Lead Player - Alex Grayson Page 0,52

awful I must look and smell.

“Actually, there is one thing I’d like before I go back to sleep.” His brows go up as he waits for me to continue. “A bath would be heavenly.”

His grin comes instantly, and it affects me more than a smile should affect a person.

“I’ll get the water running.” His dimple pops out when he tosses me a wink. “And I’ll be the one doing the bathing.”

Chapter Fourteen

ENZO

I lay with my back propped against the couch, Alaina laying between my legs. I’ve got a length of her hair wrapped around my finger and she’s lazily running hers through the hair on my legs. We’re watching some cheesy Lifetime movie that has Alaina sniffling every so often. It’s Saturday, two days after she recovered from her stomach bug, so she can watch whatever the hell she wants. I’m just glad she no longer looks on the verge of death.

I’ve only left her house once since I found her on the bathroom floor, and it was only for thirty minutes while I grabbed some things from home. I’ve told her I didn’t want to leave her alone in case she became sick again, but it was only partially true. I like being here with her.

When the movie is over, she rolls around and puts a hand just below my sternum, then props her chin on top. For the first time in days, she has color in her cheeks.

I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I’m thinking it’s probably safe for you to go home,” she answers quietly. “I think I’ve made a full recovery.”

“You want me to leave?”

Say no, my mind demands.

“It’s not that I want you to go home, but I know you have a life. You’ve already missed one session at the recording studio. You can’t miss anymore.”

I shrug. “I won’t. But I can leave from here just as easily as I can leave from my house. Your house is actually closer. So, you’re saving me time and money by letting me stay here.”

Her eyes move back and forth between mine and some of the light dims. “I still think you should go back to your house after tonight.”

My gut tightens. “Why?”

Her gaze falls. “Because it’s not like we’re living together or anything. You’ve been here for over four days. I’m sure you have things to do around your place that you’ve neglected.”

“What’s going on here, Alaina? I’ll go home if you want me to, but I feel like there’s more going on than what you’re giving me. Talk to me.”

She doesn’t answer me right away, but gets up and slides to the other end of the couch, mirroring my position with her back against the arm. She draws her legs up to her chest and wraps her arms around them.

“I like you a lot, Enzo. More than I probably should. But we’ve only been dating a couple of weeks, and I’ve been too clingy. You’ve had virtually no time for yourself the past few days. I don’t want to be the one to fuck this up by being clingy.”

I almost choke at her words. She is utterly ridiculous.

“Clingy?” I ask, my tone full of disbelief. “You think you’ve been clingy?”

She bites her lip and nods. Tossing my feet to the floor, I reach over and grab her hips, hauling her onto my lap. She needs to be close when I say this.

“Listen and listen good, Alaina.” I wait for her to nod again. “First, you were sick. What the hell did you expect me to do? Leave you to fend for yourself?” She opens her mouth to speak, but I squeeze her flesh to keep her quiet. “Second, and I say this with the chance of having my man card revoked, but I’ve been the clingy one. I could have left yesterday. I could have left today. But I didn’t want to. I’ve enjoyed my time here with you and I don’t want it to end. Hell, if I had my way, I’d want you to be more clingy.”

The smile she gives me is slow. It starts in her eyes then moves across her cheeks until she’s smiling so big her white teeth peek out between her lips.

“Are you sure? Because I can totally be clingier. You’ll have to use a crowbar to get me away from you.”

I laugh, my chest feeling light. “Nah. I’ll just use the crowbar to keep back anyone who tries to