Page 45 of Old-Fashioned

It made me crave her.

Crave the feel of her back pressed to my front, our legs tangled together.

The feel of her head on my shoulder when she woke up, that raven black hair, finally getting to feel it on my body.

What I didn’t know, was that I wasn’t the only one thinking these things.

And not by a long shot.

Because in the next instance, I heard, “Abel?”

I moved as fast as my feet could carry me to her, but not so fast that it sounded like I was stomping through the house.

When I made it to my bedroom, it was to see her sitting up in bed, my covers wrapped around her waist, her long hair trailing down her back, “Yeah, Baby girl?”

“Can I be honest with you right now?” she asked as she bit her bottom lip.

My feet carried me of their own accord over to her, I placed one hand on the bed on the other side of her hip, and with my other hand, I pried her bottom lip from her teeth, I whispered, “Only thing that gets to nibble on these lips, is me.”

I watched as her eyes flared at my words.

A light blush stained her cheeks before she whispered, “Okay.”

“Now, I only ever want honesty from you. No matter what it is. No matter how much it’s going to hurt. Don’t ever lie to me. Okay?”

I watched as she sighed and then a small smile crept over her features before she whispered one word, “Ditto.”

We stayed just like that for a few moments before she asked, “Abel?”

I snorted, “Right here, Baby girl.”

Her eyes crinkled and then softly, she said, “So, I really liked being in your arms.”

I could tell she wanted something, but I suspected she didn’t know how to ask, therefore, I did it for her, “What are you really asking me, Baby girl?”

She took in a big breath, and then in one fell swoop she muttered, “I want to see what it’s like to sleep beside someone else. And I want that person to be you.”

I couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across my face even if I wanted to, “Okay, your wish is my command. But while I’m getting ready for bed, need you to move to the left side.”

She got this look of shock and worry on her face, “Oh crap, is this your spot? I’m sorry.”

I was quick to reassure her, “No Baby girl. Don’t you do that. First, yes, this is my spot for a couple of reasons. But second, it’s definitely my spot in this bed, or anywhere else we sleep that has a door. It’s close to the entry point of this room. So, if someone should happen to break in here, they have to go through me to get to you. And that’s something that I better not be breathing before I ever let happen.”

And with that, I lifted up, and strode to the bathroom, committing to memory the way her face got soft, the happiness that shown through her eyes.

Once I brushed my teeth, put on some deodorant, and stripped down to my boxers, I cut the light off, and then winked at Birdie when I saw she had moved over and saw her eyes working their way up and down my body.

If I told you that my chest didn’t puff out when I caught the blush on her cheeks, I would be a liar.

Smirking, I said, “Glad you like what you see, Baby girl. It’s fucking important. Be right back. Going to make sure the house is locked up tight, okay?”

She mumbled the word okay, but I was grinning the entire time I made sure everything was locked down tight.

The moment I headed back down the hall, my ears strained to hear what was going on in my bedroom, “He’s just a man. Yes, a very handsome man I really want to know what it feels like to have him do all the things to me I’ve read in romance books. He’s still just a man. A man that has no idea the power of one of his looks does to me. He’s still just a man. He’s just Abel. Don’t hyperventilate. Just be normal. He doesn’t want some crazy woman. Just. Be. Normal.”

I tried. Fuck did I try. But the moment I walked into my bedroom, her eyes snapped at me, saw the smirk on my face, and immediately, her hands flew up and covered her eyes and behind her hands, she mumbled, “How much of that did you hear?’

Walking to the bed, I said, “None of it, if it will make you feel better.”

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