in Grant. That’s a no-no. I yawn. “I’m going to brush my teeth and then hit the hay. Shall we catch the early train out?”
“Oh, really? I had a plan for your birthday tomorrow. I was thinking we could do something special.”
“Well…I know. But I feel bad for not hanging out with Jude tonight.”
“Oh, Jude. Right.” he says, and I think I hear a strain of disappointment in his voice.
“Yeah, you know, I feel bad for him.”
“Okay. Well, early. All right then, if you insist. There’s a seven thirty.”
“Oh, really? That’s early.”
“Yeah, we could stick around…?”
I shrug. As much as my gut is telling me it would be fun to stick around with Grant, I feel obligated to get back. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise. We had better go to bed so we get back early.”
“Right, we don’t want to get into any trouble.” He slides under the covers.
I swallow, watching him dip below the covers.
“No…and I’ll sleep head to toe. I…usually like to sleep with my head on the foot of the bed anyway.”
“Really? You like sleeping with your head at the front of the bed?”
“Uh, yeah. Totally.”
No, but it’s winter and you look so damn appetizing, I don’t want to wake up accidentally cuddling you.
He smiles. “Whatever makes you comfortable. Maybe you’ll dream a solution to your dilemma. I’m going to dream about how to get Coach Johnson not to hate me.”
He yawns and turns on his side.
“G’night, G-Money.”
“G-money. I like that. Good night, you. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
A half hour later, I get in bed. Head to toe.
When I wake up the next morning, I smile hazily, feeling long, muscular arms wrapped around my midsection.
My core heats, and I snuggle deeper into my boyfriend behind me. I flutter my eyes open, look out at the Chicago Skyline, watching the light snow fall over the city buildings. Wow, I slept so deeply last night.
There’s something nice about waking up against a hard, tall body. I wiggle my ass into him, trying to get even more comfortable, as if that’s possible. My body just fits so well against his, like a puzzle piece. I stroke his forearm and I hear the deep rumble of a growl vibration against his chest.
I smile. Ah yes. Happy birthday to me. I’m so glad that Jude could…
Wait a second.
Jude’s growl isn’t that low.
His body definitely isn’t this long and his forearm isn’t this thick.
My eyes widen, and a bolt of adrenaline rushes through me. I focus my eyes on the refection in the window, and, oh my.
This is not my boyfriend I’m cuddling with.
Oh my dear lord. That’s not morning wood pressing into me, is it?
I jump out of bed, and look down in horror.
Nope. Not my boyfriend.
Grant rubs the sleep out of his eyes and clears his throat. “Hey! Happy Birthday! Welcome to twenty.”
“Uh, yeah, good morning!”
He squints and cocks his head a little. “Were we just cuddling?”
“Uh, no,” I scoff, then frown. “Yes! How did that happen?!”
He pushes himself up in bed, and I stare at him shirtless.
“No idea…didn’t we sleep head to toe?”
“I did sleep with my head at the foot of the bed!”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he says, putting his hands behind his head.
I clench my fists at my sides and heave a sigh. “It’s okay. It was an accident. I must have turned around in my sleep.”
“Right. I’m just waking up.”
That’s when I look closer at the area of the sheets where I suppose Grant’s legs meet his waist.
“Well, someone has definitely woken up,” I say nodding toward Grant.
“What’s that mean?”
He really is a slow waker-upper. I decide to just spell it out for him. “Grant, you have a massive erection.”
He looks down at himself, and his face widens in horror. Grant grabs the pillow next to him and covers himself. “It’s just natural. Happens every morning. It’s uh, it’s not you. You have a boyfriend.”
I gulp, shaking my head. “It’s okay. Can we just go?”
“Yes. But I should point out…your nipples are hard.”
I look down at the t-shirt I wore to bed along with pajama pants. It’s not exactly a flattering look but yeah, you can see my pebbled nipples through the material. I sigh.
“I think it’s about time we got out of here,” I say.
“Agree,” Grant says, hopping to the bathroom. “Let’s just get back to campus.”
We have a somewhat awkward coffee discussion on the train home, I’m in the best mood I’ve been in since I’ve