2:29 AM

Chapter Forty-Five

I roll onto my side my eyes open slowly. Fuck, I'm really thirsty. I blink a couple of times and sit up, rubbing my eyes. I frown at the unfamiliar bed and the the shirt and pants I'm wearing.

Oh, right.

I'm at Bryce's house. Where is he? Maybe he went to the bathroom or something. I sigh and look at my watch. It's 5:03 AM. Wait, how the fuck did I get into a bed?

The last thing I remember is passing out on the couch. I squint in the darkness and try to make out the room. I think it's his, but I'm not exactly sure. I slide to the edge of the bed and start fumbling around in the darkness. It's so weird how thirsty I am.

I'm padding softly across the floor when my foot hits something solid and I trip but don't fall. I feel the ground and my hand touches a bare back. I lean closer and see that Bryce is sleeping on his stomach, hugging a pillow. His breaths are even. I smile to myself and find my way to the door.

It's so sweet that Bryce took the floor. I make to the kitchen and I grab a glass, filling it with water. I chug the water and then refill the glass. I lean against the counter.

My mind drifts to Bryce and our kiss. That was...something else. He practically took me against the wall and I didn't care. I don't really have control around Bryce but it doesn't matter.

Somehow I end up thinking about Colton. God, he's such an ass. I'm not saying that I'm innocent, I mean with Bryce and everything. But Colton.

He was flirting with girl and I was sitting right next to him! And he smelled like perfume that wasn't Alex's when he walked into the theater. I think the worst part isn't even that he was a having a threesome when I called, it's that he came up with some stupid lie about the girls he was with.

Ugh. Fuck Colton. I take a drink of the water and then wander back up to Bryce's room. His room is really dark, the kitchen had some light, but his room is dark. I can't see anything, at all.

I walk tentatively across the floor, but my food catches on his torso and I trip. I don't drop the glass that I'm holding but the water spills onto Bryce. "Shit," I mutter.

"Damn it, Ian," Bryce grumbles, he's still laying on his stomach, hugging a pillow. Bryce's hand grabs my leg and yanks so I fall, I'm flat on my back before I've even realized what's happened.

"Fuck!" I rub my head. Bryce perks up.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing up?" He pushes himself up so he's sitting. I'm staring at his ceiling.

"I was thirsty," I tell him.

"That's why I'm wet." His voice is rough and southern with sleep. I push myself to a sitting position and rub the back of my head. "Oh, sorry."

"You better make it up to me," I tell him.

"Don't worry," he says. He lays down, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him. I don't even care that were laying on the ground, because it feels so good to be held by him. Bryce slides his arm around my waist and I feel his lips brush the back of my neck. I feel him smile and he presses closer to me.

"Let's go back to sleep, sweetheart," Bryce says. I nod and my eyes flutter shut.

I wake up a while later, trying to figure out why my mattress is so damn uncomfortable. But then I realize that I'm sleeping on the floor. Bryce's head is buried in my stomach, his arms wrapped around my waist. I smile and run my hands through his hair. My hand brushes the nape of his neck and it hits me that he's shirtless.

It's raining hard outside, raindrops hitting the roof and thunder is booming in the distance. He looks so sweet when he's sleeping. I look at my watch. It's 10:47.

"Bryce," I murmur softly, rubbing his back. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes," he mumbles into my stomach.

"Wake up," I say, "I'm hungry." Bryce sighs and sits up, rubbing his eyes. His hair is tousled from sleep. "Where's your bathroom?" I ask.

"My bathroom's right across the hall." He gestures to the door. "You want breakfast?" I nod. "Okay." He stands up and walks away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I call after him.

"To make you breakfast," he calls back. I smile and walk across the hall. His bathroom has one of the really nice showers that's like a glass box. There's a showerhead and then shampoo, conditioner and bodywash are on a small shelf. The floor tiling is a brown gold combo. His shower's big.

I walk over to the sink and search for toothpaste. I find an extra toothbrush and brush my teeth. My hair's kind of a mess and I start running my hands through it, but then I remember that it's Bryce and he won't care.

I smile and walk down to the kitchen where I find Bryce making something. His back is to me. I stop a couple of feet away from him, staring at his bare back. He's wearing a low ridding pair of sweatpants and I can't stop staring. I swallow and watch his muscles flex as he stirs something.

"Admiring the view, sweetheart?" Bryce asks, looking over his shoulder. My cheeks redden and I walk towards him.

"Uh, what are you making?" I ask, leaning against the counter.

"Pancakes, eggs and sausage," Bryce says. I smile.

"Do you have that everyday for breakfast?" I ask.

"Yeah, or something else filling," he says. He stops whisking and looks at me. "What? You don't eat a good breakfast?"

"Usually it's just coffee," I say. Bryce frowns.

"I guess we'll have to fix that," Bryce says. "You know coffee's terrible for you, right?" I laugh.

"There's actually been studies saying that if you drink three to four cups a day, you're at a lesser risk for cardiovascular diseases, stroke and certain types of cancer." Shit, why did I say that? Bryce smiles and shakes his head.

"That's cool. I just don't like coffee anymore. This one time, I was pulling an all nighter, so I had like nine cups and I didn't eat anything. God, I felt terrible. It was like a hangover, but a real bitch. I haven't had a cup since," Bryce tells me. I laugh.

"I guess we'll have to fix that," I say. "I'm gonna go check my phone." He nods. I walk over to where my bag is. I pull out my phone and I don't have any new calls. Whatever. I sigh and put my phone back. I walk back into the kitchen and hop up on the counter next to where Bryce is cooking.

"Do you like the rain, sweetheart?" he asks me, I'm staring out a window.

"Yeah, why?" I say. He shakes his head, he looks like he's thinking about something.

"Just wondering," he says. I have a nice view of his abs.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Can you set the table? There's plates in that cupboard," he says, pointing. I nod.

I set the table and Bryce sets the food down.