Page 75 of Play Dirty

He smiled, and I leaned into him. I did it slowly, carefully, until my head rested on his shoulder.

Sebastian didn’t move, didn’t react. He just let me.

And that part meant everything.

Soft music played faintly from a set of headphones on his bed. I exhaled, letting the tension bleed out of me in slow, cathartic waves.

“Can I…”

“Sleep here tonight?” he chuckled softly.

“Yeah.”

“Of course.”

His hand slid further forward, into my palm. Our fingers intertwined simultaneously, as if we both shared the same thought.

“Let’s go next door and grab your pajamas,” he murmured. “And pillow. And anything else you want.”

The comforting scent of him filled my nostrils. The bar of soap we shared in the shower. The sandalwood in his shampoo. All of it intermixed with the rugged smell of leather and Febreze, sprayed on his pile of goalie gear, in the corner.

I needed something real. Something steady.

Slowly I stood, and peeled off my clothes. All the way down to my undergarments.

“I don’t need pajamas,” I murmured softly.

Sebastian’s warm brown eyes were suddenly fixated on my body. Or rather, parts of my body.

“You don’t need pajamas,” I smiled down at him.

I’d never seen a guy take his shirt off so quickly. It made me laugh.

And I really need to laugh.

“I need to feel your skin against my skin,” I said, throwing the blankets back. “I want to keep each other warm.”

He dimmed the lights and we slid in together, his arms and legs folding over me in a way that felt like we’d done it a thousand times. Nothing needed to be said. Quietly, we absorbed the darkness.

And slowly, deliberately, thoughts of everything — and everyone — else, faded to black.

~ 26 ~

HAVEN

I told myself I was getting used to the bus. The same roads, the same stops. The same worn-out suspension that made every bump feel like a violation of my personal space.

Not that I had any personal space.

Dorian leaned into me again, as he fell asleep for the third time. I didn’t mind him using my shoulder, really. Up until the drooling, anyway.

“Dude…”

I pushed him off, hard enough to wake him. Dorian blinked a few times, before running a sleepy forearm over his glistening mouth. Then he smiled, winked, and poked me in the ribs.

“How’s it hanging, stats-girl?”

Together we looked down at the saliva stain on my shoulder. Dorian grinned.