Tall, Dark and Handsome

Chapter 23

Unlike the morning after losing my virginity on his boat, I woke up, nestled against his warm body, our limbs tangled with one another's with the sheets wrapped around us. My head pressed against his broad chest, I strategically shift slightly, allowing myself room to cock my head back and have a quiet moment like this where I could just study his face without him knowing. His face was softened, relaxed enough to ease away the lines that seemed to permanently take residence across his forehead and around the corners of his mouth. He almost looked like a young boy from this angle if it weren't for the light stubble already growing along his chiselled jaw. Sensing I had shifted position, a frown formed on his lips as he gathered me closer again into his arms, deeply sighing when my arms around his waist hugged him closer. He was so controlling and demanding that at times it overwhelmed me that I could be possibly be attracted to his dark nature and closed off personality. And yet, here I was, lying in bed beside him wondering why he was exactly who he is. Why couldn't he tell me freely about his past? Could it be a lack of trust? Saddened by the thought, I leaned in and kissed him gingerly on the cheek, careful to not wake him up. It struck me at that point that I would do anything for him just to see him as happy and relaxed as he was here. The idea of this hit me like I had just run head on into a brick wall. I found myself already fallen in love with him.

He stirred in my arms, mumbling something low in his sleepy voice. My heart pounded away as I watched him open his eyes, revealing the electrifying shade of blue I could never get bored of. And then it was like dipping my finger into a warm bowl of melted chocolate and sucking it off in my mouth when I saw his thin lips spread into a shy smile. The sun hit perfectly behind him, basking him in golden rays of light as if he were an angel.

"Morning." I murmured, breaking into a smile myself. Tom leaned in and kissed me, ignoring the fact that we both hadn't brushed our teeth yet.

"Morning." He greeted me back once he parted ways. "I could get used to this..." Tom said flirtatiously, running a finger up and down my arm. "Waking up to a beautiful girl like you in bed..."

I frowned at his words. Surely, this wasn't the first time waking up in bed with a woman for him was it? "I would assume by your past history that you always woke up to your fling for the evening or whatever."

Tom mimicked my frown, brows knitting together after hearing my comment. "I don't...I don't wake up to girls I've had sexual relations with...It's far too...intimate for my taste. I usually find myself getting up earlier than her or leaving when she had fallen asleep."

"I don't understand." I asked confusedly, grabbing my pillow into my arms and hugging it tight. "What's wrong with waking up to them or simply cuddling?"

"Amelia..." He groaned, shutting his eyes tightly. "I don't do cuddling."

"You were cuddling with me this morning." I fired back. "You seemed to enjoy it. Why not do it more?"

"That's only because you're different." Tom pinched my chin between his index finger and thumb, tilting my head up to meet his sensual gaze. "I always told you, you were unlike the rest. When will you believe me?"

"So, does that mean you'll cuddle with me from now on?" I asked excitedly. He smelt like fresh laundry and pine trees, a scent I couldn't resist to let go if I had the chance to be near him.

"We'll see." He smirked. "I don't understand why you're confused." Tom tossed back, blinking quickly up towards the ceiling. "I told you that I don't make love...What on Earth made you think I cuddle or do anything remotely intimate otherwise?"

I shrugged my shoulders which caused him to chuckle. I watched him as his laughter died down, how the crinkles around the corners of his eyes faded. "So...Should I make breakfast then?" I asked when there was uncomfortable silence falling between us.