does.
Every damn time.
Even if it’s for a second, Anderson Montgomery always finds a way to get me out of my head.
“I’ll–” I start, pausing to let out an exhale, “see you around.”
There’s a flash of disappointment on his face that I pretend I don’t see.
I knew the night we met eight months ago—on a double date with my best friend and his friend from the fire station—that Anderson was looking for something serious.
He said as much as we whispered in the trunk of his car, the summer night air keeping us warm at the drive-in theater.
I’m looking to settle down, Ava.
