I Can't Own You? (BOOK 1)

9

Sunlight turns the inside of my eyelids orange, and Sam's cologne stains my lungs. I lie in bed, feeling firm and warm arms around my waist. I feel breaths brush my nose, tickling my skin. I open my eyes and see Sam watching me. "Hey," he says lightly, his lips puckering.

"Hey," I say slowly.

"I forgot how wild you slept..." I look down at my legs, which are wide apart, hogging most of the bed. How did he sleep comfortably? "You kicked me a few times."

My eyes focus on his lips...should I kiss him? I didn't want to tho...but things are all romantic and shit. Idk...I don't fucking know. Well...I guess since the money situation has me all feisty, why not let this run its course? Plus he has no shirt on...hmmm....he knows what he's doing.

My eyes glue to his hairy chest, his toned arms, and a six-pack. Then to his green eyes... which are so vulnerable right now. Aww. Omg, no!! Stop! STOP IT! I try to control my body from interacting with his, but my thoughts lose that battle quickly. My hands run over his stomach, feeling the bumps of his pack, and his cozy skin.

Heat hisses a vent above us, reaching down and blowing our hair like a gust of wind. I keep my eyes where my hands are, afraid to look up at his spelled eyes. To see how I bewitched him. The heat warms my cheeks and heats the smell of foundation on them. My eyes go alert. "Damn it! I slept in makeup." I bounce from the bed, hurrying to a bathroom connected to his room, to view my skin in a mirror. A cakey, inflamed mess. "Fucccckkkkk me, pores!" I groan. "Damn it!" Sam gets out of bed. "You don't have face wash, do you?"

"Umm..." he approaches the bathroom, turns sideways to get past me, and opens a draw on a black sink. "Yeah, you left this one when you moved out." He hands me a cucumber cleanser.

"Good thing I did."

"Moved out?" He asks, a little confused and slightly hurt.

"No, idiot, good thing I left it; my pores are so...ughhh!"

Sam takes relief in this, and relaxes a puzzled face. He eyes me closely through the mirror. "Hey....so," he begins.

"So what?" I switch on the faucet, pull my hair back, tying it into a knot, and damp my face with water before applying the product. I rub the green liquid over my face, adding water to my palm and lathering it up.

"Are you gonna move back in now?"

I pause washing my face and share eye contact with him. His lovey dovey stare is slightly gone. Slightly. "I don't think you want me to. If you did, you would've fucked me last night. You left me clothed," I jab.

"You were drunk...if it weren't for that, I would have." He flirts, watching me as I go back to scrubbing my face. Sam gets serious, frowning his forehead and wearing his heart in his eyes. "Move back in with me."

I shiver at an intense gaze he gives me, ready to melt from the sleepy, raspy voice that dragged his tone as he said the words. I fight my emotions and my burning veins and focus on cleaning my face, staring down at the sink.

Not again, I can't do that again, not after he cheated. Don't be stupid. Don't give in.

"I'm not repeating the past, you were a horrible boyfriend, but you're a good friend...last night was just a means of celebration. I'll tell you why in a bit." I rub my face into a bubbly mask, avoiding eye contact with a deflated man, who's appearance would just make me feel like a piece of shit. Don't look at him just yet; his puppy dog expression will weaken me. I rinse off the product for few seconds with cool water, before drying my face with a piece of tissue. Sam is still silent, possibly recuperating from his failed attempt. "A million fucking dollars is on the card."

He raises both eyebrows and speaks with a cautious tone. "This sounds...this sounds like a setup. He tracked you, then all of a sudden there's more money on the card? Please just leave this alone."

"No, do you know how fucking rare this is? For a low-class asshole like me...like us to have this kind of money just pop up?? No, I'm not leaving it alone."

"Us?" Sam takes a towel from a wall rack and wipes my face of the areas I missed: the sides of my chin and around my earlobes hold droopy product. He has to bend a bit to reach my face. "So...we're not together, right?"

Ugh, he so fucking annoying right now! Did he not listen to what I said about repeating history?? "No, but we can finally travel, we can be Bonnie and Clyde, without the death factor. Let's just have fun and spend money and flick off the system. I can probably even find someone to transfer the money Breaking Bad style." I cock an eyebrow.

Sam gives me a stern look, his lips tight, the skin around the corners of his eyes creasing. Is he considering going through with my plan...or denying it?