His lashes flutter as he closes his eyes, then he rolls away from me. Climbing out of bed, he stretches, his arms extending over his head and his lean chest arching. “I’ve gotta go.”
I frown. “You could stay for breakfast.”
“I can’t.”
Looking around the room, his brows draw together before realization dawns, and he slips out of the room. He comes back a few minutes later, dressed in last night’s clothes.
I push up, bracing myself on my elbow as I watch him. “You know, staying for breakfast won’t kill you. You don’t have to rush off as soon as the sun comes up like some kind of vampire.”
He snorts. “Vampires can’t go out in the sun. I’d leave before sunrise if I was some kind of vampire.”
“Arlo.”
He shakes his head, sobering. “I’ve gotta go. Thank you. Until next time.”
I sit up fully, the blankets pooling around my waist. “Hey, wait.”
Arlo pauses, turning to me. “Yeah?” I stick my bottom lip out in a pout that could rival even his. He rolls his eyes. “Are you pouting at me? What do you want?’
“A goodbye kiss.”
He narrows his eyes. “And you think pouting at me is gonna do the trick?”
I shrug. “Seems to work for you.”
After staring at me with his mouth hanging open for a second, he giggles—my favorite sound in the whole world. “You’re doing it wrong.”
My brows pull together. “Pouting? How do you pout wrong?”
Cocking his head, he grins. “You’ve gotta add a little lash flutter.”
He bats his lashes at me, like he’s proving a point, and given the way my heart skips a beat, I guess he kind of did.
I’m sure I look half-ridiculous, but when I bat my lashes at him and stick my lower lip out, he walks around the room and leans into my space.
Gripping the front of his shirt in my fist, I pull him down to me and seal our lips together. He sighs into the kiss. I’m not above using this to keep him here a little longer, so I deepen it, taking my time exploring his mouth.
He sighs, sinking into it more—intome.I’m just about convinced it’s working when he pulls back and puts space between us.
“Have a good day, Jasper,” he murmurs.
And with that, he turns and walks right out of the room. A few moments later, my front door shuts, and the barely audible rumble of his engine reaches my ears.
With a sigh, I slump back in bed, blinking up at the ceiling.
I’m not sure how to survive this.Him.
I guess if it does kill me, there are worse ways to go out. Death by loving Arlo Montgomery doesn’t sound all that bad compared to some ways I could die.
A small smile splits my face despite the ache burning in my heart.
Tossing the blankets back, I climb out of bed. If Austin is up, I might see if he wants to go to the gym with me. He wasn’t much for working out before, only doing as much as the job required. Ever since he had to defend Luca from Luca’s ex-fiancé, he’s taken it more seriously.
I grab my phone, unplugging it from the charger before sending a quick text to Austin.
Me
Wanna hit the gym with me?
