Her Dad's Best Friend

Morning Close Call

I woke up to the feeling of warmth pressed against my back, the steady rise and fall of Jordan's chest behind me. For a moment, I stayed still, my mind foggy, enjoying the feeling of his skin against mine. But then reality crashed down. I wasn't in my bed at my apartment. We were in my parents' house. In my room.

My eyes shot open, and I glanced around the familiar space, my heart hammering in my chest. The early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Jordan shifted beside me, still half asleep, completely oblivious to the ticking bomb we were sitting on.

I bit my lip, trying to figure out how we'd ended up here. We'd come back late after sneaking around all night, the adrenaline making us reckless. But now, lying here in the daylight, it felt like the worst decision we could've made. My dad was just down the hall, and if he found Jordan here... we were both dead.

Just as I was about to wake Jordan, a knock on my door sent a wave of panic through my entire body.

"Hailey? You up?" It was my dad's voice, deep and far too close for comfort.

Jordan's eyes shot open, and we both froze, staring at each other in horror. I scrambled to sit up, tugging the sheet around me as I hissed under my breath, "You've got to hide."

"Hailey? You in there?" My dad knocked again, this time harder.

Jordan cursed softly, jumping out of bed and grabbing his clothes from the floor, trying to shove them on as fast as he could. But we both knew there was no way he'd be dressed and out of here in time.

I pointed to the closet, my heart pounding so hard I was sure my dad could hear it through the door. "Go! Now!"

Jordan didn't hesitate. He bolted across the room, still holding his shirt as he ducked into the closet, pulling the door shut behind him just as I heard the doorknob turning.

I threw the blanket over my legs, praying my dad wouldn't notice anything off.

The door creaked open, and there he was, standing in the doorway, looking at me with his usual concerned dad expression. "You okay? I've been knocking."

I forced a smile, trying to keep my voice steady. "Yeah, sorry, I was just—uh—still waking up."

He glanced around the room suspiciously, and for a split second, I thought he might have noticed something—maybe Jordan's shoes near the bed, or the mess of clothes scattered across the floor. But after a tense moment, he sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright. Well, breakfast is almost ready if you're hungry. Mom's making pancakes."

I nodded, holding the blanket a little tighter around me. "Yeah, I'll be down in a bit."He lingered for a moment longer, his eyes scanning the room before he finally nodded. "Okay. See you downstairs."

As soon as he closed the door behind him, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I jumped up, rushing to the closet and yanking the door open.

Jordan was standing there, shirt halfway on, his face a mix of amusement and relief. "That was way too close," he muttered, stepping out of the closet and pulling his shirt the rest of the way down.

"No kidding," I whispered, my pulse still racing. "You need to get out of here before anyone else sees you."

He nodded, his expression serious again. "I'll go. But we need to talk. Meet me at my place later?"

I bit my lip, knowing that he wasn't just talking about the close call this morning. Something had shifted between us, something that wasn't going to go away with just a few stolen moments in bed. "Yeah," I agreed. "I'll meet you there."

Jordan leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before grabbing his jacket and slipping out the window quietly, leaving me to catch my breath and hope that my dad didn't notice anything.***Later that day, I found myself standing outside Jordan's place, the cool evening air nipping at my skin. I was nervous—not because of what had almost happened this morning, but because I knew things were about to get more complicated.

Jordan opened the door, his eyes meeting mine, and I could feel the tension building between us all over again. He stepped aside, letting me in without saying a word, and I followed him into the living room.

"About this morning..." I started, but he cut me off with a shake of his head."That was too close, Hailey," he said, his voice low. "We need rules. If we're going to keep doing this, we can't be reckless."I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. "Rules? Like what?"Jordan ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as nervous as I felt. "First of all, no more sneaking around your parents' house. It's too risky."

I nodded, that one was obvious. "Agreed."

"And if you're staying here, there's something else," he continued, his eyes meeting mine with a serious intensity. "When you're in my bed... no clothes. Ever."

I blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness of his words. "What? Even...?"

"Even then," he said, his voice firm. "I don't care if you're on your period, or whatever. When you're with me, you sleep naked."

The demand was bold, and part of me wanted to roll my eyes at how controlling it sounded. But another part of me—the part that had wanted this for longer than I was willing to admit—was intrigued. The idea of being completely bare around him, always, stirred something deep inside me.

I smiled, my tone playful as I stepped closer to him. "That's a pretty bold rule, don't you think?"His eyes darkened slightly, his hand reaching out to pull me closer. "Do you have a problem with it?"

I shook my head slowly, letting my body press against his. "No. I think I can manage that."

Jordan's grip tightened on my waist, and in an instant, his lips were on mine, the kiss hard and hungry, just like this morning. I melted into him, my arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted me up, pressing me against the wall. His hands roamed over my body, claiming me all over again, and I could feel the heat rising between us, the tension snapping like a live wire.

I pulled back slightly, my breath coming in quick gasps as I looked into his eyes. "You're sure about these rules?"

He grinned, his voice low and teasing as his lips brushed against my neck. "I'm positive. And trust me, you'll enjoy following them."

With that, he carried me to the bed, and I knew, without a doubt, that the rules were just the beginning.