Page 34

NYLAH

And there goes breathing.

The look on his face right now…

He’s so vulnerable. So unsure.

I can’t decide if I want to hug him like he’s a boy who’s just scraped his knee or kiss him because that sentiment is so damn sweet.

Letting go of his hand, I sit forward and run my fingers through his messy, wet hair.

“I’m no good for you,” he murmurs, staring down at my leg with a pained frown.

“Yeah, you are.” Fisting his hoodie, I drag him toward me, then cup his cheek, letting this blooming emotion in my chest shine through just before I press my lips to his.

He’s hesitant at first, cautiously kissing me back, and I pull away, practically pleading, “Kiss me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he rasps.

“I need you to kiss me, Casanova. Kiss me right now.”

His nose brushes against mine, and I can sense his smile as he whispers, “Lame,” then cups the back of my head and kisses me deep.

I moan when his tongue sweeps into my mouth, a slow brush against mine. Fisting the back of his hair, I drink from him like he’s the fountain of life… and I would have kept going if the front door hadn’t swung open.

Carson jolts away from me like he’s just been electrocuted, looking at the entrance and tensing when one of his teammates appears.

“Hey, Flash.” He lifts his chin, gently moving my legs so he can stand.

“’Sup.” The running back eyes us up like he’s trying to figure out the scene here.

He obviously spots the bruises on Carson’s poor face, and his eyes narrow before his gaze sweeps to me.

He stares at me for a beat, like he’s trying to figure out where he knows me from, and then his eyes round. “Wait, are you Coach Jones’s?—”

“Yes, she is,” Carson answers for me. “And she’s only here because she hurt her knee and our place is closer, so…” He scratches the back of his head. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at that party?”

Grady’s expression changes from a skeptical frown to defeated frustration. “It was a bust.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothin’.” He shakes his head and turns for the stairwell. “I’m going to bed.”

“Grady—”

“I’m fine.” He shoots Carson a warning look, then darts his eyes to me. “Do you need anything?”

“Uh, no. I’m okay. Thank you.”

He glances at my leg and I shift the ice pack, giving him a closed-mouth smile to assure him I’m okay.

With a sad nod, he disappears up the stairs.

Carson frowns after him, then turns to me. “I don’t know what the fuck that was about.”

“I saw him at the party.” My nose wrinkles. “It looked like he got into a bit of a tiff with this girl. She had long strawberry-blonde hair. Looked like a sorority girl.”

“That’s his girlfriend, Teah.” He crosses his arms. “I thought they were super tight.”

“Well, maybe there’s trouble in paradise.”

Carson grunts and nods, then flicks his gaze to my leg. “You should probably get some rest too. Do you want me to take you back to your dorm?”

I shake my head.

His eyes narrow at the corners. “So, you want to stay on the couch?”

I shake my head again.

He closes his eyes, dipping his chin. “Okay, so you want to torture me by lying in my bed. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“Why would that be torture for you?”

“Because there’s shit I want to do to that gorgeous body of yours, and I can’t when you’ve got a busted-up leg.”

My insides tingle. “Shit you want to do to me? I’m intrigued.”

“Yeah, well, you’re gonna have to stay intrigued, because it’s not happening tonight.”

“Well, it could happen tonight. It’s just my leg. I can?—”

“This isn’t a discussion,” he cuts me off, walking to the couch and gently lifting me into his arms again. “You’re gonna go to sleep and give that leg a chance to heal up.”

I scrunch my nose at him, hating that he’s right. “You’re so bossy.”

He frowns at me. “You need bossing around. That’s not my fault.” His lips twitch, and I catch the hint of a smile.

I can’t help laughing as he carries me up the stairs. “Ah, my knight in shining armor.”

He scoffs. “I’m no knight.”

“You’re something.” I run my finger down his cheek, then lean forward and kiss it. “Something I really like.”

His swallow is thick, and he won’t look at me again after that.

Laying me down on his bed, he arranges the pillows until I’m as comfortable as I possibly can be.

I glance around his room, noting the light chaos and slight mess.

It’s not too bad, though, and it doesn’t smell as rank as my brothers’ bedrooms, so he’s doing okay.

I find it interesting that there are no pictures on the walls or framed photographs. The room is almost barren, like it’s simply a place to rest and maybe get some studying done, but it’s definitely not home or a haven you’d come to relax in.

I wonder where he does relax… or if he ever does relax.

“You need a new ice pack?”

“No. I’m good.”

He nods, arranging the pillow under my leg yet again. “You sure this is okay?”

“Yes. Stop fussing.”

