I take a second to study his features in my new position, given the fact that we’re now eye to eye. Crazy mess of hair that I’m noticing makes him look younger than he is, green eyes that are narrowed in on mine, and stubble? A lot of stubble. I reach out and brush my hand along his chin and can’t contain my smile. Oh man. Reese with a day or two worth of facial hair is sexy beyond belief. “Why did you just try to move away from me?”
I shake my head quickly.
“Dylan.” Oh Mister persistent.
“Nothing’s changed for me but has it changed for you?” I ask quickly, getting out the question I feared the answer to before I can think myself out of it.
“No,” he answers firmly.
“So you still want this?”
He drops his head and it hits the headboard with a loud thump. “Yes, whatever the f**k this is, I still want it. You’re in control here, Dylan. You have all the f**king control.” His eyes are burning into mine with the same intensity they’ve always shown for me. I’m in control? Of what? Of us? I decide not to probe because I’m not sure I want to know the answer. He lets out a forceful breath that warms my face. “If something would have happened to you tonight…” His eyes close tight and the crease in his brow appears. Oh Reese. The man’s mood swings are enough to give me permanent whip lash.
“Nothing happened. I’m okay. I called you and you came for me.” I reach out and stroke his face as his eyes pop back open, green and blazing. His tenseness softens a bit.
“I tried locating Heather and sorting this shit out with her but I didn’t find her. All f**king weekend I’ve been looking.” He grits his teeth. “She wasn’t at her house and she’s not answering my calls.” I swallow loudly and he shakes his head. “I’m f**king dealing with it I just wanted you to be prepared. Fred didn’t deliver that package so just don’t open any that aren’t from him. Okay?” I nod. Jesus. I really don’t want to have to deal with this again. But if Reese is dealing with it then I’m sure it will be dealt with, in a very Reese like manner no less. “But after tonight, Dylan, I don’t want you there by yourself.” His hands grip my waist and pull me closer to him, our foreheads falling together.
“I don’t want to be there by myself either, but I want to keep an eye on my shop. It’s important to me. It’s mine and I’ve worked hard for it.” His hand reaches up and pulls my bun loose, letting my hair fall down my back. “I’m going to have a door installed at the top of the stairs. I’ll call about getting it done along with the window repair and a security system tomorrow. I can’t believe I never thought about having some type of system in place already.” He nods at me but I know that isn’t what he wants to hear. I lean in and kiss him gently. “I’ll be fine, I’ve lived there on my own for three years. Plus, I have you and you’re only five minutes away if something happens.”
His hands brush lightly down my back, playing with the ends of my hair. “It will never take me five minutes to get to you. I think I made it there in two tonight.” I giggle slightly and see his lips curl up. “I might be getting a few red light camera notifications in the mail.”
“Worth it?” I ask, running my hands through his hair.
“Worth it. You hungry?”
I nod frantically and he laughs, the infectious sound pulling me in with him. “Sit tight.” I’m slid off as he hops out of bed, disappearing down the hallway as I watch his glorious backside stride away. Laughing quietly at the realization that he always asks me if I’m hungry after sex, I grab one of his pillows and press it to my face, inhaling deeply as his voice comes down the hallway.
“Do you like your pizza cold or heated up?
“Cold.” Yum. Cold pizza and a sleepover with Reese? Yes please. Glancing around the room, I spot his iPad on his dresser. I scramble out of bed and grab it, flipping it open and turning it on. I have some googling of a certain CPA to do. The screen comes to life. Oh. Oh my. The wallpaper is a picture of me, in this bed. I’m sleeping, curled up on my side with the sheets covering me up to show only a tiny bit of cle**age. My hair is a mess of blond waves that are spilling down my right shoulder and my lips are parted. The camera is mainly focused on my face and I look to be in a deep sleep. I look up and see Reese staring at me, stopped in the doorway carrying our food.
“Umm, you found my iPad I see.” He moves towards the bed and puts the plates down on his nightstand, his eyes only momentarily leaving mine. “Nobody sees that. I would never show that to anybody.”
Placing it down on the bed, I get up on my knees and crawl to the edge where he’s standing, pulling him towards me and wrapping my arms around his neck. After a moment’s hesitation, he wraps his arms around me and relaxes against my body. “You’re not mad? I can take it off.”
I reach around and place my hand over his mouth, silencing him. “I’m not mad. It can stay on there.” Dropping my hands, I scoot back over and reach out for my plate playfully as his smile returns.
“Cold pizza huh? I thought I was the only other person that still preferred it cold to heated.”
I take a bite and shake my head. “I hate heated leftover pizza. The cheese gets all rubbery and gross.” He drops a chilled bottled water in my lap and I yelp. “So, why did you take that picture of me?”
He stops chewing briefly, looking over at the iPad on the bed. “I don’t know. I think I just wanted a reminder of you in my bed, just in case you refused to get back in it.” I laugh and he winks at me. “I watched you for hours before I took it. Do you know you make little noises while you sleep?”