Page 74 of Scattered Glitter

His breath catches, and I think he’s going to leave, and I’ll wake up cold and alone, as always. Then I hear him murmur, almost to himself, “Looks like I’m staying because if you don’t kick me out, I’ll never leave.”

His words, hiswarning, echo in my mind as sleep pulls me under.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Novalee

The loud slam of a door jolts me awake, my heart pounding from the sudden noise. I hear a muffled‘fuck’from somewhere in the apartment, and I groan, squeezing my eyes shut as if I can ward off the headache forming at my temples.

A moment later, the mattress dips beside me, and I slowly pry my eyes open, my lids sticky with makeup I didn’t bother to remove last night. I blink at the blurry shape above me until it comes into focus.

Hottie is leaning over me, a grin on his handsome face. “Good morning, sunshine,” he says, all too cheery for whatever time it is.

I mutter something incoherent along the lines of, “Why are you still here?”

His grin falters a bit, but he pushes on, holding up a cup of coffee and a small paper bag. “Got us breakfast.”

I sit up, the sheets pooling around my waist, and I notice his eyes drop to my chest, lingering there before he swallows hard, forcing himself to look at my face. It almost makes me laugh.

Instead, I take the coffee from his hand, letting the warmth seep into my fingers. “I need a shower,” I mumble, sliding out of bed. His gaze follows me, and this time, he doesn’t even try to look away from my naked body. His eyes darken as they travel over my glitter-covered skin.

Then he stands, too, following me out of the room and asking, “How do you feel?”

I don’t answer and when I reach the bathroom, I push the door closed behind me. I hear the soft thud as it connects with his face, followed by a surprised yelp.

Whoops.

I lock it for good measure.

There’s still condensation in the bathroom, so he probably showered before he went out and got us breakfast, and I don’t know how to feel about him feeling so at home here.

“Did you sleep all right?” he calls from the other side, muffled. I sigh, taking a sip of the coffee. It’s too strong and bitter. I set it on the counter and turn on the shower. “You got any plans today?” he tries again when I don’t answer.

Fuck, he’sclingy.

I step under the hot spray, letting the water run over me, washing away the remnants of makeup, glitter, and his scent, which clings stubbornly to my skin. The steam fills the small bathroom, the scent of my candy-sweet body wash mixing with it, and I inhale deeply, closing my eyes as I try to shake off the fog of sleep and the headache throbbing in my skull.

Thoroughly scrubbed, I step out of the shower and grab a towel, slowly drying off. I glance at my reflection in the mirror—blank-eyed, naked, and stripped of all that usually armors me. The rawness of it makes me think of Rosalee, and before I can stop myself, I whisper to her, “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

Of course, she doesn’t answer because it’s just me.

I dread facing Hottie and having to kick him out. I thought maybe I could keep him around for when I need to get off, but if he were that type, he’d be gone by now, not waiting outside my bathroom door with fucking breakfast.

He shifts outside the door, then he tries again, “Do you like croissants? I didn’t know how you take your coffee. It’s black, but I have sugar and cream out here if you need them.” Not answering, I focus on brushing my teeth instead. He doesn’t seem to care, though, because he keeps talking. “The croissants are pretty good. I got them from the bakery before you head into Chinatown, you know, that big pink one?” His voice is a low hum through the door as I finish and move on to brushing out my damp hair. “It’s only a couple minutes from the sushi spot I’m kind of addicted to.” I run a comb through my hair when his tone shifts, becoming softer. “I’d love to take you some time. I mean, if you eat fish. Do you like sushi?”

That’s enough.

Putting the comb down, I unlock and pull open the bathroom door, which he seems to have been sitting against. He falls backward, his back hitting the floor as the door swings open. He looks up at me, flat on his back, that stupid grin on his face. “Hey there.”

I stare down at him, my hair still dripping water onto the floor, my towel barely clinging to my body. He doesn’t move, lying there, grinning like an idiot, and I don’t know whether to laugh or kick him out right then and there.

God, he’s cute.

He scrambles to his feet and comes to stand in front of me, his grin faltering for a split second before his eyes go wide. “Wow…” he breathes out. “You’re even more beautiful without all the glitter and gleam. It’s…” his gaze traces over my stripped features, and he swallows before continuing, “… like seeing a star stripped of all the lights around it… pure,beautiful essence.”

Despite the absurdity of his words, I weakena bit.

Ugh.

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