Page 74 of Regards, Mia

“Goodnight, ShortCake.”

She’s so still, I think she must be asleep, but then I hear her quiet response. “‘Night Lovebug.”

CHAPTER 28

A Very Cute Drunk

Afaint rumbling noise stirs me from sleep. It’s a soothing sound, like the hum of the engine on an old beloved truck.

I open my eyes and discover the old beloved truck is Jay. He’s snoring.

Growing up, we had a big, goofy golden retriever named Happy, and he had a soft, sweet snore just like the one vibrating from Jay’s throat.

The sound and the soft cotton beneath my cheek are soothing, but Jay makes a better brick wall than a pillow, and his arm is a vice around my shoulders, holding me so close I can hardly move.

Not that I want to.

It’s pitch dark, the middle of the night, and there’s no place I’d rather be than tucked in tightly against Jay “The Savage” Sanchez’s hard, male chest. My leg is hooked over his hip, and my entire body is pressed against his side.

I’m wearing nothing but a high-quality fluffy robe, and my naked leg pins Jay’s hips to the mattress.

My cheeks heat. Was I humping him?

A bottle of tequila on the nightstand catches my eye, and the memories of the night before come crashing down on me.

Failing at karaoke in front of my entire family.

Hundreds of eyes on me.

Drinking way too many cocktails.

Then I remember Jay’s song. Smooth and rich, his baritone mesmerizing everyone in the crowd, especially me.

When we’d left the stage to a thunder of applause, there had been shots of tequila, many more signature cocktails, and a flurry of family and friends I hadn’t seen in years.

I remember Jay carrying me, my face pressed to his chest as my head attempted to whirl off in a dangerous spin.

“‘Night, ShortCake.”

He’d stayed with me when I’d begged.

How fucking embarrassing.I’m never going to live this down. He’d seen me at my weakest. There was a giant chink in my facade.

Fucking tequila. I’m never listening to it again.

I try to extricate myself from Jay’s embrace, but it’s not easy. I don’t want to wake him. I’m not ready to own up to my horrible behavior. And I also kind of like being so up close and personal with Jay.

I lift my head and feel the brush of his beard against my forehead. He’s so different when relaxed in sleep. His normally fierce expression is gone, the lines on his face softened. When I shift, his arm tightens around me, securing me against his side.

I don’t know how old Jay is, but he looks much younger in his sleep, like he doesn’t carry the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

Skimming my fingers over his face, I delight in the hard edge of his jaw, the softness of his beard, the carved lines of his mouth. I kiss him softly, barely brushing my lips over his beard.

Emotion catches in my throat, and the truth claps me over the head. I’m kissing this man in his sleep. I’m falling for him. It’s not just his body that I want. Although it being a work of art doesn’t hurt. I want his solid presence, his quick wit, his easy silence.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

I pull back, shivering as a breeze drifts in through the open door to the balcony.

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