Bless the Broken Road that Lead Me Straight to You

Chapter 37

Erin's eyes fluttered open and her eyes adjusted to the light slowly as she took in her surroundings. It took her several moments to realize she was in her bed, and she had no clear memory as to how she had gotten there.

The last thing she could remember was sitting on the couch trying not to succumb to sleep. But the sleepless night the night before and the events of the day must have gotten to her, and she must have fallen asleep.

She felt Jay's arms arm wrapped around her waist, and his warm body pressed against her backside. She tried to wiggle slightly to loosen his grip, but after several failed attempts, she had to physically remove his hands from her body.

She didn't want to leave the safety and warmth of Jay's arms, but she desperately needed to pee. And she should probably brush her teeth, too, which she was at it. She slowly slid out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, turning the light on only after she had closed the door quietly behind her, hoping not to wake Jay.

She may have needed her sleep, but after the day he had, he probably needed it more.

She didn't close the door quietly enough, because Jay shifted as a result of the sound. His body woke before his mind, and he reached his arm across the large bed looking for his girl.

His mind woke fully when his arms came up empty. He opened his eyes, and it was only then that he noticed the light peering from under the bathroom door.

He was exhausted. Even though he slept soundly the night before, he had awoken feeling ragged instead of rested. And then there was this day, which had been emotionally draining to say the least. But as exhausted as he was, he didn't want to go back to sleep. Not until he spoke to Erin.

He had wanted to talk to her when he got home. And he could wait until tomorrow if he had to, but it was Friday, and they had plans to go to Molly's with the Intelligent Unit after the girls went to sleep. Lexi was coming over to babysit, and it was one of the first nights out they'd had in weeks.

So instead of going back to sleep, he waited for Erin to return from the bathroom.

After another couple minutes, the door opened and she tiptoed slowly towards the bed. She must not have realized he was awake. She slipped under the covers and moved her body towards him.

"Hi," he whispered.

She jumped out of her skin at the sound. "Jesus, Jay." She said, completely out of breath. "You scared me."

He laughed at the terrified look on her face. "Were you expecting someone else?"

At that, her lips broke out into a slow smirk. "Maybe," she replied.

"Oh, well, in that case..." He slowly slid his hands up her waist as his tongue slid easily into her mouth, letting her know that the someone else wouldn't be nearly as fun to sleep next to.

Before he let himself get carried away, he eased his lips back, his hands still stroking her skin. "Hi," he tried again.

"Hi," she whispered back, her voice husky and her eyes dark with arousal from his teasing.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She had wanted to tear his clothes off only moments before, but as she searched his eyes, she realized that he seemed ready to talk. She pressed her forehead against his and instead of leaning into press her lips against his, she whispered, "Tell me something."

"I love you," he repeated.

She laughed, easing her forehead away slightly. "That's cheating."

"I know," he laughed throatily. "I just like saying it."