I yawned again, accepting the fact that I was tired. Not wanting to find Knight awake, I sat Indian style on the floor and flipped through the channels, hoping I could find something to occupy my thoughts for the next half hour or so. How long did it normally take someone to fall asleep? Well, since Knight was on the floor, it might take him a while.
I sighed and settled in for a cooking show where some cheery woman was making brownies covered in frosting and chocolate chips. I’ve never had a sweet tooth, but I could handle it for another half hour or so.
A choking followed by spluttering sounded from Trey, and that’s when I decided I was going to bed. I turned the TV off and started for my bedroom. Turning the light off in the living room, I was surrounded by darkness, and it took my eyes a second to go into night mode. When they did, I opened my bedroom door and had to quash my temper as I realized Knight was underneath my covers, in my bed. And the sleeping bag? It was laid out on the floor with one of my pillows above it.
The bastard!
There was no way in hell I was sleeping on the floor. I closed the door behind me and stormed up to Knight, hurling the covers off him. I was greeted with a long expanse of tan back and equally naked rear end! Shocked and mortified again, I threw the covers back over him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” No response. I poked him in his incredibly tight bicep and still, no response. “Wake up, damn you.” I shook him. Nothing.
Well, I wasn’t going to sleep on the floor. I leaned against him and tried to push him out of the bed, but I might as well have been pushing a bus. He wasn’t going anywhere. So, now I had to decide-the floor or I could sleep next to Knight. I had a Queen sized bed, and I was small enough that I could curl up on my side and avoid his nudity…
I wasn’t sleeping on the floor.
My mind made up, I grabbed my pajamas and changed in the bathroom, brushing my teeth and hair before marching back out. I was careful to keep the covers tucked around Knight so I wouldn’t get another flash of his tight ass.
“You’re getting an earful tomorrow, you smug jerk.”
I climbed in beside him and stayed as close to the edge of the bed as I could and shut my eyes. No sooner did my eyelashes touch my cheeks, then Knight rolled over with a soft snore and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me against him.
I thought my heart would stop. I pushed him away furiously and catapulted myself from the bed. Then I crawled into the sleeping bag on the floor.
I tossed and turned a few times, then closed my eyes and hoped Morpheus would take me to the land of slumber soon enough.
###
Jack was in my bedroom.
“ What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice sounding just as raw as it had when he’d dumped me a year ago.
He sat on the corner of the bed and gave me a licentious smile, making my stomach clench. I glanced down at myself and realized I was naked under my bed covers. Pulling the sheet up to my chin, I continued glaring at him.
“ Dulcie, don’t tell me you haven’t missed me, I know you have,” he said.
I had missed him. I couldn’t deny it.
“ Is that why you haven’t dated anyone else?” he continued.
I shook my head. “I haven’t dated anyone because you gave me some real trust issues, asshole. It has nothing to do with missing you.”
He leaned forward and put his hand on mine. I wanted to pull it away but I couldn’t seem to summon up the will.
“ Stand up and let me see you,” he whispered.
I stood up in spite of myself, it was as if I’d swallowed a control potion and he was now calling the shots. The duvet dropped away from me, even though I still held it. Jack stood up and approached me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. He stood so close, I could feel the heat of his breath on my forehead.
“ I don’t want to do this,” I muttered, even as my traitorous body sung while he ran his hands down my breasts.
“ He’s your past, Dulcie.” It was Knight.
I closed my eyes against the embarrassment that not only was Jack witnessing me naked but now Knight was too. When I opened them, Jack was still watching me through those beautiful dark brown eyes I’d loved so much. Knight stood behind him, his expression stoic.
“ Tell him he’s your past,” Knight demanded.
I glanced at Jack again and he dropped his head, capturing my lips. My eyelashes fluttered down until they graced the tops of my cheeks.
“ Dulcie, let him go.”
I opened my eyes but didn’t stop kissing Jack. Knight grabbed Jack’s shoulder and tore him away from me. I glanced at Jack who didn’t even react-he just watched me.
“ Tell him he’s your past. Let him go.”
It was like slow motion as I faced Knight again. He ran his fingers down one side of my face and bent my head as he trailed steaming hot kisses down the length of my neck.
“ Say it,” he demanded again.
I focused on Jack who was standing there like the last kid picked in PE. Anger and pain warred within my stomach as I forced myself to gaze at the man who’d so royally screwed me up.
“ You’re my past,” I said in a breathless voice.
Knight chuckled and ran his fingers down my neck, past my collarbone until he found one of my breasts. He took it in his mouth as I watched Jack begin to fade, as if he were a ghost.
“ Again,” Knight demanded.
But, I didn’t want to focus on Jack. I wanted to focus on how amazing Knight’s mouth felt on my breast. He pulled away and glanced up at me.
“ Again,” he growled.
I faced Jack. “I’m letting you go.”
Jack faded even more, until he was nothing but a fleck of whitish steam.
I gasped when I felt Knight’s fingers between my thighs.
“ Once more until he’s gone.”
I faced what was left of Jack and the words barely made it out of my mouth. “You’re my past and I’m letting you go.”
The steam disappeared and I woke up in a sleeping bag on my floor. I drew in my breath as I realized my own hand was pressed hard against my inner thighs. I quickly pulled it away and sat up, dazed.
Knight was an unmoving mound my bed.
How freaking embarrassing that I’d been fondling myself with him in the same room! Humiliation heated my cheeks and increased tenfold as I wondered if Knight had involved himself in the dream-the same way he’d interrupted my pirate repose. Well, it wasn’t like I was about to question him about it.
I rolled over and closed my eyes, praying the rest of my dreams would be rated PG.
FOURTEEN
Knight had been gone all day. Where, I had no idea, but after the first five hours of the day dragged on, my irritation with him sleeping naked in my bed had fizzled like a one hit wonder. Images of Knight licking my breast kept visiting me and it was all I could do to push them to the dark recesses of my mind. It was just too mortifying to even consider that maybe Knight had witnessed the incriminating dream. One thing that was clear, at least to my subconscious mind, was that I needed to get over my emotional baggage from Jack. If the dream wasn’t a wakeup call, I didn’t know what was.
