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I rolled my eyes and let her walk first down the hallway. She was wearing just a long T-shirt and underwear, and damn, did I like the way her hips swayed, the way her shirt showed just the faintest hint of the underside of her ass.
She settled herself on my couch, lying back on the pillow, and grabbed the remote off the coffee table. I gave a last look at her, memorizing what she looked like so comfortable in my home, before going to the kitchen.
I got two bowls out of the cupboard instead of one. Two spoons from the drawer instead of one. After getting the tub of ice cream out, I scooped twice as much. It felt like breathing a sigh of relief, doing this for two people. It felt... right.
I got the chocolate syrup from the fridge, drizzled it over the ice cream, and grabbed a couple lunch-size bags of chips before joining Mara in the living room. She had the opening credits playing to some sappy teen movie Tess made me watch when we were kids.
But I wasn’t complaining this time. No, this time, I got to see the smile on Mara’s face as I handed her a bowl of ice cream. This time, I got to sit by her feet and lift them into my lap. This time, I got to watch the delight in her eyes as I passed her the bag of potato chips because something sweet always needs something salty.
“This is good ice cream,” she said. “I approve.”
I laughed, digging a spoonful from my own bowl. “That’s good. I’ll keep buying it then.”
“Good.”
We sat quietly, watching the movie. I was about to comment on something lame one of the teachers said, but when I glanced over at Mara, her eyes were closed. Her breathing had slowed, and her hand was still halfway in the small bag of chips.
I stifled my laughter at how adorable she was. She must have fallen asleep mid-bite.
Now, this is the part where most guys would have grabbed the remote and turned off the TV before going to bed, but damn, I was actually into the movie, and I loved being this close to Mara.
Gently, I lifted her hand from the bag and put the bag on the coffee table, then I watched the last thirty minutes of the movie. And no, I didn’t fucking cry at the end. Not even a little bit. Nope.
I slid out from under her legs, turned off the TV, and went to my linen closet in search of a blanket. I pulled out one my grandma had given me as a child and brought it back out to the living room. Mara hadn’t moved an inch.
I spread the blanket over her and watched her sleep. Just for a little bit. (It wasn’t creepy if she was in my own house, right?)
She really was beautiful with her black lashes fanned over her cheeks, her pink lips slightly parted. She didn’t have the same guard she put up when she was awake, and damn, it was stunning.
I brushed a stray lock of her hair back behind her ear, and she tilted her head slightly, leaning into my hand.
Something in my heart broke loose. I really liked this girl. And I hoped to hell she could be vulnerable enough to like me too.
26
Mara
Confession: I felt butterflies.
The next morning,I woke up on Jonas’s couch, covered in a handmade quilt with diffused light streaming through his living room curtains. My back and neck hurt like hell, probably from the couch, but possibly from all we’d gotten up to the night before.
I still couldn’t believe that Jonas and I had sex. Good sex. Like really fucking good sex.
Just thinking about it made me want more.
I sat up and twisted my back, stretched my neck, feeling a few cracks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a folded piece of paper on the coffee table. But before I could open it, the doorbell rang.
I walked to the door and stood slightly to the side before answering, since my pajamas didn’t cover much. “Hello?”
A guy held up a bag full of takeout boxes. “I have a delivery for Mara Taylor?”
“I didn’t order that,” I said.
“It’s already paid for, by a...” He glanced at the receipt stuck to the bag with a sticker. “Mr. Jonas Moore.”
Already smiling, I reached for the bag and said, “Thank you.”
After closing the door behind him, I went back to the coffee table and set the bag down, then reached for the note.