Choose Me

Chapter 18

I wake up to a warm arm wrapped around my waist and panic for a moment until I remember that I slept over at Dex's place. I turn in his arms and am surprised to find him awake and staring at me.

"I missed you," he mutters.

"I missed you too," I admit and kiss him on the lips. "What did Elsie want?" I ask him curiously.

"She forgot something and just came to pick it up, and we talked for a bit before she took off. She's lucky I didn't kick her out to get back to you. I wanted to, more than anything," he says, making me smile at his confession. It's funny but also sweet that he just wanted to come back to me.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. That would not have gone over well," I tell him and he grins. "I hope she didn't notice the wet spot on your jeans." I feel second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it.

"If she did, she didn't comment on it."

"Good," I say feeling relieved. "How long have you been in bed with me?" I ask him and he smiles.

"For about an hour."

"An hour? Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you looked beautiful sleeping."

"Does that mean I'm ugly when I'm awake?" I tease him and he shakes his head.

"No, of course not," he says with a laugh. "You're beautiful no matter if you're awake, asleep, or completely sleep-deprived," he compliments me and makes me smile.

"You're always handsome too even if you get on my nerves sometimes."

"Good to know," he says with a smile and kisses me on the lips before lowering his hand to my chest and running his thumb over my nipple. "It was such a nice surprise when I came into my room and found you sleeping naked in my bed," he comments and my first instinct is to panic. I quickly pull the sheet to my chest and cover my naked body, feeling suddenly self-conscious about my curves even though he just saw them all not too long ago. "Stop," he tells me and grabs my hand and pulls it off the sheet. "You're beautiful with or without clothes and if anyone ever tells you otherwise, punch them in the throat or if it's a girl, kick her in the vag," he tells me, making me laugh.

"Thank you," I say feeling grateful.

"For what?"

"For reassuring me I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'll remind you of that every single day if I have to," he tells me and brushes his fingers into my hair before pulling me in for a sweet and gentle kiss. "You're beautiful. Always have been, always will be," he tells me, making my heart pitter-patter.

"You really always thought I was beautiful?"

"God, yes. You just never realized it because all you saw when you looked at me was a little twerp, but that twerp is gone now and he has even stronger feelings for you than he did back then," he admits. I feel my heart skip a beat at his admission.

"Well, I couldn't look at you any other way when you were just a kid, but now you're all grown up and I can't keep my eyes off of you," I admit and kiss him. I run my nails down his chest and reach his waistband only to realize he's still in jeans. "Why are you still wearing your jeans? Take them off."

"I didn't want you to freak out if I slipped into bed in just my boxers."

"I wouldn't. Now take them off."

He lays on his back and unbuttons them and he starts sliding them down and gets them to about his waist. I help him take them off the rest of the way and throw them over my shoulder, not caring where they land, and straddle his waist.