From Here to Hidden

CHAPTER 34 | BETH

"I, umm, needed some towels. There weren't any upstairs. I hope I didn't wake you. I tried to be really quiet."

"You didn't wake me. I didn't sleep much last night. I had some, uh, trouble falling asleep and staying that way."

"I'm sorry. I hope it wasn't anything I said or did. I hope my being here didn't put you out last night. Oh my gosh, I don't snore, do I?"

He tilted his head sideways and laughed. Chris had always told her she snored, but she thought that it was just a joke. Maybe she did snore. Maybe she was loud enough to keep him awake last night, considering the room she slept in was right above his.

He put his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him.

"No, Beth. I wasn't awake because you snored. And it wasn't anything you did."

She saw a short flicker of heat, need, and desire flash across his face. His eyes darkened as his hands wrapped firmly around her waist and pulled her toward him. She felt her heart begin to race once again as she fought to keep control of herself and her hands, clutching the towels firmly. She knew that if she didn't, she'd cross the invisible line that she had drawn last night.

He leaned down, his nose against hers before whispering in a husky voice that sent chills up her spine, "I was awake because of everything you didn't do. What we didn't do. Because every time I shut my eyes and started to sleep, my mind went places that I know it shouldn't have. I spent the night forcing myself to stay in bed; to not finish what I wanted so badly to finish last night."

His mouth met hers, softly planting a kiss on her lips. He took a deep breath and breathed her in; his forehead pressed lightly against hers. His eyes were closed and for a moment Beth wondered if he hadn't fallen asleep propped against her. He lifted his head and looked at her, his eyes roaming her face freely. First at her eyes, then down her nose before resting on her mouth. He licked his lips and put his hands on her face, cradling her head. After a couple of seconds, he kissed her forehead and walked back toward his room.

Beth stood momentarily, trying to understand what just happened and what he meant. She looked around the hall, confused as to what kind of exchange they'd just had. It didn't make sense after the night before and she had no clue what to make of it. With her mind reeling, she went back up the stairs and into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, letting the water heat up. The steam from the shower quickly fogging the mirror. She flipped the fan on and the soft hum relaxed her like a white noise melody. She took her time in the shower, lathering her hair with White Lavender shampoo. Once she washed off, she used some lotion and rubbed down her arms and legs. It wasn't until she went to get dressed that she realized she had nothing to put on.

Shit. She thought to herself. She had completely forgotten that she had not only worn a semi-formal gown to their house last night but that she had slept in Jason's boxers and a t-shirt. Reaching for a towel, she threw her hair up like a turban and wrapped the other towel around her body. She opened the door and quickly crossed the hall back to the guest room. Closing the door behind her, she reached for her phone and pulled up her text messages.

I have a problem.

Hitting send, she waited for a reply. She sat on the bed, still wrapped in a towel and saw three circles indicating that Jason was typing pop up on the message.

Oh boy. What's wrong?

Well...I don't have any clothes. ::blushing emoji::

She put her palm to her face. "How embarrassing can this day get? And it's not even 7:00 am..." She waited, somewhat impatiently, for some kind of response. When nothing more than the wide-eyed emoji came back she groaned. How could she have not thought this through? "Because you haven't been thinking clearly since last night, that's how." A few minutes later, her phone pinged with the notice of an incoming text message.

While I personally don't mind that you have no clothes—I put something outside the door that should fit. Breakfast will be ready soon.

Still holding the towel around her, she cracked the bedroom door and found a pair of black pants, socks, and a t-shirt folded neatly in a pile. She scooped them up and closed the door. She slipped her feet into the warm socks before pulling the black yoga pants on. Commando wasn't really her thing, but the fact that she had no underwear didn't leave her much of a choice. The t-shirt must have been another one of Jason's because it was way too big. She stood in front of the mirror and tried to bunch it with a hair tie to make it look a little more "comfy casual" than "frumpy and baggy." Her naturally wavy hair was mostly dry, so she combed through it with her fingers. She'd left most of the previous nights' makeup on and just cleaned up around her eyes where her mascara had left marks. She pulled her tinted lipgloss out of her bag and applied a little of it before finally deciding this was about as good as it was going to get.

She opened the bedroom door and headed back downstairs, praying silently that Jason had put on a shirt. She caught the smell of bacon and coffee before she made it halfway down the steps. She hadn't realized until that moment just how hungry she was. She could almost taste the bacon already and she was eager to get a little bit of caffeine in her system. The last 24 hours had been long and exhausting and she knew that she needed the extra boost of energy. She made it to the kitchen and found Jason propped against the counter, with one ankle crossed over the other. He had a newspaper in one hand a cup of coffee in another. His dark hair was still damp from his shower. He had on a fitted grey t-shirt and long black gym pants. He looked as good, if not better, in his casual gym clothes as he did in dress pants and a jacket.

He must have sensed her walk into the room because his eyes met hers as soon as she rounded the corner. He said nothing as their eyes met. She felt herself growing slightly self-conscious as she watched him noticeably take in the full length of her body before returning his gaze to hers.