Page 27 of The Hero I Can't Resist
He blows out a breath, and I can hear the frustration in his voice. “No, it’s moving. Not as fast as I’d like, but it’s okay. Take care of my sister, all right, brother?”
I tug Sky against my chest. “Yeah, I got her, Lo. Don’t worry about anything here. Take care of yourself.”
He grunts. “Yeah, and we’ll have that talk when I get back.”
He hangs up before I can answer him, and I toss my phone onto the bed. I pull at the towel wrapped around Sky’s body. “Now how about that shower?”
She loops her arms around my neck, pressing her body to mine. “Okay.”
I lift her into my arms, and she giggles. Right here and now, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life listening to her laugh.
CHAPTER 12
SKYLER
The morning after.
I’ve read about these and seen it talked about in television shows. I lie plastered to Zach’s chest with his arms and legs wrapped around me. I don’t want this to be awkward and know I should play it cool, but I’m not sure how to do that exactly.
Zach’s voice is husky and sleep-laden. “What are you thinking about, Sky?”
I tense for just a second and then go limp in his arms. “The morning after. I’m not sure how this works. Do I act like last night was no big deal and just go about my day? Am I supposed to put my guard back up and try to get some distance between us?”
Instantly, his arms tighten around me. “Fuck that,” he grunts.
I press my cheek against his bare chest. “Okay, fine. Then tell me how I’m supposed to act after last night.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I don’t want you to act any way. I want you to just be yourself.”
I blink. “Okay, but I want you to know that just because it was my first time, I’m not going to turn into some clingy psychopath or anything. I know what last night was and?—”
I’m flipped to my back, and Zach hovers over me. “Oh yeah, what was it?” He glares at me. “And if you say it was a one-night stand or some crazy shit like that, then I’m going to have to show you different.”
My eyebrows shoot up. A part of me wants to mess with him just to see what he’ll do, but another part of me doesn’t want to play any games. I bury my face into his chest. “Well, I know what last night meant to me, but?—”
He leans back, lifts my face, and gazes into my eyes. “What did itmean to you?”
I’m taken aback just looking at him. He’s so handsome it’s a little overwhelming. He was nicknamed Hollywood, Fabio, Handsome, and Hottie when he was younger, and none of them do him justice. He’s just breathtaking to look at and way out of my league. I start to ramble. “Do you know how handsome you are?” Before he can answer, I shrug. “I mean, I’m sure you know, and honestly, it’s a little overwhelming how beautiful you are.”
“Sky—” He starts, but I don’t let him interrupt me.
“Let me finish. So yeah, you’re handsome and all the things, but to me, you’ve always been more than that. You probably don’t remember this, but when I was ten, my parents made Logan take me to the park. I was playing by myself most of the time. You had met up with him there, and a bunch of you guys were playing basketball. Anyway, some kids were making fun of me. You stood in front of me, shielding me, and told them to back off. From that point on, I’ve always felt a connection with you.”
I giggle awkwardly. “Gah, I’m telling myself to keep this light and then admitting to you that I’ve had a crush on you since I was a child.” I try to pull from his arms. “Obviously, I’m not good at the morning after stuff.”
I try to get up, but he rolls me over and uses his body to hold me to the bed. “My turn,” he announces. “Do you know how beautiful you are, Sky?”
I roll my eyes, but he leans down, looking at me with so much intensity that I can’t do anything but listen. “You’re beautiful, smart, sexy, sweet. You’re all the things. And when I look at you, I want things that I’ve never wanted before. I want to protect you… I want to be the one you turn to when you need something… Fuck, Sky, there are so many things I want when I’m with you that I don’t know where to start.”
There’s a faint catch in my breath. “Me too.”
He leans his head down to mine. “And there are things I want to say to you, but when I do, I don’t want there to be anything holding us back. No stalker, no family uprising, nothing. So when this is over, we’re going to talk, and we’re going to make plans.”
Hope flares in my chest. I smile widely at him. “I like the sound of that.” I put my hands on his neck. “So now can I do something? Something I’ve been wanting to do?”
He nods. “Anything.”
I smirk at him. “All right, remember that you said that.”
