Page 56 of Make Me Yours
She trails off, clearly struggling to make her mouth cooperate with her brain.
Is it terrible that all I can think about is how damn adorable she is when she’s flustered?
“Nope,” I say, dragging out the word with a lazy grin. “But if we had? Trust me. You’d remember it. There’d be zero confusion.”
Her mouth opens and then closes. The blush heating her cheeks creeps down her neck like wildfire, and with a groan of embarrassment, she drags the blanket over her head.
I chuckle, but under the teasing, my heart is pounding. Because waking up with her in my bed and tangled up in my sheets is everything I’ve ever wanted.
And I meant every word I said last night.
I love her.
Lilah peeks out from beneath the covers, obviously weighing her chances of a quick escape. After a beat, she lets out a small, awkward cough and sits up, still clutching the sheets like they’re her last line of defense.
“I should probably go make breakfast,” she mutters, gaze darting everywhere but at me.
Decision made, she swings her legs over the edge of the bed and rises to her feet before fumbling with the robe, retying the belt. Then she’s on the move, heading for the hallway.
Just as she reaches the door, I say, “Lilah.”
She stutters to a stop but doesn’t turn.
“You don’t have to run,” I say quietly. “Not from me.”
Her spine stiffens slightly, and when she finally looks over her shoulder, uncertainty flickers in her eyes. “I’m not running.”
I think we both know that’s not true.
My voice gentles. “Yeah, you are.”
“I’m making breakfast,” she says before disappearing around the corner.
Even though every instinct screams at me to follow her, I don’t move.
As much as I want to chase her, what Lilah needs right now isn’t pressure.
She needs space.
Time to process.
Time to figure out what she wants.
And I hope when she does…
She realizes that what she wants is me.
17
LILAH
Igrip the kitchen counter, hoping it will ground me in the here and now, as my heart continues to slam from waking up entwined with Steele. There’s no way to forget how his body heat soaked into me. Or the low raspiness of his voice as it wrapped around me like a blanket, cocooning me in comfort.
Above all else, Steele has always made me feel safe.
But that’s not necessarily the case right now.
Something else besides friendship is brewing beneath the surface.
