Page 101 of Dead Pretty

“Morning.” I smile. My voice is croaky.

“Morning.” He leans close and brushes a soft kiss over my lips.

I try not to breathe on him, consciously aware of my morning breath.

I snuggle against his warm chest. He wraps his arms around me.

“How long have you been awake?” I ask him.

“Not long.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Better than I have in a long time.”

That makes me smile.

It’s also the same for me. I can’t remember the last time I slept so easily.

I feel well rested.

I always sleep on high alert nowadays. I sleep light, ready to hear any noise that shouldn’t be there. And if I ever do drop into a deep sleep, it’s plagued with nightmares and bad memories.

But this morning, I feel lighter. Almost like I had a dreamless sleep.

It’s crazy how one person can come into your life and change things for the better in the smallest period of time. I refuse to think about how a person can do the exact opposite in limited time too.

My past is over and done with.

This is the here and now, and as I lie here, staring into Jack’s gorgeous eyes, things look a whole lot brighter.

“What time is it?” I yawn.

“Just after eight.”

I groan. “Ugh.”

“Do you have to work today?”

“Yeah. I start work in an hour.”

“I’ll drive you in.”

“You don’t have to.” I look up at him.

“If I don’t, you’ll walk, right? That means, you’ll have to leave earlier, and that means, I’ll have less time with you. Also, I need to work on my book. Where better than the library? It’s quiet, and the view is fantastic there.”

His hand squeezes my ass cheek, making me giggle.

I’m giggling all the damn time around him.

It’s hideous.

I really need to stop it.

“We can have lunch together, if you want?”

“Oh, well, I was going to go into the adoption center today on my lunch break and sign up for more dog-walking.”