CECE
Early morning lightfell across CeCe’s eyelids, but she resisted the urge to open them. Her bed felt too snug and cozy, as if a soothing warmth radiated from the mattress itself. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so soundly.
Content in her cocoon of comfort, her thoughts drifted to the previous night. Jayce, holding her while she wept. He hadn’t offered empty platitudes, only his presence. And, when the timing was right, the perfect amount of humor. Somehow, he’d taken her from tears to laughter, soothing the rough edges of her heart, giving her hope that eventually everything would be okay between her and her mom.
They’d ended the evening with popcorn—his trademark butter and Italian seasoning recipe—and aStar Trek: The Next Generationmarathon. Then they’d fallen asleep and—
CeCe jolted from her half-awake haze, springing upright.
The figure beside her groaned softly but didn’t stir.
Her cheeks flamed as reality swooped into focus. Her comfortable mattress looked more like Jayce’s toned body stretched out on her couch.
Spock gazed down at them from his lofty position on the back of the armchair, passing judgment on their compromising sleeping arrangement.
“It was an accident,” she whispered, as if she needed to explain herself to a cat.
Frazzled, she searched for her glasses in the throw blanket and found them tangled in the fringe, luckily unharmed. Slipping them on, she glanced back at Jayce and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. His right arm arched above his head, bent in a way that accentuated his sculpted biceps. Just above his left temple, his thick, dark hair twisted in the most adorable cowlick. Her fingertips ached to untangle it. Truthfully, she longed to trace every inch of his beautiful face, from his full, perfect eyebrows to the chiseled contours of his jawline. Why did he have to be so sweetandso good-looking? At least the tiny dewdrop of drool in the corner of his mouth made him appear somewhat human. Should she wake him?
A knock at the door made the decision for her.
Her heart vaulted into her throat.
Jayce groaned again, but still didn’t open his eyes.Good grief. The man could sleep through anything.
It must be Piper looking for her. She was usually down in the kitchen baking before sunrise, well before Piper started her shift.
“Wake up!” she hissed, shaking him by his exceptionally well-defined shoulders.Yeesh. How often did he work out?
“Five more minutes,” he muttered, rolling onto his side.
Time for more drastic measures. She tugged off the throw blanket and tickled him in his weak spot, right below the ribs.
He instantly sprang to life, grabbed her hands, and pinned her backward on the couch.
She inhaled sharply, gazing up at him in surprise. Insanely fitandpossessed catlike reflexes that could rival Spock’s.Impressive.
He hovered above her, his body heat spanning the two inches between them. “What have I said about tickling me?”
“I forget,” she lied, hiding a smile. His ticklishness had always been his Achilles’ heel, and she’d unabashedly used it to her advantage more than once. Like the time he’d monopolized the Xbox when she’d wanted her turn. Or the one and only occasion he’d tried to read her diary when they were in second grade.
“I told you the punishment would fit the crime.” He reached for her waist, but she blocked his attempt to tickle her in return, suppressing a laugh.
“Wait,” she gasped, wriggling beneath his weight. “There’s someone at the door.”
With perfect timing, the knock sounded again, punctuating her point.
Jayce released her and sat back, his eyes wide as he appeared to piece together the events of last night. “Shouldn’t we answer it?”
“And have someone think we spent the night together? I don’t think so,” she chastised under her breath. “Go hide in the bedroom until I can sneak you out.”
“But wedidspend the night together. And it was perfectly innocent. Can’t we just explain that we accidentally fell asleep watching TV? Look.” He pointed to her flat screen. The wordsAre you still watching?stared back at her. “See. There’s proof.”
“Great. Now you suddenly want a close relationship with the truth?” She rolled her eyes. “It still looks bad, and I’d rather not try to explain it.” She jabbed her finger toward the bedroom. “Go.”
He complied, albeit with some muttering, and Spock trotted after him. CeCe waited for her bedroom door to close before scrambling to greet Piper, her mind racing to form an excuse.I fell asleep. Forgot to set an alarm. So sorry I—
The words died on her lips the second she opened the door.
