Page 76 of In the Net
A devilish grin twists on her lips. “Do five pushups. If your shoulder feels so fine. Shouldn’t be a challenge for you. The Sebastian I know would jump at the opportunity to show off, anyway.”
Pain stabs into my shoulder just thinking about it.
A smug, triumphant look paints Harper’s face. “That’s what I thought.” She lies back down and rolls onto her side, curling up and pulling a quilt off one of my chairs to cover herself. “Sleep well, Sebastian. On your bed.”
If she thinks I’m giving up that easily, she doesn’t know me as well as she should.
I grab the second pillow and the blanket from the top of my bed. Then I deposit them onto the ground, on the other side of my room from where Harper is lying.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I told you I’m sleeping on the floor, and I’m sleeping on the floor. If you’re going to be too stubborn to take the bed, I guess it’ll just be empty tonight.”
I stretch out on the carpeted floor.
“Sebastian, don’t be stupid,” Harper chides.
“I’m not the one letting a perfectly empty bed go to waste. You are.”
A frustrated grumble hums from across the room, and I smirk.
“Fine,” she huffs. “We’ll both sleep on the floor.”
“Fine.”
I don’t thinkit’s even been an hour since I fell asleep when I wake up. The room is still covered in darkness, only a dim orange light from the streetlamps peeking through the thin slit where my curtains meet over my window.
My neck is tight. Worse, my shoulder aches. Harper was right about me sleeping on the floor.
On the other side of the room, I hear her tossing and turning with discomfort.
Fuck it. This is stupid.
I throw the blanket I’m using onto the top of my bed and stand up. I stride over to where Harper’s sleeping, scoop her into my arms, and haul both of us into my bed.
“Sebastian, what are you …” There’s a protest on the tip of her tongue, but she’s too tired to push it out.
“Don’t argue,” I say, my voice sleep-clogged but firm. “Just shut up and go back to sleep.”
She huffs a quiet laugh. “Bossy,” she murmurs.
I tuck her pillow under her head, cover us with the blanket, and then scoot to the far side of my mattress to give her some space.
But no matter how much space is between us as I drift back to sleep, we’re still sharing the same bed, I still feel her heat under the covers, and I still like it far, far too much.
30
HARPER
Ican’t remember the last time I felt so comfortable.
I can’t remembereverfeeling so comfortable.
Pure relaxation and comfort have seeped into every muscle and fiber of my body. My limbs feel heavy, but in the best way, like I’m covered by a soft, weighted blanket on a chilly night.
Warmth hums through me. I’m filled with a luxurious, restful calmness. My eyelids are still heavy, but that’s fine. I’m in no rush to open them. I feel like I could linger in this peaceful, contented state for hours. For days.
Soft light sits on the other side of my eyelids. I can tell it’s morning, but it’s not too bright. I can even hear birds tweeting outside. My thoughts are a cozy mush. I’m not worried about what time it is, or trying to remember how or when I got home from the party last night.
