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His face was inches away from mine, and I wrinkled my nose when a puff of morning breath hit me. Wiggling to curl into his throat, I let my eyes slide shut again. I’d always enjoyed cuddling, but this felt different.
Being here, with his arms like a shield around me, was the meaning ofsafe,and I’d never want to go without it again. Sneaking a glance at the clock, I grimaced. It was almost time for him to go to work.
Shoving aside my reluctance to move and distaste with the thought of him leaving, I trailed a hand over his back and gently hummed to wake him up.
“Oliver.”
His eyelids twitched, but otherwise he didn’t move.
Apparently, this would be harder than I thought.
Pulling out of his shoulder and running a hand through his hair, I massaged his scalp and tried again. “Oliver, it’s almost time for work,” I said, and his mouth tugged down into a pout. Then he pulled me closer, burying his nose into my hair with a grumble.
“Give me five more minutes.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
At that he cracked an eye open and smiled at me, his gaze hazy with the sleep still clinging to him as he huffed.
“It’s not nice to laugh at me, you know. I might just roll over and keep you hostage here.”
I bit my lip to stop the rest of the giggles, taking deep breaths until the jittery happiness faded. Once I was somewhat back in control, I shook my head.
“It wouldn’t be a very long hostage situation since you have work soon.”
He groaned, eyeing the clock with a glare. “Right, that. You know, usually I like my job, but this is definitely a drawback.”
Warmth fluttered through my chest, and I poked him teasingly. “I’m pretty sure anyone with a partner in this situation would say the same. Come on, the faster you get ready and head out, the faster you’ll be back.”
He still didn’t drop the reluctant air hovering around him, but he sat up. Stretching both his arms high above his head, he yawned, and I appreciated the picture he made. His hair wasn’t long enough to have bed-head, but he was cute enough without it.
His muscles pulled with every breath, flexing automatically as he ended his stretch and scratched his jaw. The next time he opened his eyes, they were all for me as a small smile curled his lips.
“You can stay here while I’m at work if you want.” He said, and for a second, I considered it. It was one of my days off, so work wouldn’t be an issue, and the idea of lounging in the bed that smelled of him was definitely not a downside.
Unfortunately, I did have other adult responsibilities, and I shouldn’t shirk them to sleep through the day, no matter how nice the thought was.
“I have to go grocery shopping today, but thank you,” I said and he nodded, his hand drifting to my hair. Calloused fingers carded through it, stopping every now and then to massage lightly. When I felt two seconds from purring like a cat, he pulled away with a sigh.
“I need to get ready, or I’m not going to leave at all.”
His tone was every bit as reluctant as I felt, and I reached up to cup his cheek, stroking lightly. “We’ll have more time for this in the future. Until then, do you want me to make you a lunch?” It wasn’t as if I had anything else to do while he got ready.
His smile grew a tad, and he nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love that. Usually I just skip it or buy something while I’m at work.”
If that’s how he usually ate, then I was amazed he stayed as fit as he was.
Not saying that, I scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. Dodging grasping hands, I shook a finger at him playfully.
“Nope, you have to get ready for work, and I have a lunch to make.”
He gave a fake pout that dissolved in less than a minute, his smile coming through as he nodded. “I’ll get on that now.” He went to shuck his pants, and I left before I could catch an eyeful.
I would have enjoyed the show, but the whole point was tonotmake him late. Dragging him to bed would be counterproductive to that.
Opening his fridge, I eyed the contents and considered what all I could make. He had lunch meat and apples; that was a good start. Building a few sandwiches absentmindedly, I grabbed a paper bag and set them inside, then tucked an apple along with it.
Nodding in satisfaction, I closed the bag and sat in one of the chairs. We’d skipped the tour yesterday, so I took in the kitchen now.
