Page 53 of Bed of Roses

When I’m finished, she leans and licks the tip, gathering the bead that was left there. After she swallows, I take her hands and help her stand. Cum drips from the edges of her lips and slides down the edges of her cheeks.

“So fucking beautiful,” I murmur to her.

A blush rises to her cheeks, a stark contrast to the cum, but I move so I can guide her into the spray. Once the cum is washed off, I turn her back to me and kiss her tenderly. “Thank you,” I say against her mouth.

She looks back at me and juts her chin in surprise.

“What?” I ask, concerned.

“I never thought I’d ever hear you thank anyone.”

I don’t know how to tell her how grateful I am, so I just shrug. She brought me back from the edge, and even though I still have concerns and issues, she took the time to distract me, to give me what I needed even when I didn’t know what I needed:her.

She gave me her.

I kiss her forehead as I pick up her soap. I quickly wash her and then myself, both of us lost in thought. The night is coming to a close, and even I have to admit that I don’t want it to be over.

Turning off the shower, she slides back the curtain and plucks two towels from the rack. We dry off, sneaking a few kisses in between, and step out of the shower. In the dark room, I head to my clothes, and just as I pick up my shirt, she says, “No.”

I turn and raise an eyebrow. “No?”

She shakes her head. “Will you - um -” She looks at the bed then back at me, nibbling her lip.

“Stay with you?” I finish for her.

She nods. “At least until I fall asleep.”

I drop my shirt back to the ground, head to the bed, and climb in. Truth be told, I don’t want to leave either. I do have a lot to think about - about the evening at the bowling alley, about the way she brought me back from the edge, about all of it - but there’s no way I can deny her this.Denymethis.I can think about the rest of the shit when I head home.

Smiling, she crosses the room and slides under the covers with me. Her body curls against mine, and she exhales contentedly when I drape my arm around her.

I kiss the top of her damp hair. I may not deserve this, and I may only be staying until sleep takes her, but like hell am I going to give it up.

Call me selfish, and I won’t deny it.

Chapter 20

Tegan Adams

My eyes fly openwhen I hear someone say, “Wake up.” It was screamed right in my ear, a deep male voice. I startle and scramble with the covers, fighting for breath that just won’t come. It takes me a moment to realize I’m in my room, and it takes me even longer, eyes wildly searching the darkness, to realize that I’m alone.

Even Cole is gone.

I work on calming my breathing, long passes between ‘O’ shaped lips, as I come to grips with the fact that the scream was probably in my dream. I don’t remember what I was dreaming about, but it had to have been a bad one to wake up in such a way.

And the ringing in my ears? That’s blood rushing through them. That’s all.

I’m sure Dr. Lynn would have had something to say about all this, but in this moment, I can’t think of one piece of advice he’d give me.

I stretch my arm out across the mattress and feel that Cole’s side of the bed is cold. He’s been gone for a while, and I find myself a little disappointed that he didn’t stay. But he had something happen to him last night that I know he needs to think about, so I try to be understanding and let that wash away my disappointment.

The covers drape down my bare torso as I work myself into a sitting position. My heart still hammers, and a fine sweat has broken across my back, but sitting will help me come to grips with reality.

I stick a finger in my ear and wiggle, trying to get the hearing back to normal. And then I sit there for a moment, waiting for my heart to calm, before I climb out of the bed, throw on a big t-shirt, and head into the bathroom. The water splutters as I turn it on, but I cup my hands under the faucet and splash the cold water on my face. I have no idea what time it is, but based on how dark it still is, it has to be the middle of the night.

As I pat my face dry, I stare at my exhausted expression in the mirror. The color is drained from my cheeks, but I sort of expected that after that scare.

Sighing, I decide to keep the bathroom light on because, for some odd reason, a little light makes me feel a smidge safer. My mother used to leave the hall light on to chase away the bad dreams, so the bathroom light should work just the same. In theory, anyway.