Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)(98)

“I get to take your mattress’s virginity? This is an honor.”

And it was gratifying that he made so many moaning noises when he finally lay on it that I had to slap my hand over his mouth so Madison wouldn’t wake up and get the wrong idea.

But here he is now, lounging in my bed in the full light of morning, looking so attractive I could cry, because as rumor has it, he’s mine.

I’ve floated closer to the bed, and Jack reaches out, pinches the fabric at my navel, and tugs me even closer. “Come back to bed.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I’m already out.”

“Because I’m still in.” His hand is skating up the back of my thigh and under the hem of my shorts.

“But . . . but . . .” My bones are melting. “I’ve gotta take Madison to the airport in thirty minutes. I’ve got stuff to do.” His hand glides completely up under my shorts and over the slope of my ass. I shove my fingers into his hair (blond today) and he looks up at me. Hands tender, eyes blazing.

“Just for a minute . . . come back to bed. I won’t let you stay too long.”

I can see it now, my future sprawling out in front of me where I have trouble saying no to Jackson ever again. We’re not going to be competing over a parking space because we’ll ride together. We’re going to be disgustingly cute.

I turn and sit on the edge of the mattress. Jack’s arms go around my middle, quickly flipping me up and over him until I’m facing the opposite wall. He curls in behind me as the big spoon with one arm under the pillow and curving up and over my chest. The other wraps around my lower abdomen like a lazy python, curling and constricting in the most fantastic way.

When I’ve thought of snuggling, it’s always been something flippant and silly. A complete waste of time. But this. This is different. It’s as if Jack knows that my body needs pressure to rest. I’m wearing him like a parachute. And with the feel of his body intentionally holding on to me, mine relaxes. I point and flex my toes. I brush my fingertips up and down his inked forearm.

“Your fingernails drive me insane, have I ever told you that?” he says softly next to my ear.

“No, I don’t think you have.”

“They do. I don’t know what it is about that red, but I want to bite them.”

“That’s okay. I’ve decided I want to live inside your skin. Is that creepy?”

“A little, yeah,” he admits casually. “Can I offer you one of my sweaters instead?”

A giddy swirl hits my stomach. I have to kiss his arm. “Even better.” We lie here a minute before I realize something important. “Wait! You never told me what happened with your parents last night.”

Lying this close, I feel his muscles tense. Whatever happened, it was not good.

He hums in my ear like he’s contemplating which moment of the night to begin at.

“The beginning,” I tell him, assuming I’ve read his thoughts correctly. “Tell me all of it.”

He rests his chin above my head on the pillow and tells me everything. Tells me how the house has always felt like a humongous monster to him. How hard it was having an alcoholic dad but having to pretend to the world like everything was okay. And how his dad only sobered up when he almost lost his career—but it had nothing to do with him or his mom. He mentions how all of this led to him taking on the responsibility of protecting his mom from a young age. And how last night, while sitting at their table, he put a stop to it.

He kisses the side of my face and holds on to me tighter like I’m the one with the parachute now. “I couldn’t sit there any longer and allow myself to feel used. So I told him the truth. About all of it. I even told him that I’m Ranger, and I told both of my parents that I wouldn’t be coming back. I said goodbye to that house and that way of life for good.”

“Jack,” I say tearfully, twisting to look at him. I want to find something encouraging to say. Something worthy and important. “I’m so proud of you. That had to be incredibly difficult. And you did it.”

His smile is sad. “Thank you. It felt right. I just . . . I hate that my mom won’t leave. But I told her that if she ever did need somewhere to go, my door would be open to her.”

“And mine,” I say, meaning it.

This is what chokes him up. I see tears collecting in his eyes, so he shuts them until he gets a handle on them. I want to tell him it’s okay if he cries in front of me, but this has been a big week. We’ll get there eventually.

“So how do you feel today? Now that your parents know about Ranger?”

“Surprisingly good,” he says after sufficiently pushing his feelings away again. “In fact, I think it’s time to come out from behind the name.”

“Really?” I say with a huge smile because it honestly delights me. “I am in full support of this decision.” I want everyone to know that those incredible books belong to Jack. I want to be able to shout his accolades from the rooftops. But mostly, I don’t want him to have to hide himself away ever again.

I nuzzle into his chest. “I can’t wait to brag to everyone that I’m dating the best mystery writer on the planet.”

He hums and I feel the vibration against my cheek. “I knew you only wanted to date me for my status in the book world.”