Page 25 of Mark my Words

“Who says I wasn’t in charge this time?”

“Try me.”

Oh, Sam. You don’t know what you’re asking for...

SAM

BOSTON

Today was starting off so well until Kristine opened her eyes. She was, surprisingly, a cuddler. It wasn’t something I’d ever expected, but when I stirred awake in the middle of the night, her slight form was curled against my arm, her hair fanned across my chest, and her legs intertwined with mine. She’d passed out cold after fulfilling my fantasy of riding me in that skirt, looking spectacular in the moonlight streaming through my window with her wild curls falling around us. We didn’t talk, just watched each other as she moved over me, using my body to please herself. I was afraid to pop the bubble of silence, quietly reveling in the feel of her, in awe of how sensual she was as my hands cradled her hips.

She’d given me a long, sweet kiss after we’d finished, rolling off to the side and quietly asking to use my bathroom. I wasn’t sure what had changed between the ‘get this out of our system’ fuck that’d happened after we left the bar, but this new vulnerable side of her was starting to work its way under my skin. I half expected her to be gone when I’d passed her in the bathroom doorway, coming out a few moments later to her curled up in my sheets, fast asleep.

“What are you doing?” she yawned, lifting her hand off my chest like it was on fire and shifting across the bed.

“Lying in my own bed, getting groped in my sleep,” I teased and watched the shutters slam down on her defenses. Apparently, we were back there, the place where she was going to keep me at arm’s length. It didn’t matter that I’d been inside her, that I knew what she tasted like, and had heard her moan my name as she pulsed around me. She was putting that distance between us again.

I should have been okay with it, happy that she wasn’t getting clingy or acting like we were now in some relationship, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want to date her, and I wasn’t sure I could survive dating her without my ego taking a severe beating, but I thought we’d at least be able to talk to each other.

“I was not groping you,“ she hissed quietly, pulling the sheets to her chest, her fingers clutching the fabric tightly.

“Calm down, Kris,” I smiled, hoping to get her to let down those walls a little. This didn’t have to change the way we acted around each other. I liked the teasing banter and her response to winding her up. She wasn’t as uptight as I’d initially thought her to be, with a wicked sense of humor and a strong sense of self. But those damn protective instincts were showing again, her barbed armor fully back in place, despite the fact I’d already seen her in action. “It was just a joke. And I’ve seen you naked...well, mostly.”

“It’s not funny, Sam.”

“It was a little funny. You don’t need to be shy.” I gestured to the white-knuckled grip she had on my sheets.

“Stop staring at me. You’re being creepy.”

She hadn’t seemed to mind my staring last night, but pointing that out would only get her more riled up. I shook my head, sliding backward off the bed and reaching down to grab my boxer briefs from the floor. I would look for my athletic cup, a little scared that the aggressive look she was giving me would mean she was about to injure my nuts, but it was in my lacrosse bag in the entryway.

“Oh, my God, Sam. Cover that up,” she whined as I faced her, bending over slightly to pull them up my legs.

“I am covering it up, but it’s not like you didn’t see it last night.”

“Put a damn shirt on.” She waved her hand wildly, pulling the sheets over her face and burying her head into the pillow.

“I never took you to be a prude, especially with how you teased me about how I felt reading about a little dick.”

“Shut. Up.”

Chuckling at the high-pitched voice from under my sheets, I walked toward the dresser and grabbed a T-shirt, throwing it on before I grabbed an extra clean towel from the bottom of my closet.

“Here. Feel free to take a shower if you need to. I think there might be some girly shit under the sink that you can use.”

Her face peeked out the top of the covers, and she glared at me. “I am not using one of your hook-up’s crap. Gross.”

“It’s not from an ex. Calm down. I have four sisters. They visit sometimes. And when my sister and her husband visited me last summer, my sister left her tropical body wash behind.” I didn’t think Kristine would be into Coconut Mango Oasis, although it was better than the masculine-smelling stuff I used. But...I wouldn’t mind her smelling like me.

No. Shutting that down. This was just one night and one slightly awkward morning. That was all.

“I’ll leave something for you to wear on the dresser if you want it.”

She frowned as I pulled a pair of shorts from my drawer that skewed toward the short side and a compression tank I wore to the gym underneath shirts in the Winter. It was probably the only clothing I had that would possibly fit her.

“Go away,” she moaned, waving her hand in the air again, face still buried in the sheets.

Biting my lip to hold in the laughter, I quietly closed the door. My cringe was immediate when I noticed my roommates sitting in front of the TV, headsets on, and beers already on the table. I got that we were still in our twenties, but beer for breakfast should have ended in college.

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