Page 83 of Riding the Curve

His fingers find his way to my chin and tip it up to meet his gaze.

“Morning.” I blush.

“Before you freak out, I’ll remind you that you asked me to stay last night.” He smirks.

Of course I did. Even in my sleep, my traitorous body made demands on my behalf. But instead of telling him that, I just decide to play it off.

“I’ve always thought you’d make a good pillow,” I tease, poking his chest a few times with my finger. “Turns out, I was right.”

His eyes roll, a smile shining brightly through as he does. “We’ve got lots of work to do, Trouble. Time to get up.” Em squeezes my ass underneath the sheet, and both our eyes go wide in shock.

“Did you take off my pants last night?”

“Maybe? But, in my defense, you also asked me to do that as well.”

“Which means you probably got a peek of what was beneath?”

“Perhaps.” His grin grows.

“And my bra . . . that was⁠—”

“That was all your doing, Trouble.” He chuckles. Its timbre is deep and rich, making my entire body tingle.

“It’s nice to see you laugh, it’s a beautiful sound. I don’t remember hearing it that often when we were growing up.”

Emerson’s lip pinch together. “I had my moments with my family. But most of them involved you.”

His gaze bores into me as I lie still, transfixed by his words.

“You’ve always had a way of coaxing a smile out of me. Out of all of us, really. Perhaps I should have called you Sunshine instead of Trouble all these years.”

I scrunch my nose. “Eh, it has a nice ring to it. But let’s face it, Trouble is much more fitting.”

“Facts.” He smirks as I pinch his chest. With a snort, he pulls himself up to lean up against the headboard, dragging me along with him.

For a moment, only silence passes between us. My head drapes across his shoulder, his thumb caressing my arm in gentle strokes. It’s so peaceful, I don’t want to break the moment. But the question is burning inside of me, and I had to let it out.

“Did you know I was still half-asleep when I asked you to stay?”

“I assumed that was probably the case, seeing how you barely flinched the entire drive home.” He grinned brightly, warming me from the inside out.

“Then why did you stay?” I breathe, my heart thundering against my chest.

A deep sigh flees his lips. His gaze rolls up to the ceiling for a moment before finally settling back on mine. Sweeping my hair behind my ear, his palm cups my cheek.

“Baby, whether you’re half asleep or wide awake, if you ask me to stay, I always will. There is no other place I’d rather be than by your side.”

Before I can respond, he seals his words with a kiss. Setting a deliciously slow pace, I dig my fingers into his wavy locks and pull him closer. My lips part at the seam, and his eager tongue leaps in to tangle with mine. Em’s fingers tangle in my hair, causing a sting at the back of my scalp. But I don’t mind at all.

I’m falling so deeply in love with this man.

I’ve been terrified that when I reach the bottom, there will be no one there. Just like before. I’d be left alone.

This kiss changes all of that.

Emerson Lane is telling me that I can fall, and he will be there to catch me.

Always.