Page 59 of Hitting the Gap

“Like you’d want to,” she mumbled.

Oh, he definitely wanted to. That was kind of the problem. But what kind of asshole would he be if he took advantage of the opportunity when she was sick.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. If you need me to come in and wash your hair just holler.”

“Thanks, Gonz.”

“What are friends for?” They were friends, first and foremost, despite what his body had been feeling lately, and he needed to remember that.

“Friends,” Bailey replied. Her voice sounded almost sad when she said it. What was that about? Was she having feelings for him as well? He glanced at her puke covered hair and pale face. Even if she was, now was not the time to discuss it.

“Alright, let’s get you in the shower.” He walked her closer to the shower door and pulled it open. A light spray of water misted their skin without the door to block it. Once he had her in place, he closed his eyes and peeled her T-shirt up and off her body. It took everything in him to keep his eyes closed. He’d never wanted to peek at something so bad in his life.

He felt Bailey move away from him and a second later, he heard the shower door click shut.

Forcing himself not to give into temptation and look, he left the bathroom.

Back in the bedroom, he pulled open dresser drawers until he found the one with her pajamas. He grabbed what looked like a comfy pair, then continued to root around until he found her underwear. He grabbed the first pair of panties he saw. Knocking once on the bathroom door, he peeked his head inside. “I’m just gonna leave some clothes on the counter for you.”

“Thanks.”

Gonzo stared down at the ground as he made his way to the counter. Bailey let out a little groan of satisfaction. He knew it was just that satisfied feeling that came from hot water hitting sore muscles, but the sound made him think of sex. He needed to get the hell out of here. She was in no place for him to be thinking about her like this. She trusted him as her friend.

He dropped her clothes on the counter and hustled out of the room.

While he waited for her to finish in the shower, he quickly changed the sheets and threw the dirty ones in the wash.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed out a quick text to Brandon to let him know he wouldn’t be meeting them after all. May as well get comfy since it looked like he was staying home tonight. He chucked his dirty travel clothes into the laundry basket and pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt then made his way back to Bailey’s room to wait for her.

After several minutes, the bathroom door opened and Bailey stepped out. Although still ridiculously pale, she looked a million times better after her shower.

“How you feeling?” He asked.

“Better thanks.” She slowly made her way toward the bed. Her movement was slow and painful, like every muscle she had hurt.

He pulled back the sheets and helped her climb into bed.

Once he had her all settled, she looked up at him. “Gonz, I feel like shit. Can you just cuddle me for a bit?”

His chest pounded. Climbing in bed with her was probably a horrible idea, but how could he say no? “Uh yeah, sure.” He peeled back the other side of the bed and crawled in beside her. “How do you want to be? You want to lie on my chest or have me spoon you?”

“Spoon please.”

He tucked his arm under her head and pulled her against his body. She fit perfectly against him. She sighed and snuggled back, nestling her ass against his crotch. Fuck. The road to hell was paved with snuggling your sick friend, apparently. He racked his brain for things to think about other than how good she felt as he willed his cock to stay down.

“I love you, Gonzo, you’re the best,” she sighed sleepily.

“Love you too, Bay,” he replied like he always did when she said it. For the first time, the words caught in his throat, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was because the meaning of the words were starting to change. Now what was he supposed to do?

Bailey shifted back against the warm, male body behind her. A hard cock pressed up against her ass. “Mmm,” she wiggled to get closer. Suddenly, her eyes popped open. Hang on a second. Why was there an aroused man behind her?

She peeled open her eyes and saw a hairy male arm wrapped around her, cupping her breast. Definitely not dreaming. She’d recognize that arm anywhere. Holy shit, Gonzo had her boob in his hand and he was obviously excited. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What should she do? She opened her mouth, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth like a dry sponge.

Immediately, memories of the night before flashed through her mind. Gonzo holding her hair as she puked, him holding a damp cloth to her head. And the pathetic way she’d begged him to cuddle her after.

Mortified, she scrunched up her face and cringed. He wasn’t in her bed because he wanted her. He was here because she was his best friend. And his body was having a very normal reaction to having a boob in his hand and an ass rubbed against his cock while he slept. The moment he realized it was her, he was going to jump out of this bed like the sheets were on fire and she’d really rather not wait for that to happen. It was bad enough she’d practically sleep assaulted him by rubbing herself all over him. The last thing she needed was to see the look on his face when he realized it.

She eased his hand off her breast and slid out from under his arm. She was just shifting her body toward the edge of the mattress when he spoke. “Where you going?” he asked.

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