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“Closer,” I whispered.
He kicked off his shoes and unzipped his jeans. Involuntarily, I tensed. That scrape of Patrick’s zipper, quick and deliberate, meant one thing: rough sex. Humiliating sex. Sex that peeled my layers and split me open.
But he simply lifted the blankets and lay down next to me in his T-shirt and boxers. God, he was warm. Huge and warm and hard without a trace of frost. I rolled onto my side to face the wall with the photos and scooted against him so my back fit his chest.
“Patrick?” I cursed the breathy little voice that came out of me. Call it an automatic response to being in bed with him.
“What is it, baby?” He traced my jaw.
“I’m afraid I won't wake up in the morning.”
His arm tightened around me. “Why would you think that?”
“I know it’s silly.” I stared at the photos gleaming on the wall. “I just do.”
“Do you want me to take you back to Health Services?”
“No, I don't want to drink more apple juice.”
His laugh rumbled against my back. “Do you want me to stay over?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Please.”
“Take care of yourself,” he said quietly. “I want you to get better.”
In the faint light, our two bodies cast a humped shadow on the wall. I lifted my hands to make a shadow puppet of a bunny. A big wolf appeared and snapped its jaws.
“Don't eat me!” the bunny squeaked. The wolf closed around it, gobbling. “Hey!”
“I’m not eating you.” His voice was teasing. “I just want a taste.”
“Okay,” I said, breathless. “You can have a taste.”
The wolf wandered down my arm and nibbled on my elbow. “Mmmmm. Delicious. But you know my favorite thing to eat? A sweet little girl.”
The last thing I'd expected was to get turned on tonight. Patrick’s touch was more playful than sexy. But my skin throbbed, warm under his fingers. The bunny hopped back to its home.
“Want to hear a story?” I asked.
“Go ahead.” He sounded so relaxed behind me. I stretched my foot back to twine with his.
“Once upon a time,” I began, “I was a freshman in high school and Alexis was a senior.”
“Are you gunning for another spanking?” Patrick asked lazily. “Bringing up your family issues? Because I’m not going to give you one tonight.”
“Hush. Just listen.”
His silence encouraged me to go on.
“The year had its ups, and it had its downs. I heard about my sister from all my teachers. Her face was everywhere. The entire football team thought it was okay to mess up my hair when they passed me in the hall. Guys tried to use me to get to my sister. People I didn’t even know called me ‘Little Alexis.’” I sighed. “My friends thought I was lucky. They were always asking me to get us invited to parties andget an in toseniors they had crushes on. But all I wanted was to be Christina.”
A heavy arm wrapped around me. It was cozy in bed together. Me in my fleece pajamas, Patrick in his T-shirt and boxers. Always, in his room, we were naked between the sheets.
“You know how high school is,” I continued. “People change. Everyone’s figuring out who they are.”
“Mmm,” he said behind me.
“Who were you in high school?”
