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“Okay, roll over to your side a little so I can fit this under you.” She grabs her small pillow that she likes to hold while she sleeps and rests it on the other side of the ice pack. “There, that should hold it in place for a while. Oh shoot, I forgot my water bottle in the bathroom. Where did yours go?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I put it on the bed with my ice pack, but it must have fallen off the bed. Can you grab it for me?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it. Don’t move.” She gets up from the bed, goes into the bathroom to get her bottle, then walks over to my side of the bed. “I don’t see it, so it must have rolled under the bed.”

When she bends over, I can see right down her shirt. It’s killing me not to touch her right now.

“Urgh, I can’t reach it. I need to try from a different angle.”

Now she’s turned so her back is to me, and she bends over again, putting her ass within reaching distance. I’m so very tempted. Charlie has the best ass.

“I got it!” she yells out, snapping me out of my ass haze.

“Thanks, Boss. Now get back in here so we can start the movie.”

“Okay, do you need anything else? I’m not hungry, but if you are, I’ll go grab something.”

“Lie down. I’m fine. I’m still full from dinner. Plus, I just brushed my teeth.”

Walking back to her side of the bed, she gives me a little smile and says, “Okay, are you ready for this ultimate ’90s classic?”

“You act like we haven’t watched this a hundred times. I’ll even tell you what happens,” I say, but she cuts off the rest of my words with her hand covering my mouth.

“No! Beckham Linson, you will not spoil anything. Yes, I know the words to this movie almost verbatim, but you will not ruin it for me.” She wears a little scowl on her face, but there is humor in her eyes.

Her hand is still over my mouth, so I lick her palm, which makes her squeal as she pulls her hand away.

“Beck! That’s so gross!” But she’s laughing.

My hand reaches out to touch her face, and I graze my fingers from her cheek to her lips. “Oh, come on, Boss. You used to like it when I licked you.”

Charlie grabs my forearm and quietly asks, “Beck, what are you doing?”

I let her pull my arm down, but I settle my hand on her knee. My thumb brushes her skin, and it makes goose bumps appear on her legs.

“What do you mean, Char? I’m not doing anything. Are you cold? Maybe we should get under the covers,” I say with a smirk.

“Okay, buddy, let’s just watch the movie.” She scoots back over to her side of the bed and fights with the comforter a bit because it got a little tangled when she was helping me with the ice pack.

The movie starts, and we both stare at the TV, but I can’t concentrate on anything but the feeling of having her next to me. She’s so close that I can smell her hair. Not gonna lie—seeing her shampoo and all the other girlie shit she has scattered around in my bathroom makes me happy. I don’t even care that she’s a little messy either. I like order. I like to be organized. I thrive on having a schedule. But Charlie, she’s more of a works-best-under-pressure and chaos kind of girl.

I love it.

I loveher.

Still.

Under the covers, our hands are just inches apart. I can’t hold back anymore, so I extend my pinkie finger, looping it with hers. She doesn’t resist; she curls hers around mine too. We sit like that for what feels like an hour, but it’s probably just minutes. She keeps scooting further down the bed, so she’s not really leaning on her pillows anymore but lying down, which pushes the comforter below our joined hands.

“Hey, Beck?”

My gaze breaks from our hands and up to her face.

“Yeah, Boss?” I turn our hands and entwine our fingers, but I pull them together and apart, just feeling her skin brush against mine.

“Tell me about your favorite part of today.”

She’s turned on her side, facing me now, which makes holding hands a little awkward, but I’m not letting go until she does. And I love that she’s asking me about my favorite part of the day. When I asked her the other night, I didn’t mean to upset her, but it was just something I wanted to know. And being in the same room together, that close together, it just felt right in that moment.