Fall

Chapter Twenty-One

Jaymeson

I hadn’t saved her.

My Nanna, basically the only family that cared about me.

She’d died when I was three and I hadn’t saved her. I should have known she was sad. I should have known. I tried so hard to make her happy too. I tried to tell her that I loved her, but it wasn’t enough.

When is love ever enough?

Her smile haunted me all night.

I woke up to the beeping of my cell alarm — I was so exhausted I wanted to hit snooze, but I had breakfast to make.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, then looked around the room. Damn, I was warm.

And then I froze.

My eyes took in the sleeping girl next to me. Holy shit. Did I get drunk last night and have sex with her? Did I seduce her? She had all her clothes on? What the hell? I’d never slept with a girl just to sleep with her. I didn’t even know my body was capable of being in the same proximity as a hot chick without trying something.

Pris moaned in her sleep. “Turn off your alarm… so loud.”

Shaking, I turned off the alarm, still staring at her.

She opened her eyes and groaned. “Stop staring at me, it’s creepy. Where’s my breakfast?”

“Why are you here?” I asked in the calmest voice I could manage.

“You had nightmares all night. Woke me up from my sleep. Freaked me out. And you wouldn’t wake up, so I tried to calm you down and that’s when you attached yourself to me like a leech.”

Yeah, I definitely felt myself start to blush. “Oh.”

“It’s fine. At least I wasn’t cold last night. It was like sleeping next to an oven.”

“Aw, you calling me hot, love?”

“Temperature wise,” she grumbled into the pillow. “Yes.”

Damn, she was beautiful. Her dark hair was twisted all around her head, and splayed across the white pillow. The white against the dark brought out her natural honey highlights and the perfect creamy complexion I’d become so obsessed with.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For the uh… rescue.” Because that’s what she’d done.

When I had been little and I screamed, nobody came.

When I screamed last night — she did.

And a few months ago at Alec and Nat’s wedding, I’d rejected her and offered to have a threesome with her and basically told her she was an inexperienced teen. Granted, I’d apologized, but with our track record I would have expected her to record my nightmares and post them on YouTube. Not come to my rescue.

Not comfort me while I had nightmares of my Nanna’s death.

“That’s what friends are for.” She smiled. “Now go be a friend and make me breakfast while I brush my teeth and try to forget that I woke up next to you looking like I’d just gotten run over by a semi.”

“No.” I reached out and touched her face. “Not possible. You look more beautiful now than I’ve ever seen you.” My voice was gravelly with sleep. It was deep, my sleepy voice really hoarse, but I didn’t care.

“Thanks.” A crimson stain rose in her high cheekbones. “But I think I’ll still take a shower.”

I wanted to say I’d join her.

But suddenly… cheapening what we had, even if it was friendship, didn’t seem right anymore, even if I was joking.

“Shower.” I nodded. “And I’ll cook you the best breakfast of your life.”

“Ooo,” she squealed. “Even better than yesterday?” She flipped onto her back and kicked her feet in excitement.

I loved that she was excited about food.

“Way better!” I hit my fist against the pillow “I promise.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “Because those pancakes were bomb.”

“Who says bomb anymore?” I laughed out loud.

“I do! I live in Oregon! Give me some credit! The cool words hit us super late…” She winked.

I reached for her waist and pulled her up to a sitting position. She squealed again and tried to get away, but I held her firm, my hands burning into her sides.

My face was inches away from hers.

It would be so easy to kiss her.

So easy to seduce her, to rip her clothes off, to show her pleasure, to show her that I was worth it — that maybe I needed more saving than she realized.

Her smile died.

I tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re right, maybe a shower will do you good.”

Her brown eyes narrowed. “I thought I was beautiful?”

“You are…” I whispered. “…too beautiful for your own good. Now go shower so I can show off.”

“‘Kay.” She bounced off the bed and padded out of the room, while I fell back against the pillows and told my body to calm the hell down. She wasn’t the only one needing a shower; only mine needed to be colder than ice. Maybe I should jump in the ocean — that would kill the arousal fast.

“Hurry up, Jaymeson!” she called.

“Hurrying!” I yelled back, grabbing my phone from under my pillow and sending a quick message to her.

Me: Have a gorgeous day, gorgeous.

Priscilla S.: Thanks! You too!

****

“I think that’s it.” I stacked the last box and felt my chest constrict with annoyance. The last damn box and it was only eleven in the morning.

“Wow!” Pris dusted off her hands. “We rocked this!”

“That we did.” I smiled, my eyes lingering on her longer than necessary.