14 DAYS OF VALENTINE

Part 18: As we cuddle against the odds...

I awoke to soft sunlight illuminating the room, casting a warm glow on everything in its path. It was a beautiful day, and that thought made me happy. I moved my hand to stretch but was temporarily stopped by a restriction that caused me to furrow my brows. My hand was tightly gripped by someone else's hand—no, my arm was securely wrapped by a masculine arm, possessively. It was then that I became aware of the warmth enveloping me from behind, and my eyes widened as I remembered I was in Nick's house!

In his bed!

My heart skipped a beat as I realized he was on the bed with me as memories from the night before flooded back, making me blush.

There wasn't much to blush about, but the little things that happened the night before were enough to make me jittery. I couldn't help but replay the events in my head: how he was there for me, how he hugged and comforted me. 

The kiss on the forehead...aah...from what I understand, forehead kisses mean that the person will always be there for you and will always love you completely. That alone made me want to squeal, but I bit my tongue to keep myself from doing so. Not to mention how tightly he was holding me even while he slept. 

Did this imply that he was also attracted to me?  Of course, you moron! You even kissed! My cynical inner self snorted and rolled her eyes. 

Speaking of kissing, it made me wonder if we would be able to do that again.

Slowly, so as not to wake him up, I turned to face him. The sight that greeted me left me breathless and completely captivated. He was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling with each breath. I've always found myself ogling at him, but not to my satisfaction because I didn't want him to think I was a creep. However, now that I was in his arm and he was sound asleep, I could quell my curiosity. I looked closely to his features; his face was calm and serene that made my fingers itch to feel his dark skin.

And I did. 

I scooted closer to him, taking in every detail of his face. He had a strong jawline and smooth skin, but I could feel the prickle of his stubble under my fingertips. I felt the softness of his skin and the flicker of his lashes against my touch as I traced my fingertip along the edge of his closed eyelid. He had long, thick eyelashes that would make any girl jealous.

I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have those lashes brush against my skin in a tender kiss as I drew away. As my finger approached his lips, my mind was already racing. I knew I had to stop myself before I did something I would later regret, but the desire to feel him was too strong to resist. The desire to kiss him, to taste him again, was making my heart skip a beat, and before I knew it, I was leaning closer that our breath mingled.

But just as I was about to kiss him, his onyx-like eyes popped open. I gasped in surprise, as I had not anticipated his sudden awakening.

Aw, shucks! Shoot me now!

I cried internally, berating myself for being so stupid, and let my desire take over. I wished I could vanish magically or for the earth to open and swallow me up. Slowly returning my gaze to his, I noticed him looking at me with a mixture of surprise and amusement, and I couldn't help but blush. Oh, dear!

"What were you doing?" he asked, his morning voice husky from sleep, his sexy lips quirking into a smile. I blushed, having been caught off guard. 

Couldn't he have waited a few minutes?

 "I...I...um...well...I," Oh no! I couldn't even put together a proper word, much less a sentence. 

"Were you trying to steal a kiss?" Nick mused, his mischievous eyes twinkling as he leaned in closer to me, making my heart skip a beat. My eyes widened as I wondered how he could tell-