Finding Carter | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter 27
You're Beautiful

I woke up the next morning by featherlight fingers drawing circles on my bare stomach.

A sigh left me as I arched my back, leaning closer to the touch until I ended up on my side. The fingers began to lightly massage the skin on the curve of my waist, and I felt a faint smile grow on my lips.

When I felt a pair of legs wrapped around mine, I fluttered my eyes open, only to immediately suck in a breath of air when I saw Daniel's beautifully blended blue-green eyes.

"Hi," I whispered lamely.

The last memory I had before we fell asleep was him slipping me into a shirt. After he cleaned up between my legs, we fell asleep instantly.

He tightened his hold on my waist, bringing me closer to him while avoiding my gaze. "Danny," I said, furrowing my brows. "Are you okay?"

He sighed into my neck, causing tingles to run through me. "I just don't want to get back to reality," he admitted, dropping his hand under my shirt, close to my breast. I should have felt uncomfortable, but when someone has kissed every inch of your body, mumbling words like you're beautiful, being touched isn't as nerve-wrecking as it should be.

"Why?" I mumbled against him as he curled himself against me. I couldn't help but smile as I threw my leg over his hip, making him tense.

When he pulled his head back, I frowned, noticing his tight expression. "Carr, you don't..." he sighed, clenching his jaw as he looked away before sitting up. My leg fell off him, and my heart squeezed, noticing how distressed he appeared. I sat up and kept the thin sheet around me.

"I need you," he began, which made my insides dance. "A serious, fucking unhealthy amount."

"I can't afford to lose you," he continued, his Adam's apple bobbing before he clenched his jaw. "And I know you'll say yesterday was a mistake but can we just please—"

"What?" I gasped out, stopping his oncoming rant. "Danny, I wanted yesterday to happen just as much as you did. Maybe more."

He tensed, closing his eyes tightly before lifting his head. When he opened them, I was stunned to see the vulnerability in his gaze. My thoughts were running again, and I couldn't help but let my head drop as I began to fiddle with my thumbs.

"I wanted you. Hell, Danny, I still do. But..."

"But what?" He clipped out.

Feeling heartbroken, I forced my head up, not wanting to cower away from his gaze. "Relationships end all the time. I just... I can't lose you. Look at me and Aiden. We were best friends and when we got together, I thought we'd be it," I took a deep breath before continuing. "And yes, it could be my naive little brain back then, but that was how I felt."

My heart clenched inside me when I spoke next. "But then he... changed," I confessed to him and myself, completely broken. "What if we change?" Instead of waiting for his answer, I continued to ramble. "What if I... I lose you? I couldn't handle that heartache, I can't."

Barely a second passed before Daniel shuffled closer to me, so we were both sitting in the middle of the bed. He wrapped an arm around me before he tugged me lower, so my head was under his chin. He leaned into me, holding my thigh with his other hand before helping me wrap my legs around him.

"Change is good. You shouldn't be scared of it."

I said nothing as I pressed my forehead right above his heart while he caressed my cheek. "I'll never leave you," he whispered hoarsely next to my ear. Feeling the emotion embedded in his tone, I shivered before lifting my head.