Page 51 of Tangled Hearts

“There are lines I can’t cross, Eli,” he murmurs. “But fuck, do I want to.”

“What lines?” I ask, my throat dry.

This time he doesn’t answer me. It’s not long before the exhaustion of the day and the safe cocoon of his arms are too much for me to handle, and I drift off.

My eyes flutter open to soft sunlight and warmth. A solid weight against my back, a warm palm on my stomach, fingers splayed wide.

Nic.

He’s still asleep if the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back is anything to go by.

I let my mind fall back to last night. The way he pleaded. The way he wrapped me up. How Ireacted.He said it didn’t mean anything, but it has to, doesn’t it? It has to meansomething.It means something to me at any rate.

Nic shifts, and my hand darts to his, trying to keep him from pulling away. His raspy chuckle sends my face up in flames. “Not going anywhere,” he mumbles. I force myself to let go, and when I do, he shifts again, pulling his hips away but lessening the sting by dragging his hand up my sternum and chest. His palm settles against my throat, fingers flexing gently at the sides of my neck. It feels… possessive and so fucking good.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.

“Touching you.”

“Well, no shit,” I say, harsher than I mean to. “Sorry.”

Nic laughs. “You’re such a little shit. I love that about you. Are you feeling better today?”

He loves that about me? What. The. Fuck? “What do you mean?” I ask.

There’s silence. I’m so tired of the silence. Why can’t he ever just give me a straight fucking answer?

He moves his hand, letting his thumb rest in the hollow of my throat for a second, before taking it completely out of my shirt and rolling me to my back. Holy fuck. Wild bedhead, sleepy-eyed Nic is not for the fucking weak. He squints his eyes, like he’s still trying to adjust to being awake, but he smiles. “I missed that. You’ve hardly given me any shit lately. I was starting to think I’d never see that side of you again.”

“Oh, I can give you shit,” I manage, narrowing my eyes.

His grin grows. “I believe that.”

What is happening right now?

Someone knocks at my front door. Kassie loses her shit. Nic’s eyes widen, then dart to his bedroom door like he’s worried someone can see through to us, and my entire soul deflates.

I wiggle away from him, flinging the blankets off myself. He wants me to give him shit. Fine. Done. I get out of bed and throw open his bedroom door, leaving him sitting on his bed alone to go see who’s here.

Kassie’s sitting in front of the door, tail going a million miles a minute, which can only mean one thing. I open the door, and I’m almost plowed over by my dads. No surprise, since Dad knows I had a hard time yesterday. How fucking crazy that my night ended up a mess for something entirely different than the emotional upheaval at Safe Haven yesterday.

There are still shadows dancing in Roman’s eyes, and Beck looks exhausted. My heart gives a little thump. Dad must have had nightmares last night. Huh… I didn’t. Strange. “Come in,” I say, even though they’ve already pushed past me and into the living room.

Beck ruffles my hair. “Morning, kid. We’re going out today.”

“Who’s we?” I question.

“Us,” Roman says. “Hold, Julian, and the kids.”

I smile. I can’t help it. “Family adventure. Okay, I’m down. Where?”

Chapter 19

Nic

Am I standing right outside the living room, shame-spiraling while also feeling left out of the “family outing”? Yes. I am actually.

“Where’s Nic?” Roman asks.