Page 116 of Cruel Steps

“Me, stubborn? Never.” I fake yawned, exaggerating the sound. “Oh, man. I’m so sleepy. Night.” I reached for the light.

“No! Don’t. Please, Emerson. I’m sorry. Can you help me out? I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Hmm. Don’t know if a favor’s worth the effort.”

“Fine. I’ll… I’ll… I can’t think like this. It hurts, Wildcat. You don’t want to be responsible for injuring the starting QB? We’re on a winning streak.”

Sighing, I climbed out of bed and walked over to the side. I looked at the mattress and springs. The last time they’d been greased had to be in the ‘50s.

“I have all the confidence in Cody. He’ll do great in your absence.”

“Wildcat, please,” he begged. His hand reached out and brushed my leg, sending shivers across my bare flesh.

“Fine. You owe me a favor,” I grumbled to cover my moan. I pushed the bottom part of the mattress down, grunting with the effort. I still had a ways to go, and my arms already hurt. “You’re going to have to jump out. If I let go, it’s going to spring back.”

Holden nodded, and I used all my force to press the springs, using my body weight to hold them down. The instant he wasn’t upright, he rolled over and leaped out beside me.

“Now!” I let go and jumped back, straight into Holden’s half-naked body. His hands gripped my hips and kept me from falling. I looked up at him, and his eyes bore into mine. I watched with fascination as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I licked my lips, and he shifted.

Would he finally kiss me?

The creaking of the bed screeched again, and I jumped from his arms, stopping any questions. We stared at the sofa bed in silence. The springs had folded completely upright and jutted out from the bottom of the mattress. Their rusty spikes gleamed in the dim light. It was a death contraption with a side of tetanus.

“They really undersold it,” I murmured.

Holden snorted, then bent at the waist and laughed louder. It set me off, and I joined him, laughing hysterically at the absolute mess of a bed. It took a few minutes, but we gathered ourselves, and I wiped tears from my eyes.

“Now what?” I asked.

Holden glanced at the bed and then at the floor. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” He moved to the closet, pulled down the blankets, and laid them next to the door.

Biting my lip, I internally debated with myself. The floor would be torture after a game, and his body was already sore. But I didn’t want to sleep on the floor, either. Which only left the bed…

It wasn’t like we hadn’t shared a bed before. I could do this.

“We can share the bed,” I said before I could talk myself out of it.

Holden stopped and looked at me. “You sure?”

“Yeah. No one should sleep on the floor. Especially after that game. I’m worried you won’t be able to walk in the morning and ruin the ceremony.”

“Ruin the ceremony. Sure, Wildcat.”

“It is.”

“Uh huh.” He smirked, and I almost took it back. He was the infuriating one.

I brushed past him to climb in on the side I’d been on. His skin was warm against me, and I caught a strong whiff of his fancy cabin scent. Which in this setting was not helping. Do not think of s’mores. Or fires. Or anything else cabiny related!

I turned out the light as soon as I climbed into bed, not needing him to see how red my cheeks were. Except he didn’t get in. He stared at me, standing frozen at the side.

“Holden?”

“Hmm.”

“You have to climb into the bed to actually sleep in it.”

“Right. Bed. One bed.”

---