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They had one friend get taken out by a drunk driver when crossing the street, and Milo had been completely awake and lucid when it had happened. She couldn’t just leave Nolan asleep to take his chances with unsuspecting traffic.
Damn it!She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to corral him back into the house. It was dangerous to try and wake a sleepwalker. That’s what his mom had told him the first time he wandered down the hallway after a Christmas celebration. Isla had stayed to help his mom clean. They’d got to talking and so much time had passed by when Nolan came out of his room. Isla had smiled up at him, but he was like a zombie going through the motions. She had watched him in amazement until he bounced off the wall and nearly fell.
His mom had caught him, turned him around, and guided him back to his room where he collapsed on his bed and had no recollection of it the next morning. After that, she’d read up on sleepwalking. Nolan didn’t do it often, usually when he was stressed out about something.
She couldn’t help but wonder if he had any incidents while he was away in Seattle, alone and with no one to guide him back to bed… unless maybe there was someone.
Not wanting to think about Nolan shacked up with another woman, she shook the thought right from her head.
She slipped into a pair of flip-flops and ran out the door. There was a slight ocean breeze that kept the summer heat at bay, but she knew it wouldn’t be around for much longer.
Nolan did an about face and started heading toward his house. Isla stayed in the shadows, hoping he’d find the door and go inside on his own. No such luck. He turned again and headed for the street.
“Shit!” She took off after him. She didn’t want to startle him, so she calmly walked up beside him, linking her arm through his and waiting a moment before steering him toward his house.
The turn was effortless, with no stumbles or missteps. She sighed a breath of relief and helped guide him without doing anything to jolt him awake.
She managed to get him up the stairs and into the house. He swayed left, and she put herself between him and the wall. She propped his arm over her shoulder and steered him toward his old bedroom. With his arm draped over her shoulder and using her body to guide him, she got him close to the bed.
“Here we are,” she said quietly to herself.
His leg hit the bed, and he collapsed onto the mattress, taking her with him. His weight landed on top of her in a big, heavy heap. Bare chest trapped her between him and the bed, and she attempted to slide out from beneath him, but it was impossible. With his six-pack abs and big biceps, he was too heavy for her. She was trapped.
Fanfreakintastic.
She looked up to the ceiling, imagining seeing beyond the roof and sky, to the place where Grandma was. “Grandma if you’re up there, when you’re done laughing, can you help a girl out here?”
Isla waited for a sudden shift in body weight or the ceiling to open up, a light to beam down and guide Nolan off of her, but she had no such luck. There was no one to help her. She had to figure this out on her own.
She was a relatively smart girl, who was great at problem solving, so how hard could this be?
Nolan snuggled into her, resting his head at the crook of her neck. His breath skittered warm against her skin, and he squeezed tighter. His nose pressed against her skin, and he inhaled. “Mmm.” He sighed, and Isla attempted once again to escape, but his hold tightened. He pulled her close, his lips brushing against her neck.
“No, no, no.” If she and Nolan were to ever kiss again, she’d prefer he’d be conscious. She didn’t care how desperate she was.
She shimmied, hoping to either break free, or at this point risk bodily harm by waking him up, but it was useless. His grip was solid rock, and she was nothing more than a mere piece of sand stuck beneath the weight.
She might as well get comfortable. It looked like she’d be spending the night. Of course, the first night with a guy in years, and he was completely unaware. It was just her luck. Maybe if she waited long enough, he would roll off of her. She just had to stay awake and wait for her moment.
“You smell so good,” he mumbled.
“It’s my shampoo,” she said, then imagined smacking herself in the head. “He’s sleeping, you idiot.”
He rubbed his nose along her neck, and for a second, she closed her eyes and absorbed the sweet sensations of human contact. She hadn’t been with anyone since Nolan left, and it had been lonely, especially at night when her bed grew cold and she had no one to snuggle into.
“Missed you.” His words were muffled, but she could make them out. Two simple words that wrapped around her heart and squeezed until tears pricked her eyes, and she couldn’t breathe without a gasp.
It’s not real. But God, how she wished it were. At nights when she couldn’t sleep, she’d imagine what life would have been like if she never called that stupid radio show. If she would have just trusted Nolan like she should have and ignored the insecure parts of her mind that only cared about reacting.
She had to get out of here. Being in his bed with him was bringing back too many memories, reminding her of the biggest mistake of her life. It was too much for her to handle.
She pushed into his side, but instead of rolling away like she silently prayed he would, he pulled her even closer.No!she screamed in her mind.No. No. No.But it was too late. His leg draped over hers, cutting off any and all movement. His arms squeezed her like a child who had recently found their teddy bear. His nose implanted in her neck, and he sighed.
At least someone was content… With no other options, she closed her eyes and waited.
***
Isla always smelled like she bathed in a pool of flowers. So many times, he imagined her stepping from a hot bath, flower petals floating on top, water dripping down her naked body as she met his eyes and went to him. It was his favorite fantasy. He’d avoid waking up just to bask in the vision for as long as possible.
