Page 29 of Playing for Keeps

Aaron grabbed my hand. “Let’s go out.”

“Are you kidding me?” I pointed into the room, to my tablet on the table and the mess of blankets on the couch. “And leave this cozy little slice of heaven? No way. I'm not going anywhere.”

He looked at the couch, then back at me, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “Slumber party.”

“What?” Before the word was fully out of my mouth, Aaron leapt across the room and dove face-first into the couch. He turned over, my blanket wrapped around his body, and held his hand out to me. “Come on, drowned rat. Let's enjoy this cozy little slice of heaven.”

I shook my head and his face dropped. “I'm going to need popcorn.”

His smile flashed back, one that felt dangerous, delicious, and had those chills turning to heat. “And a movie?”

“And ice cream?”

“Yes!” He untangled himself from the blanket and scrambled toward me, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the kitchen.

While I served up scoops of my favorite caramel ice cream, Aaron popped the popcorn and poured us each a tall glass of milk. We settled in on the couch and watched not one, but two movies. A little action and adventure with a side dish of romance.

A little bit of him.

A little bit of me.

It all felt like a dream, thoughts of Aaron mixing with thoughts of Vinny from earlier in the day, and when the door slammed shut, I believed that it was. That Aaron showing up out of the blue and hanging out like the friend he was, was too good to be true. That I was dreaming of Vinny like I had been the past year. That it was just memories of him wrapped around my body the way I craved, that it was my determination to get over him, fighting my desire to be with him, that had me dreaming all the dreams. Because I was still on the couch, my comforter tangled around me, and a heavy weight on my chest.

Except a second after the door slammed shut, the weight lifted, and when I cracked an eyelid open, he was still there. His arms caging me in against the couch, his big body pressing me into the cushions as he stared down at me, his face close to mine.

“Morning, drowned rat.” His voice was just a whisper, but it did nothing to quiet the pounding of my heart. He fingered a lock of my hair then licked his lips, and I pressed a hand to my mouth.

“Aaron, what are you doing here?”

“Um, isn’t that obvious?”

At that, both our heads snapped up. Kelly stood by the door, hand on her hip, hair wild and makeup looking like she slept in it, if she slept at all.

“Kelly! What are you doing here?” I asked, sitting up so fast I slammed my forehead into Aaron’s face. “Ow!”

Aaron sat up on his knees, my comforter falling off his shoulders to the couch, exposing his bare chest.

His very buff, very well-defined, bare chest.

With his hands clutching his face, it was impossible not to notice the muscles rippling under his tanned skin. Strong pecs, washboard abs, a deep V leading down into his low-cut jeans. Jeans covering muscular legs that straddled one of my own.

Kelly’s whistle broke me out of my lust-fueled stupor. I dropped my hand from my forehead and reached for Aaron’s arms.

“Are you okay?”

Aaron plopped down on the couch beside me, his legs hanging over mine. “I’ll be alright,” he told me, a grimace on his face, before turning toward the door. “Jesus, O’Connor, you sure know how to give a wakeup call.”

“Next time, put a sock on the door,” Kelly said, a little smirk on her lips.

My eyes widened. “We didn’t—” I grabbed my comforter, trying to yank it to my chest, only for it to snag on Aaron’s leg. Shaking my head, I hopped off the couch, trying just as unsuccessfully to drag the blanket with me. “We didn’t sleep together.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Kelly said, tossing her purse to the floor against the wall and crossing to the kitchen. With that smirk still on her face, she dragged her eyes down my body before grabbing an ice pack from the freezer. “You make a habit of laying around in clothes like that all night and not doing anything else?”

Aaron scoffed. “Hey, she’s cute in that.”

“She’s fuckin’ sexy in that,” Kelly corrected, and I was sure my face burned bright red.

My sweatshirt had been tossed to the side last night, the heat from Aaron’s body next to mine and my comforter a little too much. Along with my pajama shorts, I wore just a tank, one as thin as my shorts and the color of my skin. I looked nearly naked, and both Kelly and Aaron had their eyes on me.