“I’m good now.”
He turns around and shifts a little closer to the exit.
“You can’t sleep there. You won’t fit,” I state the obvious.
“Right.” He looks at the space between us like it’s an unsolved math equation and carefully moves closer to me. I scoot over to the side too, giving him more space. He needs more than I do.
“Well, good night.”
“Yeah. Night.”
I turn to my side and push my arm under my head. I really miss pillows. And blankets. And mattresses. And ramen. Damn, do I miss my ramen. It will be the first food I eat when we get off this island.
His large body is moving behind me, trying to settle as far from me as possible. Once he’s comfortable, he lets out a loud exhale. I have one to match it, but I refrain from it. One miserable person is more than enough per square footage right now.
“Maeve,” comes his gentle voice after a few moments. “Ifyou had an opportunity to do anything you want in this world, what would you do?”
I don’t know what sort of question that is, and if he’ll just throw my dreams back into my face for not pursuing them.
“Anything?”
“Anything,” he replies without moving.
I’m quiet for a long time before I decide to share my wildest dream. “I’d like to be a fashion designer.” Swallowing my embarrassment down, I add, “I’d like it very much.”
He doesn’t say anything in return. Not a peep. But he also doesn’t laugh. It’s a win, I guess.
Last night, I fell asleep watching his back rhythmically moving. Tonight, I refuse to do so. Instead, I start counting little droplets that sneak inside the wall. One. Two. Three…
22
Maeve
It’s cozy. And warm. And I’m slowly moving up and down, up and down, like riding a boat on gentle waves.
A boat on gentle waves?
I startle awake and find myself on a steadily moving chest. Half of my body is draped over Ezra’s. My leg is resting on his not-resting cock. My head is on his chest while his arm is snaked under my neck and around my shoulders. My eyes are pained from keeping them so wide.
I carefully detach myself from his body and try to pull away before he wakes up in horror and finds our tangled limbs. But when I try to pull away, the arm under my shoulders tightens and brings me closer to him.
I push on his chest, but he tightens his grip further.
“Calm down,” he rasps with closed eyes. “We’re ’ready here. Let me enjoy it for a fucking minute.” He presses mecloser to him, and my leg ends up squashing his cock even more. He lets out a low moan.
I freeze. My eyes wide, my lips pursed with determination.
“Maeve.” His voice turns melodic. “Chill the fuck down, would you?”
I push away from him, and he lets me this time. “You’re giving me whiplash, asshole! Make up your mind about what you want! One minute you tell me nothing can happen, the next—oh!” I don’t finish because he’s on me a moment later. Grabbing my waist, he flips me in the air and gently lands me on my back. His large body stops on top of me, not quite touching, but just a hair away.
“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” he growls, bringing his face to mine.
I lift up my head away from the ground and nearly push my nose to his. “The feeling is mutual.”
“I know,” he exhales while he pulls away a little and focuses his gaze on my lips. “Everything you do, from the moment we met, drives me insane. All of it.” He leans closer. “You’ve driven memadfrom the moment you narrowed your eyes at me.” Closer. “Remember that? You marked me as your enemy exactly at that moment.”
“I didn’t,” I hiss between my teeth. “You were a douchebag who thought everyone is beneath him.”
