Bound

Chapter 21: Falling Beneath You

Emily

My eyes blink open slowly and try to deflect the too-bright morning sun shining down directly on me. They burn for a second, but I finally open them fully.

Blake's handsome face comes into my view., looking down at me. We're almost completely unmoved from the position we fell asleep in.

He smiles brightly at me. "Good morning, beautiful." His voice is still rugged and thick from sleep.

How long has he been staring at me? It's kinda' sweet, but I know I sleep with my mouth ajar and snore. My cheeks flush at the thought of him watching me as I slept.

I reach an arm up and around his neck and stretch. "Morning, handsome," I say in return and attempt to hide my embarrassment in the crook of his neck.

His scent is stronger than usual and I take an extra moment to breathe him in, finding solace in the seemingly familiar smell.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks.

His simple question causes a lazy smile to creep across my face and I pull away, finally meeting his eyes. "I slept amazingly, and you?"

"I'm glad. I slept really well, too. I wish I could lay here with you all day."

"You can't?" I pout, my voice full of stupid concern.

"No, sweetheart. I have to go to work."

Sweetheart? I instantly look away. Hearing him call me that makes me feel shy, but I like it anyway.

"Work?" I whine. "See, I told you that you procrastinate. We'll never get to painting this barn." I throw my left hand up in the air and try to sit up to rant, but the weight of his body above me keeps me in place. I continue anyway, "Besides, it's a weekend job if you're working all week. It'll take awhile to do for just two people. I don't know why I didn't remember you work every weekday."

I also don't know why I talk so much. I feel so stupid when I do that but I do it anyway. I look away again, hoping he just thinks it's a cute quirk of mine instead of the red flag it probably should be.

"Yes, work," he confirms, slightly mocking my whiny tone. Then he says, "A weekend job, huh? Pft. You just want an excuse to see me again this weekend, huh?"

I know he's just teasing, but my cheeks turn a tomato shade of red anyway. He really needs to stop embarrassing me.

"Not very likely." I argue and he gives me a look that says, 'yeah right.'

We look at each other for moments longer and I wonder when he's going to break the connection, get up, and go to work like he said. After a moment longer, he sits up a little more, keeping himself above me when he says, "Charles and Sienna will be over here a little later, if you wanna hang around today. And we can recruit them to help us paint."

To me, it sounds like he had this all planned out, but I'm not going to ask him directly. Although I am a little offended that he just expects me not to have anything better to do all day than to wait for him to get off work and come home.

Nonetheless, he was right. I have no job and nothing better to do. And I do want to be here when he comes home. So, I ask, "Are you sure I can stay?"

"Anytime. Make yourself at home," he answers, his smile reaching his eyes now.

I shake my head. I can't believe how sweet he is. He set up this romantic date, held me all night, and now he's telling me I can stay until he comes back home. It does make me feel wanted-something I've never been to anyone else besides maybe Sienna and my dead mother.