Page 10 of Sweet Punk
“Please. I won’t sleep tonight if I know you’re out here alone.” I pause, rifling my hand through my hair again. “It’s not a big deal. Promise.”
She wets her lips. “They said I can get in there tomorrow. See if anything can be salvaged. Start to clean things up.”
I blow out a careful breath, stepping toward her. “Look, I’m sorry your room got jacked up. But don’t worry about it if it takes you a little bit to get things squared away. You can have my room until it’s all straightened out.”
Her eyes meet mine. They shimmer brightly behind her glasses. “Thank you.” She hesitates, her eyes flicking from me to my room. “Um. I should have asked Lux or Raven before they holed up with the guys—” She jerks to a stop, pressing a few fingers to her temple. “Do you have a spare toothbrush? And maybe, um. Uh—”
Oh.I interrupt, “Something to wear to bed. Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Come on.” I lead her toward my room, but then pause on the threshold, looking around to see what she’s going to see. My room is not exactly what anyone would call clean. It’s a chaotic mess of canvases, sketchbooks, boxes and bins of drawing pencils, markers, chalks, paints, and brushes. But the bed is made, so there’s that.
At my swift intake of breath, she absentmindedly pats my arm as she continues to look around. “Don’t worry. I don’t care. My room is full of spare computer parts and all sorts of random stuff. Or… it was, anyway.” Her gaze drops to the floor before she releases a heavy sigh. “Thanks again for this.”
Damn.I nod. “No problem. Hang on a sec.” In the bathroom, I dig around in the drawers until I come up with a new toothbrush. Her eyes flick to mine as I reenter the room, holding the toothbrush up like it’s some sort of award that I’m bestowing upon her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Star takes it from me, the first genuine smile I’ve seen from her in days stretches her cheeks. “It’s an artful mess in here, Kellan.” She points out a giant bucket of markers on the corner of my desk. “And that’s alotof Sharpies.”
I smirk the tiniest bit. “I can’t help myself. I like all the different sizes and colors. I always have one with me.”
“You never know when you’ll need to sign a masterpiece, I guess, huh?” She winks and bestows a second smile on me. My chest tightens in response.
This girl. It’s strange having her in my space. I’ve never had a girl in my room. Never wanted one in here. I blink, recognizing that I’ve been staring at her for way too long again. I can’t help myself. Every time I look at her, I get a little lost in my head. “Sorry. Lemme get you a T-shirt or something.” Stepping over a pile of painting supplies, I attempt to calm the racing of my heart. When I try to swallow, I find my throat’s gone completely dry.Shit, get it together, Kellan. It’s just Star.I glance over my shoulder at her to find her pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose again. It’s cute. And I like her glasses. The blue frames suit her. Trying to shake my nervousness, I tug open a drawer and rummage around until I find an old T-shirt she can wear to sleep in. “Um, do you want some joggers or something?” I pull out a pair for myself, glancing over my shoulder to check for her answer.
She smiles through gritted teeth. “Oh. Um. I’ll just kick them off. I can’t sleep in pants.” A blush sweeps over her cheeks. “That’s long enough that it’ll be like a nightshirt. I’ll be fine.”
I swallow hard as I pivot to shut the drawer, my head full of images of Star lying in my bed, wearing my T-shirt and not much else. My cock twitches, and my eyes slam shut for a second before I turn around again, rapping my knuckles against the wood, as if what she said hasn’t affected me in the slightest. “Well, they’re in this drawer if you decide you want them for whatever reason. I don’t have a problem with you borrowing whatever you need.” With a jerk of my thumb over my shoulder, I murmur, “I’m going to brush my teeth, then I’ll be out of your way.”
She nods as she accepts the T-shirt from me. “Okay.”
* * *
There’rezero reasons why I should still be awake. It’s been a long-ass night, and I’m exhausted. Yet, I haven’t caught a single wink because I can’t get my brain to shut off.
I’m totally lying to myself. It’s my dick. I’m unable to shut my eyes without erection-inducing visions of Star in my bed floating through my mind. I’ve had a constant hard-on ever since I left her in my room. It’s agonizing. Normally, I’d take care of business and not think further about it. But I can’t fucking do that out here. Way too awkward. Especially since sex noises are coming from Maddox’s room. I don’t need to jack off to that soundtrack, no matter how hot it sounds.
My hands drift under the blanket, pressing on my dick over my joggers as I remind myself over and over again that I definitely should not stroke myself. I grit my teeth, pushing my head back into the pillow, and clench my eyes tightly shut. And then, like an idiot, I allow myself one stroke. Lust reaches out, smacking me in the face, and all the air whooshes from my lungs.Jesus.
The door to my room creaks open noisily, and my heart jumps into my throat. I jerk my hand away from my dick. There’s never any sneaking in and out of my room because the hinge makes so much noise. Without a shadow of a doubt, Star’s just opened that door, and here I am with an eight-person tent in my pants. I turn my head and slowly open my eyes.
“Kellan? Are you awake?” Star stands in my doorway with my shirt on. It barely fucking covers her. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she’s not wearing her glasses, which probably explains the squinting and asking if I’m awake, even though I think it’s obvious I’m staring at her.Shit.And if I thought my cock was hard a second ago—ugh. I’msofucked.
I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out gruff. “Yeah. You having trouble sleeping?” I wet my lips, my eyes roaming up and down her body, even though I already looked once. Apparently, I didn’t get my fill. Or maybe it’s my dick commanding me. I don’t know. Those bare legs. The hint of the swell of her breasts under my shirt. The way she’s chewing on her lip. Jesus. This is not helping what’s happening in my pants.
“Yeah.” Even in the dark, I can see her sigh more than hear it. It’s like her entire body sags with disappointment that she’s unable to rest.
I throw the blanket back, hoping that without her glasses on she can’t see the current situation in my joggers. Resting my forearms on my thighs and letting my hands dangle between them, I eye her carefully. I haven’t a clue what she’s thinking. “Can I get you something to drink or eat? Or do you want to watch TV?”
She shakes her head. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out in your bedroom. I thought maybe we could talk or—”
“Or?”Or.My brows inch up on my forehead as I tilt my head to the side and watch her fidget.
“Sleep. I’m exhausted, but every time I close my eyes, all the crap finds its way in.”
Oh, man.She wants me to sleep in there with her. And for some insane reason, I can’t fathom, I nod. My voice thick, I murmur, “Yeah. Okay. If you think it’ll help.” I draw in a breath as I stand, grabbing my pillow from the couch. I purposely hold it in front of me as she waits for me to join her.
After we’re both inside the room, I shut the door behind us and lean against it for a second. It feels like we’re crossing some sort of an invisible line by occupying the same room together overnight.
Star climbs into my bed, and I can’t help but stare at her panty-covered ass cheeks as she moves to the far side. I wonder if she realizes they’re showing or that I’m looking.
She curls up on her side, facing me. I can barely make out her eyes in the dark. She’s waiting for me to get into that bed with her.
