OVERTIRED
I was tired as hell when dawn broke.
It had taken me hours to fall asleep, listening to Faith toss and turn on the other side of that ridiculous damn barrier she’d put up between us. Every few moments she’d shift from her back to her side, her side to her stomach, and so on, and each time she’d let out this soft little sigh that would’ve been cute as hell if it hadn’t been so damn late.
By the time I finally fell asleep, it was practically morning, which meant I was going on day three without so much as a night’s rest. I cracked open my eyes — overtired and grouchy as all fuck — and prepared to take on what was sure to be another infuriating day with the goddamned brunette whose life’s mission was apparently to make me as miserable as possible.
But all my anger disappeared as soon as I blinked awake and found Faith wrapped around me like a starfish — one leg wound around my thigh, an arm slung across my chest, her forehead nestled into the crook of my neck. Evidently, her unconscious mind wasn’t such a fan of pillow barriers; at some point in the night, she’d shifted onto my side of the bed and tangled her limbs with mine so thoroughly, it would be a miracle if I managed to get up without waking her.
I froze for a solid minute, just appreciating the feeling of this — waking up to Faith. Her warmth radiated into my skin and the light rise and fall of her chest pressed against mine was more soothing than anything I’d ever felt. I could’ve happily stayed there all day, but that would’ve been a test of my control unlike any I’d yet faced. The need to trace her curves with my hands, to skim my lips against her soft skin was so strong, it took every bit of restraint inside me to keep myself in check.
Abruptly, I wasn’t tired. In fact, I felt like I could’ve had marathon sex for hours, days, weeks, if Faith had so much as stirred in my arms and arched up to press her lips against mine…
Fuck.
Fantasy time was over. I was officially sporting morning wood harder than the oak tree I’d bashed my fist into last night, which meant it was past time to climb out of this damn bed before I lost myself completely.
Gently, I detangled her limbs from my body and rolled her onto her side of the bed. She barely stirred, even when I rebuilt her pillow barrier and tucked the blankets back up to her chin. As I watched, she snuggled deeper into the bed and let out another tiny, sweet sigh.
Without taking my eyes off her, I lifted the cord around my neck up to my mouth and pressed it there for a full minute, wishing everything was different. Wishing I could slide back into bed with her, wrap her up in my arms, and make love to her until she forgot about the past.
I let the cord drop back against my neck before I turned, grabbed my t-shirt off the ground, and walked away.