I dove my feet under the covers to get more comfortable and enjoy the few hours I still had before work. Yawning through the words, I closed my eyes and asked, “So, do you need an alibi?”
He grunted. “Ask me in the morning.”
Chapter Nineteen
I woke up to something poking me. Again. I groaned, cracking an eye open before quickly shutting it again. It was still dark, so my alarm shouldn’t be close to going off yet.
I sighed, determined to enjoy the last few moments of sleep, but that same sensation prodded me again.
Something was digging into my back. Rugsy often laid against me, but she typically aimed for my legs, and this didn’t feel like her. I slowly reached my arm back, wondering if maybe I’d fallen asleep with my laptop still on the bed again.
My hand hit something warm and hard. And slightly rounded? What in the world? I twisted, sliding my hand up in an attempt figure out what it was I’d almost fallen asleep on.
“Something in particular you’re searching for?” A rough, raspy voice asked, thick with sleep.
I dug my nails into the limb I was gripping, my eyes shooting open. A leg. I was touching a leg. A knee, to be exact, and it did not belong to me.
Inhaling sharply, the previous hours came flying back to me in excruciatingly vivid colors. Aaron coming over, Garrett disposing of him or who even knew what, and lying in bed together.
Ask me in the morning.
Holy hell, he’d stayed the night. Knowingly and purposefully stayed. Well, more like just a couple hours, but still, he’d come in with the intention of falling asleep.
Oh Lord, I needed to slow my roll. He was just being a friend. A friend who sacrificed his entire night to help me and be with me, but still. Just a friend.
I eased onto my opposing shoulder, painfully aware of every morning I’d ever woken up and how much of a zombie I always looked. He was sure to be tucking tail and ditching soon. Then again, he’d already seen me slick faced and puking, so who knew.
The first thing I saw as I finished my snail-like turn was an arm resting on top of the comforter an inch away from my own. My eyes traveled up its length, noticing with a mixture of both disappointment and relief that he was still wearing his shirt.
I continued my perusal, stopping at the scruffy jaw and lazy grin that greeted me. The dimples peeking out to say hello sent my heart aflutter, but it was the intense gaze, tracing every line of my face, that was going to be the death of me.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I whispered. “What time is it?”
“About five.”
Good, I still had an hour before I needed to get ready for work. Thank God I was used to running on little sleep. Before thinking better of it, I heaved a sigh, puffing my cheeks out.
The moment the air left my mouth, I froze in horror, yanking the comforter up to cover my face. Morning breath was no one’s friend on a good day, but I’d fallen asleep without even brushing my teeth.
Oh, hell no.
I lunged up, knocking into his bent knees and practically climbing over him to reach the edge and jump off. Dashing into the bathroom with nothing but a quick, “I’ll be right back,” thrown his way, I shut the door on his responding chuckle.
Feeling minimally better after I’d brushed my teeth, I gathered my hair in a messy bun. Garrett was in my bed. Jamie could see him and would know he’d stayed over. I covered my face with my hands, what had I gotten myself into?
I splashed water on my face, giving myself a mental pep talk. I could do this. I just needed to get rid of him before Jamie got up. I opened the door, preparing myself for the eye candy sight of Garrett lounging in my bed, but the spot he’d been in was empty.