Cerberus

14. Shifting Tides

Kassidy woke up slowly laying on his back. It had been a long time since he'd slept so soundly. He could recall being so tired when he returned to the house he could barely stay on his feet long enough to shower and.... And he'd talked to Lydia briefly, who had been sleeping in his bed. Lydia, who was still sleeping in his bed, with one arm draped across his bare chest and a leg wrapped between his own. Lydia who rested her head on the arm he had curled around her. Lydia, who had at some point in the night thrown the blankets off herself enough to expose the navy blue panties she'd been wearing under the shirt she'd borrowed from him, which had hiked its way up around her waist.
His entire mind went blank. All rational thought evaporated and he wasn't sure if he was even breathing. Oh I'm fucked was the only thought that crossed his stupid, irrational, man brain. Until the rest of the nights proceedings snapped to the forefront of his attention.
He needed to get up. But how? Lydia had herself completely entangled with him. There was no way he was moving without waking her up. Slowly, so slowly he slid his arm out from under her head. She pinched her eyebrows together, causing her nose to scrunch up. Despite his attempt not to think on it, he couldn't help but think she looked... very cute when she slept. Shut it down, he thought to himself.
He freed his arm, then attempted to gently lift her arm off his chest. It was too much, and Lydia made a noise similar to what he imagined a small animal would make when poked with a stick, and opened her eyes partially. She shifted her gaze to look up at him through her lashes and their eyes met. They laid like that for what felt like, to Kassidy, an eternity before Lydia's eye shot open the rest of the way with realization.
"Oh my god." She said, then unexpectedly she grinned wickedly. "Kassidy fucking Harris, are you a cuddler?"
Kassidy blinked, dumbfounded. "What?" Was his only, admittedly stupid, response.
Lydia sat up, untangling herself from him, and flipped over on her stomach. She propped herself up on her elbows, hands under her chin. He couldn't tell if she didn't realize or just didn't care that her ass was still on display. Either way, he made it a point not to look.
"I know I'm irresistible, you can say it." She lifted an eye brow at him.
Kassidy rolled his eyes. "I think the word you're looking for is irritating." He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed then stood, throwing a corner of the blanket over her face. He tapped his phone screen which was on the nightstand and saw it was 9am. Much later than he had planned on waking up, but he hadn't set an alarm either.
Lydia pulled the blanket off her face then popped up onto her knees, black t-shirt finally slipping back down to cover her. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that the tough, give no fucks Kassidy we all know is secretly a big softy." Kassidy rubbed his palms into his eyes in annoyance, but there was a small part of him that was glad to see her usual quick witted self making an appearance.
"Good, then I won't have to tell anyone you snore."
"I do not snore!"
"My ear drums beg to differ."
Lydia threw a pillow at him. Kassidy caught it easily, and without thinking swung it directly into the side of Lydia's head, knocking her over playfully on the bed. She let out a yelp and before he knew it, she was on her feet, launching herself off and the bed and grappling her arms and legs around him in an attempt to knock him off his feet. Kassidy laughed, losing his balance, and fell back down on the bed he'd just stood from moments ago, Lydia tangled around him like a feral animal.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Kassidy wheezed when Lydia stuck her fingers into his armpits in what he guessed was an attempt to take him out via tickling... Kassidy was, in fact, extremely ticklish, but he wasn't about to make it known.
"Say I don't snore!"
"You don't snore!", Kassidy said between bouts of laughter, "it must have been a lost cow passing by the window." Lydia let out a squeal and doubled down on her efforts to tickle him. In a last ditch attempt, Kassidy buckled his hips up into her, knocking her off balance. He used the momentum to flip her onto her back, pinning her to the bed with his own weight, his hands wrapped around her wrists just above her head.
He looked down into her jade eyes, smile lines lifting the corners up high. They were both panting from exertion now. He was so close to her, he could feel her heart racing. Suddenly, there was a thick tension in the air that hadn't been there moments before. It clogged his throat and he felt his heart drop to his stomach as reality set in.
Kassidy was laying on top of Lydia, pinning her arms to the bed, her legs wrapped around his waist, still in the t-shirt and panties she'd slept in, him still in his grey sweats and no shirt. That was a really, really bad look for him. But it was too late. He felt the tightness in his balls and knew he'd be hard as a rock in seconds.
As if she could read his mind, or more likely feel what was happening, her eyes became hooded and her breaths shallow.
"Kassidy..." she ever so slightly pressed herself up against him. He recoiled from the touch, letting go of her arms and fleeing from the bed, snatching a shirt and jeans from the closet and taking shelter in the bathroom.
Too far. That was absolutely way too far.
Something irreversible had changed between them. There was a level of mutual comfort between them now that hadn't existed before. Kassidy had a strong feeling it was due to what had happened the day prior. Keeping her safe was his job, and morally he had taken it seriously from the start. Now, there was a part of him that inherently wanted to protect her at all costs. Not just because it was his job, but because he didn't want anything or anyone to touch or hurt her.
Kassidy braced his hands on the lip of the vanity and stared at his reflecting.
Get it together, Harris. This is a job. She is a client.
He quickly turned on the cold tap and splashed water on his face. He took a deep breath then forced his mind away from Lydia and whatever the fuck had just happened. He still had work to do. He dressed quickly.
When he came out of the bathroom, Lydia wasn't in his room anymore. Fuck... he thought, knowing he'd have to face the repercussions of this sooner than later. They would have to talk, set boundaries, do something, but right now he had to set priorities. And his priority was keeping Lydia and her father safe and their enemies far, far away.