“Get the fuck back in bed,” he growls. “And try not to snore this time.”
Reacting to his tone, I tiptoe over to the bed and avert my eyes as I lie down. Lars throws the covers back on top of me. I feel frozen, unable to look over at him. He’s naked under the comforter and… well, I just don’t trust my hands not to… wander.
Haven’t I dreamed of just exactly this moment happening? I’m absolutely sure of it.
I look up at the high ceiling, swallowing. For a few seconds, I wonder if he has just gone back to sleep. Curling my hands into fists, I will my heartbeat to slow down.
He sighs and adjusts next to me. “I can actually feel your brain growing hot from too much thinking.”
I bite my lip, turning my head toward him. “How did I get out of my dress?”
He makes a vaguely amused sound. “I don’t know. I brought you back here to my apartment. You made a beeline for my bathroom. A few minutes later, you said you needed a tee shirt. I didn’t think it wise to ask any questions.”
“Oh god.” I cover my eyes, blushing furiously. “Did I really snore?”
I peek at him. He chuckles, nodding. “Yes you did, little witch.”
I groan, which makes my head throb more insistently. “Happy engagement.”
That pulls a genuine laugh out of him. He turns over on his side toward me, tucking a bit of the blanket in around his hips. I only let my gaze drop there for a second before the internal red light starts going off.
Danger! Danger! Not a good idea! Do something else with your eyes!
So I drag up gaze upward, up his flat stomach, past his amazing abs, above his stellar pecs. I look at his face, which is mostly obscured by shadow.
Lars is staring right at me when I get to his eyes, startling me. I don’t say anything but my eyebrows do fly up.
He finds it funny, letting out a rumble of laughter. “You are something else, you know that?”
I feel my face grow hot. “Am I?”
“Yes,” he affirms.
I cock a brow. “At least I wear clothes when I sleep.”
“Pfft.” He rolls his eyes. “As if that is worth bragging about.”
I turn on my side, facing him, and stick my tongue out at him. “One of us has to be the adult here.”
His laugh rumbles again. “Would it truly be so terrible if we were both naked?”
I frown. “Well… yes.”
He shakes his head. “Why would that be bad? Hmm? As I said, we’re both adults.”
I squint at him. “That’s probably the line that you use to get girls to play strip poker or something. And it won’t work on me.”
He shifts forward, so that I can see more of his face. He’s smirking, which makes me want to hit him.
“First off, you wish I was asking you to play strip poker. And second, you would one hundred percent fall for a line.”
I scrunch my nose up. “I would not.”
“You would,” he says, grinning. “You definitely would. Here, let me try out a line on you.”
I snort. “Go right ahead.”
Lars looks thoughtful. Then he pulls his comforter up, wrapping a corner of it around his body like a toga. He lifts his chin, smirking at me with a knowing look.
“Feel my shirt.”
I crinkle my entire face. “What? We just established that you are all but naked.”
“Come on, play along. Feel my shirt.”
Shaking my head, I reach out, smoothing my hand against the hardness of his chest through the thick comforter. “Feels… um… nice?”
He covers my hand with his, trapping it at the same time he pins me with his gaze. “Ja? You know what it’s made of?”
It feels like someone has sucked all the air out of the room. Lars’s skin against mine is hot. I lick my lips, shaking my head a little.
“No, what?” I ask. My voice sounds a little breathy; I blame it on the late hour, though.
Or is it early? It’s hard to tell.
He meets my eyes, grinning broadly. “It’s made of boyfriend material, sweetheart.”
It’s impossible not to crack up at that. For some reason, that strikes me as the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. “That’s terrible!”
He smirks at me, wiggling his eyebrows. “You doubt me, but it’s true.”
I can’t stop laughing. I ball up my fist, hitting him lightly. He acts like I’ve just killed him, groaning and turning onto his back, using