Page 130 of Wish I Might
“Do I get ham and pineapple?”
“Tonight, you get whatever you want.”
“’Kay.”She dropped her head to rest on his shoulder.“Nash?”
Wishing they could stay just like this for the rest of the night—hell, for the rest of their lives—he rested his chin on her head.“Yeah, Bay?”
“You might have to carry me to the bath.”
He brushed a kiss over her hair.“That would be my pleasure, too.”
* * * *
He’d carried her to the bath, then stayed to gently sponge the come off her breasts, help her wash her hair.She’d eaten ham and pineapple pizza bundled in his robe, with some silly movie on the television, then at his insistence had slept in his bed—after he’d changed the sheets—so that if she’d needed anything in the night, he’d be there.
She’d woken once, thirsty and sore, and he’d brought her a bottle of water and one of the painkillers leftover from when he’d had a root canal.She’d spent the rest of the night in blissful, dreamless sleep, cushioned by grade-A pharmaceuticals and the comfort of Nash’s body next to hers.She woke to his snores, and for a moment, in those first, blurry, seconds of the day, she was back in college, sharing a one-bedroom apartment off campus with Nash, like the last eight years had never happened.
Then she shifted, setting off a dull twinge in her sore ass, and it all came flooding back.
She lay there, watching the morning sun fight at the edges of the blinds while Nash slept on beside her, stunned at the weight of disappointment.Annoyedby it.She hadn’t spent the last eight years pining for Nash, mourning what could have been.She’d had a life, goddammit.Gotten her degree, bought a house, opened a fucking business.Had lovers, built friendships,lived.
Beside her, Nash snuffled into his pillow, grumping and grousing the way he did when he was waking up but didn’t want to.In a few moments—or a couple of hours, there was no way to tell which—he’d open his eyes, blinking blearily at the offending sunlight, then he’d see her and smile his sleepy good-morning smile.And if now-Nash was the same as eight-years-ago-Nash, his good-morning smile would come with a good-morning erection.
Eight-years-ago Bailey would’ve greeted both happily, but now-Bailey was too sore and too confused.So she slid out of bed, trying not to wake him up, and scooped her phone off the nightstand.She hurried out of the room, the oversized T-shirt Nash had given her to sleep in brushing her thighs, and dialed Chloe on her way up the stairs.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s early,” she whispered when her friend answered.
“It’s okay, I’m up.Why are you whispering?”
Bailey wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear and dug a pair of panties out of her dresser.“I don’t want to wake up Nash.We did the gang bang last night.”
“What?I thought that was set for Sunday.”
“There was a change of plans.”Bailey wiggled into the panties, wincing, then grabbed a pair of shorts.“Can you meet me for breakfast?”
“Yeah, sure.Where?”
“I don’t know.Somewhere I don’t have to get dressed up.”
“The diner,” Chloe decided.“Twenty minutes?”
“I can make that.”Bailey set the phone down to drag on a sports bra, pulled Nash’s T-shirt back on, then picked up the phone again.“Will you tell Gwen?”
“This early?”
Bailey winced.“I know, I’m sorry.”
“You owe me.”
“I’ll buy breakfast.”
“You’ll still owe me,” Chloe muttered.
“Twenty minutes,” Bailey said and clicked off.She snagged a pair of sandals, scraped her hair back into a ponytail, and crept to the top of the stairs on her toes.
The sound of water running made her curse.He was up, but she couldn’t tell if he was in the kitchen or the bathroom.She bit her lip, straining to hear.The water cut off, then came the clatter and thump of porcelain that could only be the toilet lid going up.He was in the bathroom, and that gave her a short window for escape.
She went down the stairs as fast as she dared, speeding up when she heard the unmistakable sound of a stream of piss hitting the bowl, and bolted for the front door.She looked for her purse, losing precious moments to panic before she remembered throwing it in Nash’s room last night.