With a soft snort, he takes a seat on the bed beside me.

“You gonna sleep now too?” I pull the hoodie he gave me over my chest. It’s kinda sweet that he doesn’t want me getting cold.

“Here.” He helps me lean forward and wraps the second hoodie around me. “I’m too wired to sleep. I’m gonna go downstairs and watch a movie.”

“Without me?” I growl. “You are so not doing that.”

His eyebrows jump up in surprise. “Oh really? Now who’s being bossy.”

“Get your butt on the other side of this bed. If you want to watch a movie, we can do it on your laptop.” I give him a heated glare, shaking my head. “Living room, my ass. I can’t believe you were thinking of leaving me all alone up here.”

“I’m trying to look after you,” he hisses.

“And I’m trying to tell you how,” I hiss right back, not wanting to disturb the sleeping members of the house.

“You are such a pain in the ass,” he mutters, striding over to his desk and grabbing his laptop.

I grin at him, growing my smile to pure cheese as he takes a seat beside me.

His lips twitch, and I swear he’s gonna lose that battle with his smile any second now.

“You think I’m adorable.” I nestle my head on his shoulder as he pulls up a folder of movies.

I point to The Fugitive . I’ve already seen it like five times, and I have Tommy Lee Jones’s “every henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse” speech memorized.

If I fall asleep while I’m watching, I won’t feel like I’ve missed anything.

Carson clicks Play, brushing his lips across my forehead before settling back against his pillows.

His arm comes around me and I wriggle closer against his side, getting comfortable and discovering a new level of bliss I didn’t even know existed.

My eyes flutter closed, and I drift off to sleep just as Harrison Ford is jumping from the dam.

What feels like five minutes later, I wake up on my side. My eyes creep open, and I spot the daylight. It’s not super bright, which means the weather hasn’t improved much since last night. Stupid rain. I’d rather it snowed. Give me a blizzard over lightning and thunder.

Snuggling down a little deeper under the covers, I can’t help a smile as my memory takes me back to the bliss of falling asleep against Carson’s chest.

He obviously moved me later in the night and covered me with this delicious duvet. It’s so thick and warm. I think I’m just gonna stay here for the rest of the day.

“Wanna just have a bed day,” I mumble softly so I don’t wake him up.

There’s no reply and I go completely still, listening for his breathing. It doesn’t take me long to realize that there is none, and I carefully roll over to find his side of the bed empty.

“Poop,” I mutter, sitting up and looking around the room.

I have no idea where he’s gone, but I want him back. I’d like him to play pillow while I spend the day in his bed watching movies… and maybe persuading him to do other stuff.

Heat thrums through me, a smirk tugging at my lips when I hear his voice in my head again… “I want to do shit to that gorgeous body of yours.”

My smile grows a little wider and I stretch out my leg, testing to see how bad I’ll be limping today. It’s not very happy with me. Flinging back the covers, I pull up the sweatpants, checking for swelling. Thankfully, it’s minimal.

Tracing my finger along the ugly scars across my knee and up my thigh, I wince and wonder if I’ll even have the courage to get naked with Carson so he can do shit with me.

Maybe we can do it in the dark. Or we can go for half-dressed sex.

That’ll work, right? He doesn’t need to see my legs to enjoy my body.

And I know I’m gonna enjoy whatever parts of his body he’s willing to share with me.

A floorboard creaks outside the door, and I scramble to get my pant leg down, desperately trying to hide my scars as the door eases open.

I flop back against the pillows, trying to act casual and then grinning when I notice a pair of big blue eyes staring at me.

“Hi, Zoey.” I wave at her.

She pokes her head into the room. “Cawson?”

“I’m not sure where he is.” I give her an exaggerated shrug.

Her lips rise into a cute grin, and she walks into the room carrying a plastic case no doubt filled with toys. Leaning against the edge of the bed, she lets out a sigh. She’s so short and little. It’s adorable.

“Do you remember me?” I ask her, playing with the ends of my hair. Thanks to the rain and sleeping without it wrapped properly, it’s a curly, frizzy mess right now. “I read stories to you the other night.”

She nods and rests her chin in her hand.

“Is your tummy all better now?”

“Yep.” She perks up, then looks me over. “You sick?”

“No.” I shake my head, and her lips curl into a disappointed frown. I glance at the plastic case in her hand and am fighting a grin when I tell her, “But you know… I did hurt my knee last night. I might have to go to the doctor. I’m not sure.”

Her face lights with glee, and she pings up straight. “Me doctor!” She points to herself, then slaps the plastic case on the bed and pops it open.