That night, Kia scooted over to the very edge of the bed, removing herself from the vicinity of temptation. She had also failed to remember that she hogged the covers; she woke up more than one time when Justin leaned over and firmly pulled his covers out off her grasp. Finally, after the fifth time he had to do this, he grabbed her and pulled her away from where she was balanced precariously on the very edge of the mattress and into his arms. She looked up at him with eyes as wide as saucers as he leaned over her.
"If you try to take my covers one more time," he growled in her ear, "I'm going to hog-tie you. Understand?"
Kia shuddered slightly, and nodded, eyes still wide.
"Good." He then rolled onto his stomach and promptly fell back asleep with his arm thrown across her stomach, anchoring her to the mattress.
Kia lay awake for a while, feeling his breath lightly fan her ear, before she finally fell into a fitful sleep.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
When Kia woke up, she was cuddling into Justin's right side, her head resting on his chest. And he had his arm around her, securing her in that position. She lay there for a second, soothed by the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her.
She noticed that his hand was lazily stroking up and down her back, and looked up. His eyes were sleepy but he looked happy as he gazed down at her. "You're a handful in bed."
"What?" She asked, her eyes widening.
He chuckled, and ran his hand through her hair. "You toss and turn. It's difficult to keep you still."
She wiggled down and out of his grasp, and then hopped up. She stood over him wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear, and tossed her head. "If you had slept on the floor, it wouldnt have been a problem." She then stalked off to the bathroom, aware that he was staring at her butt.
And don't stare at my butt. She thought at him as she slammed the door.
There are some things that are just too much to ask of a guy.
After they took showers and dressed, they loaded their stuff onto the Duc and walked to the office to check out.
' Yvonne was lounging in the desk chair, doodling something on hotel stationary.
She looked up as they entered and then looked back down at her drawing. "What? She asked sulkily."
Justin raised an eyebrow. "Just checking out."
"Fine. You're checked out. Leave."
"What's up?" he walked over to the desk and moved the stationary out of her reach.
"Nothing. You checked out, now leave."
"Yvonne," he said warningly.
"You're engaged!" she cried angrily. "You told me she meant nothing to you, that you were forced to endure her company for business."
"Excuse me," Kia interjected, "but I do not believe he ever said anything about enduring me, or being forced. He merely said I was a good friend, and that we were working."
"Same difference. I can read between the lines."
"Obviously you can't. We are not engaged, that was his dreaming. We are not even dating, really. And we work together; nothing was a lie."
Yvonne glared at Justin. "I know you care about her, and I think that it was rude of you to lead me on. Now give me back my paper."
Kia silently agreed with Yvonne. It was kind of rude to lead her on like he did.
