Page 60 of Hale Yes
I clear my throat and my dirty mind. “I can wear a shirt if that makes you more comfortable. I just tend to run hot when I’m sleeping.”
“So hot,” she breathes, her eyes making another dip to my bare torso. Then she catches herself and hastily replies, “No, you’re fine. I mean, it’s fine.”
Guess I’m not the only one overusing that word tonight, I think with an internal chuckle. “Which side do you sleep on?”
“Um, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Scooting over toward the wall, I slide beneath the covers, effectively hiding my hardening cock. Nicolette’s bare lips perk up on one side. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
A good night fuck, perhaps?
I studiously avoid looking at that creamy expanse of thigh when she props one knee on the mattress and leans forward to… remove my glasses. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed because, for a second, I thought she was going to kiss me.
Relieved. I’m definitely relieved because I know with one brush of her lips against mine, I’d have her beneath me in less than five seconds. And that would be a bad idea.
Or a fucking awesome one, my dick protests.
“How blind are you without your glasses?” she asks as she sets my frames on a small shelf mounted above the iron headboard.
“You’re a little blurry, but I can still recognize you from this distance.”
She places her own glasses beside mine, and I get a weird—but not unpleasant—feeling in the pit of my stomach seeing them side by side like that.
“I’m about the same,” she informs me, turning to switch off the light. The room is draped in darkness, but I feel the dip of the bed when she crawls in beside me.
Rolling onto my side to face the wall, I attempt to make myself as small as possible, which is no easy feat, given my size. I can’t see Nicolette, but from the sound of it, she’s lying on her back.
“Good night,” I say.
“Good night,” she replies. “And thank you for coming with me. I feel bad about the awkward sleeping arrangements.”
“Not the worst sleeping arrangement ever. I shared a bed with Phoenix until we outgrew it, and you smell a lot better than him.” That earns me a giggle, and I ask, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“If your sister needed extra space, why didn’t she put her stuff in this room?”
There’s a long pause. “Because it wasn’t mine.”
Rage rears its ugly head again, and I mutter, “I don’t like her very much.”
I hear Nicolette’s humored sigh. “I don’t either.” After a moment she asks, “Can I askyoua question?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you… I mean, with your synesthesia, can you see… my aura?”
I roll onto my back, and turn my head toward her, even though there’s no light seeping through the single high window in the room. “I can.”
“What color am I? Or is that too weird to ask.”
Unable to control my laugh, I ask, “I tell you I can see people’s auras, and you ask ifyourquestion is weird?” I feel her smile, even in the darkness. “You’re scarlet red, queenie.”
“Hmmm.” After that little hum, she’s quiet for a moment. “And what does red mean? I’m assuming you’ve looked this stuff up.”
“I have. It’s not an exact kind of thing and can vary from one synesthete to another, but in general, red means vitality and energy.” After a few seconds, I add on, “And passion.”
“Ooh, I like that one.” She shifts a little, and her arm brushes mine, but neither of us pulls away.
