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“Are you just going to keep staring at me like that?” she suddenly mumbled against my chest and slowly lifted her dream-filled eyes to mine.
“Shush and go back to sleep,” I replied and gently pushed her head back to my chest.
“Cassidy, I know your arm has to be asleep by now.” She cuddled in tighter, despite her rather defiant response.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”
“So, let’s go sleep in your bed. Besides, as comfortable as your couch is, your sheets were so nice…” Her voice slipped away, rather otherworldly.
“Ah, I get it. It has nothing to do with the fact that I was in the bed and everything to do with my nice, clean, silky sheets,” I teased and could feel her roll her eyes against my chest.
“Yes, that is the only reason I want to go sleep in your bed, dummy,” she muttered.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Let’s go so you can enjoy the only reason you want to sleep in my bed.”
“Can we shower first?” She pushed away from me, inhaling deeply. “You stink like you wouldn’t believe!”
“Excuse me? You’re not supposed to ever say that I smell bad! You’re supposed to like my man musk!”
She blinked at me as if I was insane. “Normally, your man musk is fine, but not when my face is buried in your armpit for hours at a time!”
“How rude.” I pursed my lips.
She giggled, and a gentle smile caressed my lips. “You should probably change the bandage on your stitches anyway.”
“You sure you don’t want to just ignore all of this and go back to sleep? The sun’s gonna be up in a few hours anyway, and that sounds like a lot of work.” I tightened my hold around her body, and she sighed.
“Can we just skip the morning? Your family is all back, including Cash. He can handle morning chores. Just this once…”
I exaggerated my gasp. “Are you, Goldie Kensington, asking to play hooky?”
She giggled and, for whatever reason, bit down on my pec through my shirt. “No,” she muttered through her teeth.
“First off, Ow,” I stated, acknowledging her nibble that didn’t actually hurt. “Second, you totally are.” Shivers ran up my spine from how gentle and easy everything seemed right now.
She released the bite. “And so what if I am?” Another giggle brushed against my chest. Everything felt so calm and perfect. I would be willing to play hooky, or do anything she asked to get just one more second like this.
“My girl wants to break the rules,” I teased, not quite realizing what I’d just said until her laughter cut short.
“Your…Your what?” she whispered.
The world squealed to a stop. Time blurred. A solid wall of reality crashed into me, and I squeezed my hands tighter against her back, keeping her face tucked against me. My heart hammered in my chest, ready to bust through my ribs. I’d said it. Unintentionally verbalized something that while to myself was true, my ego had kept to myself in fear of her denying it.
“Cassidy, what did you just say?” she asked again, squirming against my hold.
I slowly released her, and she pushed frizzy hair from her face, sitting up onto her knees on the edge of the couch.
Clenching my jaw, I pulled myself upright and gently slid a leg onto either side of her body, trying to not touch her for fear that I might shock her system even more.
“I said ‘my girl,’” I repeated, though not as confidently as before. Anticipation tingled in my toes, knowing that right now was pivotal. Either she would accept it and we would continue doing whatever dance this was, or she would reject it and I would go into my bedroom by myself with my tail tucked between my legs.
Her gray eyes studied me, emotions that I could not decipher flickered across her face. Everything lingered stiff in the air, hanging by a thin thread that could so easily snap at any moment.
Everything was up to her. Her response would determine where we went from here. It was as simple as that, and as the seconds ticked past, I began to wish that I’d not said those words. The unknown that we’d be swimming in seemed safer than the sharks that were circling now.
“Your girl,” she whispered.
I blinked rapidly, darting my gaze around the room, hoping to find mercy somewhere as my bones trembled. “I mean, only if you’re okay with that. It just kinda came out, and I get that we’ve really only been on one date that wasn’t even a date to you. But I mean, we’ve kinda—”
