His Phoenix

■ A Close Call ■

My eyes opened slowly the next morning. I stayed put, wanting to savour the comfort of my bed for a little longer. When did it get so comfortable? A warm breath tickled the back of my neck and I froze. It was only then that I noticed the warm, hard body pressed against mine. Yohann's arm was draped over my waist, his chest pressed to my back. I felt his chest move as he breathed slowly and evenly. He stirred for a moment and tightened his hold on my waist, pressing me tighter against him.

I stayed in place as I savoured this new feeling. I had never had this before. The feeling of waking up with someone against me was foreign and not bad at all. He was very warm and although his hard muscles were pressed against me, I didn't feel uncomfortable. It was actually quite nice. I snuggled closer to him and smiled. No, this was not bad at all.

Remembering I still had to go to work, I lazily patted around my pillow in search of my phone. Finding it, I grabbed it and held it up to my face.

"Oh shoot!", I hissed at the numbers displaying the time. I couldn't afford to be late again. John would have my head. Moving with caution so I didn't wake him, I slowly pried Yohann's arm from my waist. He gave a small snort and stirred but his eyes remained closed and I smiled at how cute he looked.

Grudgingly standing from the bed, I held my braids into a loose bun before hurrying to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, I opened the bathroom door and poked my head out. The only thing covering my body was a flimsy towel. In my haste to get to the bathroom, I had forgotten to take my clothes and underwear with me.Yohann was still fast asleep. His hand was draped over the empty space I had previously occupied. Sighing, I decided to make a run for it. I raced to my closet and yanked my clothes off the hanger. I looked back at Yohann. He was still asleep. Making a sign of the cross in gratitude to God, I run back into the bathroom.

I quickly put on my clothes and unbraided my hair. Yohann stirred and looked around groggily when I opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.

"Hey.", I said as I smiled and walked to the dresser.

"Hey beautiful.", he said in that raspy, deep voice and I felt my body reacting. I quickly sat at the dresser. Picking up the comb, I ran it through my curls slowly. My hair had detangled beautifully. Parting it at the side, I gathered the bigger section and twisted it into a big cornrow. Pursing my lips in concentration, I held it in place with bobby pins. Making sure every strand was in place, I combed the smaller section back and joined it to the end of my cornrow. Combing them together, I twisted both ends into a formal bun.

Yohann was leaning against the headboard and he watched me quietly with a small smile. I smiled at his reflection as I combed back my edges. "What?", I laughed.

Shaking his head, he heaved himself off the bed and walked towards me. I kept my eyes on his reflection till he stood directly behind me. Cupping the side of my neck, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple. "You're beautiful. ", he said as he straightened. I smiled coyly as I stood and turned to face him. He run a hand over the side of my hair as he stared at it with a small smile on his face. Finally meeting my gaze, he smiled and stepped back.

"What do you want for breakfast?", he asked. I shook my head as I hurried to the bed for my phone. I had to leave now if I didn't want to be late.

"I'll grab something on my way.", I said. Yohann nodded and folded his arms as he watched me put on my heels.

"I better get ready then.", he said as he turned to grab his duffel bag. Wriggling my foot into my right heel, I turned to face him.

"Oh no, it's okay. Take your time. You can stay till I get back.....unless you have to be somewhere...", I felt a little pang of disappointment.