I almost laugh. Does he honestly expect me to relax while he’s not only in my bed but holding me against his muscular body? Relax when his smell is making me dizzy?
“Relax, Hadley. I got you,” he says softly, while his fingers slide through my hair. Squeezing my eyes closed, I debate telling him there is no way in hell I’m going to be able to relax with him around, but my muscles start to slowly loosen with his fingers working their magic, the steady beat of his heart against my ear, and his even breathing. “That’s it, baby. Sleep,” he whispers right before I fall asleep, and once again, I sleep like a baby with Cobi watching over me.
“So you’re here again.” At that statement from Brie, my eyes slowly blink open. They widen when my vision clears and I see the time on the clock next to my bed.
“Yep,” Cobi states, and my heart begins to pound.
“So did you spend the night again?” At Brie’s question, I toss back the blanket and roll off the bed, ungracefully. I look like a fish out of water then almost fall on my face.
“Don’t answer her!” I shout, pulling open my door and rushing out of my room. I skid to a halt in front of the kitchen island where Brie and Cobi are standing on opposite sides. “Do not answer her. It’s a trap.”
“A trap?” Brie narrows her eyes on me.
“Yes, a trap.” I look at Cobi. “Do not answer her.”
“So don’t tell her we slept together again?” His lips twitch as his eyes fill with humor.
“Again.” Brie raises a brow at me.
“We did not sleep together,” I snap.
“We didn’t?” Cobi questions, and I turn to glare at him.
“We didn’t sleep together.”
“We did,” he states with a casual shrug while picking up his coffee then taking a sip.
“You slept with him twice?” Brie asks.
“No. Okay, yes, we did sleep together, but we didn’t actually sleep together. I mean, we did actually sleep together.” I look at Cobi when he starts to laugh. “This is not funny.”
“So you did or you didn’t sleep together?” Brie frowns, looking confused.
“Fine!” I toss up my arms. “We didn’t have sex; we just slept together.”
“That’s what I said. We slept together,” Cobi says, and Brie starts to laugh.
“If you’re both done annoying me, I need to go get ready.”
“I also gotta head out,” Cobi states, looking at the clock on the microwave. “You mind if I steal your girl for a minute?” he asks Brie.
“Not at all. A minute, a month, forever maybe.” She winks at him, and he laughs.
“Come on.” I take Cobi’s hand and drag him into my room then shut the door. “Can you please stop charming my friend?”
“So now I’m charming?” A growl sounds in my throat and my hands ball into fists as I stare into his humor-filled eyes. “Should I start making a list?”
“Sure,” I snap, “and why don’t you add ass to it?”
“Not sure I like that one.” He grins. “Unless you’re referring to the quality of my ass.”
“Don’t you need to leave?” I wave my hand at the door he’s standing next to.
“You’re the one who hauled me into your bedroom, baby.”
“Well then, you can go.”
“Can I get a kiss goodbye?” His eyes drop to my mouth, and mine drop to his.
My pulse quickens and my stomach dips. Yes, all the yesses! My mind screams, but “Absolutely not” leaves my mouth.
“Absolutely not? That’s pretty firm, considering the way you were just looking at my mouth.”
My eyes turn to slits. “I was not looking at your mouth.”
“Liar.”
“She lies all the time!” Brie shouts from the other side of the door, and I groan while Cobi starts to laugh.
“Shut up, Brie, and get away from my door, you spy.”
“I dropped an earring,” she says, and I roll my eyes toward the ceiling and hold them there, praying to get caught in a vortex that will send me to another time or place.
“What are you doing today?” Cobi asks, and my eyes meet his.
“Just girl stuff then a movie with Brie.”
“Good.” He reaches out, wrapping his fingers around a piece of my hair before tucking it behind my ear. “What time do you think you’ll be home?”
Whenever you say you’re going to be here.
“Late, really late.”
“She’s lying. She’ll be home by six,” Brie states, sounding like she’s smiling.
“Oh my God, get away from my door, Brie.”
“Just trying to help a brother out,” she mumbles.
“It’s appreciated,” Cobi calls, and I groan then jerk my eyes to his when he grabs my hand. “I’m off duty today. Gonna help my dad with some stuff. But I’ll be here at six with pizza.”
“I don’t thi—”
“See you then.” He brushes his mouth against mine, startling me silent and sending my body into a frenzy. Without another word, he opens the door and leaves me standing in my room frozen in place. I hear him say goodbye to Brie, and then I listen to the front door open and close.
“I really like him,” Brie says, dancing into my bedroom, her long hair tied up in a ponytail bouncing with her. “Like a lot, and he’s funny.” She plops down on my bed, and I turn to look at her, wondering how it’s possible that my lips are still tingling—how every inch of me is still tingling. “I didn’t expect him to be funny, because he has that whole serious badass vibe about him, but he’s really funny.”
“Brie.” I know she hears my warning when she rolls her eyes.
“Don’t tell me to stop or give me the same ‘I’m not interested’ crap you gave me yesterday, because you and I both know that’s a lie.”
“Brie.”
“Hadley, a woman would have to be dead not to be interested in him, and I’m thinking that even then they’d turn into the walking dead if he were around.”
“I need to get ready.” I sigh when I see she’s not going to give this up anytime soon.
“You do that. I’m going to call Ken and fill him in on what happened.”
I stop digging through my drawers and turn to look at her. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.” She pulls her phone out, dials, and then puts it to her ear. “Hey, babe, you are not going to believe this.”
I don’t wait around to listen to her talk to Kenyon. I don’t need a recap of this morning. I really don’t need to spend any more time thinking about Cobi, who’s barely there brush of the lips left me paralyzed—Cobi, who will be back again tonight with pizza.
I get dressed in a pair of my favorite jeans, with a white tank top and a light sweater over it, and then slip on a pair of sandals so I won’t mess up my pedicure. I quickly run a brush through my hair, add a little mascara to my lashes, and then swipe some gloss on my lips. When I’m done and come out of the bathroom, I find Brie exactly where I left her, still on the phone and lying on my bed. Her eyes meet mine, and she smiles then says goodbye to Kenyon and hangs up.