Page 67 of Hot Four Teacher
“You would really do that for me? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Of course, I would do that for you. Michelle, I don’t give a fuck where we sleep. I’m just happy I’m doing it next to you. If you feel more comfortable at home, we will go there.”
I silently consider his words, but ultimately, I decide that it would be insane of me to do that. But it’s super sweet of him to offer.
“Thank you,” I begin. “But we can stay here. I’m fine. Just need to relax a little.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”
“I know.” I lean forward to give him a quick kiss. “But I’m sure.”
“Okay, then, let’s try something else.” He rolls onto his back, positioning another thick pillow under his head. “Come here.”
I get comfortable in the crook of his arm with my head on his chest.
“How about I stay awake with you until you fall asleep?” He asks.
“What if I can’t fall asleep all night?”
“Then, we will stay up all night.”
“There is no way you can be this perfect,” I tell him.
“Sweetheart, I haven’t done anything that any other decent person wouldn’t have. I’m not some sort of saint.”
Could’ve fooled me.
As he starts running his fingers lightly through my hair, he says, “Sorry. I used to have a TV in the bedroom at my old place, but it broke during the move. I just haven’t had time to get a new one yet.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind.” After a moment, I add, “Why don’t you tell me a story or something?”
It was just a joke, but he asks, “What kind of story?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me something about your time in the military? You said you were a Marine, right?”
He sits quietly for what feels like an eternity before saying, “Baby, if I were to tell you those stories, you for sure wouldn’t sleep tonight.”
Dane has never shied away from telling me anything so far, so I figure his time in the service must be a sore spot.
I won’t press on it anymore.
“How about your family?” I ask. “You said you had a sister?”
“Yep. Her name is Jenny, and she’s a few years younger than me…but still a huge pain in my ass.”
I laugh. “Trust me, I know the feeling. One of my sisters cares more about my sex life than I do.”
He chuckles. “Although mine wouldn’t go that far, she’s still a pain. But the fact that she mothered my niece, who is the cutest almost four-year-old in the world, makes up for all her bullshit.”
“Do you have any other family?”
“Just my dad.”
In his deep, yet somehow soft voice, he tells me about his dad and sister…and his mom that he lost when he was a teenager. The sound of his voice along with his fingers running through my hair has me calm and completely limp. Any anxiety I was feeling ten minutes ago has completely evaporated.
I try to hang on Dane’s words and take in everything that he’s saying, but I find that becomesincreasingly difficult. His voice is sounding further and further away.
The last thing I hear before finally succumbing to sleep is, “Goodnight, beautiful.”
