Page 53 of There's No Us Without You
Her skin is so soft, so pale against my darker tone. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to want to comfort her, hold her against my chest and breathe in her scent as I tell her everything is going to be okay.
For now, though, I’ll just be content with her hand in mine.
“It’s not your fault, Em,” she says, running a finger over the veins in my hand, as if it’s a default action she finds soothing. “Mum always told me to keep everything inside and not let people see me cry because they’d see my weaknesses. I guess the sleep crying is my way of dealing with everything when I’m alone.”
I nod. “Makes sense. What about Kent? Do you miss him?”
Please say no. He doesn’t deserve for Eden to waste one more second thinking about him.
“No,” she says quietly, her eyes searching mine through her dark lashes. “I don’t miss him. I’ve never felt so free in my life. It still doesn’t mean everything isn’t a mess right now, though.”
“A total mess.” I nudge her with my shoulder, a slight smirk on my face. “Like a kid having a tantrum kind of mess.”
“Like a stomach-bug kind of mess.” A small smile forms on her beautiful, tear-stained face, her eyes dancing over mine.
“That’s fucked up. But how far are we going with this? Because I have some good ones.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Eden laughs. “No, no. That’s enough.”
“Such a party pooper,” I say, pouting. “I was just getting started.”
With a playful roll of her eyes, Eden jabs a finger into my stomach. “Sorry to burst your bubble, superstar, but we need sleep. I don’t know about you, but I need as much beauty rest as I can get.”
My focus instantly drops to her lips. “That’s not true.” I bring her hand to my mouth again, savouring the sweet scent of her soft skin. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Eden’s smile fades, her throat bobbing when she swallows hard, her lips parting slightly as she stares at our hands still linked against my lips.
What the hell am I doing? Whatever is happening right now can’t go any further, but I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting her.
On a shaky breath, Eden lifts her eyes from our hands, her dark lashes forming shadows on her soft cheeks as the glow of the lamp lights up one side of her face. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
My dick perks up, letting me know he’s totally down for sleepovers.
And my heart thinks it’s running a damn training session with the way it’s slamming against my ribcage.
This isn’t good. At all.
“Sure,” I say, knowing full well what Ishouldbe doing is getting the hell out of this room.
Agreeing to sleep in the same bed as the woman I want under me right now isn’t one of my finest moments. How much longer can I hold myself back?
There’s so much I want to say to her. Like how I felt an instant pull towards her in the bar. Or how, when she looked at me, it was like she was seeing right into my damn soul.
It’s the same way Will looks at me—I just haven’t realised it until now.
Seemingly content with my answer, Eden sinks down onto the mattress, pulling me by the hand to lie next to her. “I feel safe with you,” she says. “I think that’s why I haven’t had many night terrors since the first one the other night—well, except for tonight.”
She brings our linked hands to her lips and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles. My blood pulses through my ears and rushes directly to my dick.
Great. Now I have a hard-on.
“I’m glad,” I say, shoving an arm under my head to stare at the ceiling.
My skin is way too hot, and I’ve managed to keep a small space between our bodies. The last thing I need is to feel the heat of hers anywhere near my dick. I’m already struggling to behave myself, and I don’t need the extra temptation.
But all hope of a peaceful night’s sleep evaporates when Eden closes the gap and presses up against my side to rest her head on my shoulder. Her dark hair fans out over the pillow, the scent of her vanilla shampoo sending me into dangerous territory.
“Night, Em,” she whispers, kissing my bare shoulder.
