Work and Play Ebook

~*~ Excerpt from Work and Play ~*~

“Stay here tonight?”

The hesitant way he asks tugs at every corner of my heart. He’s soft, open, vulnerable, and he wants me. I nod and slip off the bed. His hand grabs mine again and he looks at me questioningly.

“I’m just going to change,” I say quietly. His head relaxes back on the pillow with a small smile.

I hurry to the bathroom to brush my hair, tie it back in a loose braid, and brush my teeth, then head to my bedroom to change into some pajama shorts and a tank top. In the middle of pulling my tank top over my head, I hear Finn slowly make his way to the bathroom. Crap. What do I do? Do I go to his room now? Wait ‘til he’s done? Time to overthink this as I do everything else. Just as I decide to go and wait for him in his room, I open my door to see him standing on his crutches in the hallway.

“I was just coming,” I start to say, then stop when I realize the double meaning of the words I just said.

Finn raises his eyebrows in a sexy smirk. “I’ll take care of that someday, Ash.”

I blush furiously. “Oh God, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He chuckles softly. “That’s fine, I did. But not right now. Can we just…” he trails off and stares down at the floor before taking a deep breath and looking back at me. “I don’t want to push you or push us too fast. I just really want to hold you tonight.”

Oh, my heart.

“Okay.”

Together we slowly make our way into his room. I let Finn settle in bed first, but when he lifts the blankets beside him, I slide in. His arm reaches out and tugs me flush against his body so that my head is resting on his shoulder and my hand finds a place on his chest. I can feel the steady beat of his heart underneath me and when he kisses the top of my head, my lips curve into a smile.

“Is this okay?” he asks, and I nod. “Good. I just, I’ve noticed you’re not the kind of girl who like, hugs everyone.” I cringe. It’s always a guess as to how someone will take the fact that I’m not big on physical affection with people who are just my friends or less.

“Yeah, it’s weird, I know. I’ve just never really been affectionate with people other than my dad.”

“Nah, not weird. I guess I just want to make sure that doesn’t extend to cuddling with me.”

I lift my head up to look at him, and think about it for a minute. He’s serious about his concern, I can tell. “No, this is nice. I…I don’t mind cuddling with you.”

“Good. I don’t mind cuddling with you, either.”

I lay my head back down on his shoulder and feel him take a long breath in and out. I could overanalyze why I’m pretty sure I would love to hug Finn, but now’s not the time.

“Thank you for being here,” he whispers against my head before kissing me once more. I open my mouth to tell him it’s not exactly a hardship, but when I look up, his eyes are closed. Faster than I thought it would, his breathing evens out into the peaceful pattern of sleep. When I glance over at his bedside table, I discover the culprit. He must have taken one of his painkillers, and that’s why he’s so drowsy and adorable. I snuggle in closer, and when his arm tightens around me, I let my own stress and worry fade away.

When my brain slowly makes its way to consciousness the next morning, I register two things immediately.

One, the warm, solid wall of muscle underneath me and two, the indescribable sense of happiness I feel. The first makes sense given my sleeping situation. The second baffles me. Since when does waking up with a man lead to such a complete feeling of everything being right in the world?

“Mmm.” The sound of that contented sigh coming from Finn brings a goofy smile to my face. And when I feel his lips press against the top of my head, I lift my face to meet his. We kiss, both of us still in that dreamlike state that only an early morning and the magic of newfound intimacy can bring.

“You’re here,” he says, and his eyes are smiling at me.

“You asked me to stay.”

“I know. I’m just really happy you did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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