Page 69 of The Bad Wedding Date

No matter how many times I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else, though, Fraser’s humble smile and crinkled eyes always came back to me after a moment or two. I wanted to sleep next to him. I wanted to feel what it would be like to rest my head on his chest and curl my body into his. I wanted to feel the strength of a real man beneath me—one that could and would protect me should anyone try to say or do anything that would ruin my day. The desire became so potent, it began to ache.

I wanted him.

I wanted him, despite the circumstances, despite the lies, despite the fact I didn’t really know him…

As the sun trickled through my bedroom blinds, casting a patterned invitation along the empty side of my bed, that want turned to need.

“Fraser?” I called out.

A few seconds later, the chrome doorknob twisted, and the door was pushed open to reveal him standing there, just one hand tucked in his jeans now as the other held onto the handle.

My heart hammered in my chest at the sight of him. “You can take the bed.”

“With you?”

I nodded against my pillow, feeling my neck redden as that seductive smile of his rose on one side again.

“Are you sure?”

“I’d really like it, actually.”

Fraser closed the door behind him, kicked off his trainers, and he climbed on top of the duvet, sinking his strong knees into the mattress, and lying down on his side until he was facing me. His hand slid under his pillow, just like mine, and his eyes roamed wildly over my face.

“I don’t take this trust for granted, just so you know,” he said quietly.

“I know.”

“If at any point this feels too weird—” he began, but I reached over to press my finger against his lips.

“Now,I can rest.”

22

Fraser

Charlotte fell asleep not long after. Without the constant worry etched on her face, I’d never seen anything quite as peaceful. The sight of her took my own worries away, and eventually, I allowed my eyes to rest for just a moment while she slept beside me. But that soon turned to sleep itself, until sometime later, I woke with a jolt to find her in the exact same position I’d left her in, still sleeping serenely.

The sun had positioned itself lower in the summer night sky, meaning it had to be late afternoon. I wasn’t sure what time she had to be ready for work, so I turned over onto my back and pulled out my phone from my pocket to see it had just turned 5:00 p.m.

A soft moan from Charlotte’s throat made me turn her way, only to see her shuffling closer, still asleep, until she’d rested her head on my chest and curled her arm and leg over my body, releasing a sigh of contentment the moment she’d settled in place.

My heart hammered against my chest as my arms hovered over her, too afraid to touch without her permission, yet too in the moment to not appreciate her trust in me, even while asleep. Her lips parted as she breathed slowly, completely at ease.

Dropping my phone to the bed as carefully as I could, I placed one hand on my stomach while the other rested over her shoulder. There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t want to roll her over, nestle myself between her legs and kiss her the way a woman like her deserved to be kissed.

I wondered if she’d ever had the passion she deserved. If she’d ever been fucked the way she deserved to be fucked. If she knew how much power she carried around just by being herself.

My eyes closed for just a moment as my fingers found the ends of her hair and began brushing through them, feeling the silky softness against my rough skin.

The things I would do to this woman with her permission.

Fuck!

Now wasn’t the time to get hard.

“Charlotte?” I whispered, but she gave no response. “Charlotte.” I leaned in, curling my arm around her in the hope it would bring her back to life. “Wake up.”

“Hmm,” was her only response, the half-asleep moan doing things to me I wouldn’t be able to cover up if she didn’t wake up soon. Her a

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