“I guess you’ll find out,” I said, aiming for a saucy tone.
“You’re a temptress,” he said, pressing a quick kiss on my lips. “Got any spare toothbrushes?”
As we both got ready for bed, my heart thumped wildly. I wasn’t planning on doing anything with Seth. He said we’d take it slow. But falling asleep in his arms was more than I’d ever done with any guy. It was nerve-wracking and thrilling at the same time.
I didn’t have many cute pairs of pajamas, but I did have one white satin shorts and tank top combo. I usually slept in ratty old t-shirts, but I wanted to look cute in front of Seth.
I had just begun to wonder if he slept with his shirt on, or just boxers, or maybe even naked, when he came out of the bathroom. To my disappointment, he was wearing both shirt and boxers. I supposed that was him trying to make me feel comfortable. As much as I wanted to see what he looked like underneath those clothes, I’d be too nervous to sleep if I knew he was in bed with me, half naked.
Seth was probably going to have the same problem, because the minute his eyes landed on me, they went heated and dark. That gaze scanned me up and down slowly, lingering on certain, more intimate, places. I didn’t know whether choosing this sleep outfit had been a good idea or not. Was I testing Seth’s self-control? But it was too late to change now.
His eyes returned to mine.
“You always sleep in that kind of thing, or am I just lucky?” he asked.
I went to turn down the bedding, climbing in and shifting over to make room for Seth. He climbed in next to me. The lights were already low, the room only lit by a single desk lamp next to my bed.
I thought nerves would fill my stomach, but I only felt a sense of peace and ease. I laid down in bed, and Seth followed me. We fumbled around, fluffing pillows and arranging blankets, until we both found comfortable positions. It was weird being in bed with someone else.
I wondered if Seth often slept with other people like this. Did he have girls over all the time? Did they stay the night? Or did they leave immediately after…
I pressed my lips together, not wanting to think about what Seth got up to with other girls. Besides, he said he didn’t have the kind of groupies the others did. Maybe he didn’t sleep around as much as one would expect from a rock star.
We were both quiet as we laid there, the only sound in the room our quiet breathing.
“Thank you,” I told him, breaking the silence.
“For what?” he asked. “For spending the night lying in bed with a sexy girl? Believe me, I am more than happy to be here.”
“I still appreciate it,” I said. “I’ve had a hard time sleeping lately. My brain keeps me up at night with all these thoughts swirling in my head, all these worries and anxiety and…” I trailed off, going quiet. “Anyway. It’s nice to have someone here.”
Seth scooted forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“I’m so sorry you’re having to go through all this,” he said. “It’s not fair. My offer still stands, you know.”
“What offer?”
“To murder those assholes.”
I cracked a smile. “I don’t think you need to go that far.”
Seth tugged me to his chest and buried his face in my hair. I melted into his arms.
“I hate the thought that someone hurt you,” he said, his voice muffled. “It pisses me off. You’re such a good person. You don’t deserve this shit.”
Seth’s embrace was comforting. With his arms around me, it felt like everything was all going to turn out okay. The rumors couldn’t last forever, right? Soon people would latch onto another piece of juicy gossip and they'd all forget about me.
That was what I had to hope, anyway.
It had hurt, the things they’d said about me, that they’d pitied me and thought they were doing me afavor.It was like they had pinpointed the exact thing that would cause the most pain. They had honed in on my insecurities.
But the sting of those rumors had been soothed by Seth’s words. He didn’t care that I wasn’t cool and badass. He liked me for who I was, even if that person was completely average and ordinary.
Seth’s breathing turned steady and heavy, on the verge of sleep. I tried to wiggle out of his grip to give him space, but he grumbled and closed his arms around me like a vise. I settled down into his embrace, laying my head on his chest.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
