“If you decide you want to be done, let me know,” he says.
“I’m good, but can you maybe start over? I was spacing there for a bit.”
He chuckles a little. “Sure, cowboy.” He pauses and asks, “You don’t wanna be knitting while we do this? I don’t want you losing precious minutes.”
I shake my head. “I can’t knit unless I’m watchingsomething I’ve seen before, or don’t really need to pay that much attention to. I think I better be paying attention to this.”
And I do pay attention this time, though when he tries to do different voices for all of the characters I can’t stop laughing because they’re awful. A voice actor he is not. He stops and I relax again, the sound of his voice soothing. I find I enjoy hearing about the March sisters, and I think Beth is my favorite. She’s just so sweet. I really like Jo too, though, and how she rejects societal standards and is unapologetically herself. Her independence, strength and spirited personality remind me of Gram.
We get a few chapters in before I start to nod off and Alex is yawning, too. I had to stop him just a couple of times to ask him about words and what they meant, like “cabalistic” and “warble”, and he told me each time without any frustration or irritation in his voice. Just that kindness that I’m coming to find is so very Alex.
“Okay, time for a break because my throat is getting sore,” he says, setting the book down. “You haven’t told me to stop so I’m assuming that means you aren’t hating it.”
“No, I’m really enjoying it, actually,” I tell him, and he smiles. “But I am falling asleep.”
“Nap time, then,” he says, and moves the other pillow on the sofa, resting it on his side and stretching out behind me, his feet near my upper back, before he pulls the other blanket down and drapes it over himself. He grabs his phone and says, “Hey Siri, set an alarm for six pm.”
“What’s at six pm?” I ask, still trying to register that we’re napping together. I could go home, but I don’t want to.
“Dinner at my parents’ place,” he says. “We do it once a month to visit and catch up. You’re coming, too.”
I hide a grin. “I am?”
He snuggles into the pillow and closes his eyes. A yawnescapes him, and I know that whatever this attraction or crush or infatuation is, it’s not going away any time soon because who the actual fuck sees someone yawn and thinks it’s cute? Jesus.
“Yep,” he says. “Night, Thor.”
I chuckle, and my heart pitter patters again. “Night.”
Alex
I wake before the alarm goes off, my body alerting me that I have to pee. God, I don’t want to though. This is the best nap I’ve ever had, even if we both barely fit on this couch the way we are. Having Bentley’s body heat around me, sharing the space with him, the scent of ocean and rain that clings to him, the sense of safety I feel with him near, is addictive, and my body is heavy and boneless as I groan. When I open my eyes I come almost face to…foot I guess, with his large sock-covered feet, and even though I’m not typically a foot person, I have an overwhelming urge to press my lips to his, and I nearly gasp when my cock jerks at the thought.
Okay, time to get up before I embarrass myself by doing something incredibly stupid and inappropriate. Inviting him to dinner with me was stupid enough. What I need is a break from him, but it’s the last thing I want. And I know he doesn’t have family, so I want him to feel welcome with mine. If that means suffering by being in his company for another few hours, I’ll survive.
I climb out of my cocoon of warmth and coziness and over Bentley’s long legs, making my way to the bathroom.
When I return he’s snoring softly with Marble lying on his hip like it’s the most comfortable place in the world, and I can’t believe I’m jealous of a fucking cat. I mosey over to them and stare down at her. “You’re going to have to getoff you spoiled feline,” I tell her, arms crossed over my chest. “He’s coming with me.”
She raises her head, blinks at me, and then puts it back down. I sigh. The alarm is going off in a couple of minutes, but since I feel like it might be nicer to wake Bentley gently rather than being shocked awake, and not at all because I want the excuse to touch him, I turn it off. And then, even though what I really want to do is run my fingers through that thick, gorgeous head of hair, and feel how fucking silky it is under my fingertips, maybe grip it and use it to tilt his head back while I suck marks on his thick neck–okay that was oddly specific and I realize that definitely falls into the inappropriate and possibly creepy category–I rest my hand on one of his broad shoulders instead. Fuck, even that has a zing of electricity shooting up my arm.
“Pull it together, Alex,” I murmur.
“What?” he mutters, and I almost shriek, stepping back as his eyes blink open slowly.
“Jesus, I thought you were asleep,” I say, catching my breath, really thankful that I didn’t say any of the other things I was thinking out loud. Lord Almighty.
“Sorry,” he chuckles, his eyes opening fully, before he yawns. “I haven’t been awake for long. What are you pulling together?”
“Uh…” my cheeks heat and I scramble to think of something. “Never mind, it’s not important. Upsy daisy, we have to be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Isn’t it upstairs?” he asks, reaching over to scoop Marble into his arms and rubbing her belly as she flops over. She looks at me upside down from where she’s nestled in Bentley’s strong arms and I swear she grins. I take the opportunity to glare at her.
“Yeah, but don’t you need to get ready, or something?”
He looks at himself. “I don’t think so. Do I need to change?”
I shake my head. “You gotta pee or anything?” What the heck? Why did I ask him that? Is he five?
