Page 19 of Only You

Six

Jack lay in bed flipping through the TV channels, but he couldn’t concentrate. Even though Kayla had implored him to go about his normal routine, it seemed impossible. He was hyperaware of her presence in his home and upstairs in the bedroom. Jack couldn’t hear her moving around over the noise of the TV, but he imagined her getting ready for bed. First, she’d take off her clothes … Wait, what? He should not be thinking of Kayla naked. I wouldn’t be if I hadn’t invited her here!

It was only partially true. Jack had pictured Kayla naked before, because, hello, she was a beautiful woman. Striking was a better word. Whenever they were out together, he’d seen men eyeing her, and looking enviously at Jack. It didn’t matter that they were just friends, as he was still proud to be seen with her. He’d kept this to himself, though, because there was no way he was going to screw up their friendship. Plus, they worked together and that complicated things. Long ago, Jack had decided that it was best if he and Kayla stayed in the friend zone. Just because she was living here and pretending to be his girlfriend didn’t mean anything had to change.

Needing a distraction, Jack settled on a nature documentary. He watched lions roaming the African plains, when, suddenly, a male lion came upon a lioness. The two circled each other, and the male growled. Jack was riveted to the screen as the lions carried out their mating ritual. When the male mounted the lioness, Jack groaned. He turned off the TV in disgust—not at the lions, but himself for thinking dirty thoughts about Kayla.

It took him a while to settle down, but he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, he was awakened by the floor creaking. Jack popped open his eyes and peered into the semi-darkness. The floor creaked again, and he realized he had company. Jack stayed still and shifted his gaze to the dresser. Kayla’s back was to him as she slowly slid open a drawer and rummaged through it. What is she doing? He glanced at his alarm clock and saw it was only six in the morning. Then he remembered. Yoga class.

Kayla must have forgotten to take her exercise clothes out of his room last night. Since he’d bragged about being a sound sleeper, he didn’t want to alert her that he was awake. Instead, he lay there and watched her. Kayla’s hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun, exposing the back of her neck. She had a pretty neck—slim and graceful. She wore a gray T-shirt and baggy sweatpants, but there was no hiding her luscious curves.

Kayla closed the drawer and turned toward him. Jack snapped his eyes shut before she caught him looking. He waited, barely breathing, until she padded into the bathroom. Once he was sure it was safe, he opened his eyes again. She’d left the bathroom door ajar but hadn’t turned on the light. She was bent over, rummaging around in the cabinet, when suddenly, it twitched. Jack glanced down at his boxer/briefs. Not now! There was a loud bang, and Kayla cursed. He bolted upright, and the bed creaked. The bathroom light came on, illuminating the bedroom too.

Kayla reentered the bedroom, rubbing her right knee. “Oh. You’re up …” Her words trailed off, and her eyes went wide.

It took him a moment to react before he quickly covered his erection with his hands. Jack was up alright. “Good morning?”

Kayla averted her eyes. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“I was already awake,” he admitted.

She returned her gaze to him. “Were you up the entire time I was in here?”

He shook his head. “Yes. No. Maybe?”

“I was fumbling around in the dark, trying not to wake you, and you were awake the whole time!”

“I didn’t want to startle you.”

“I thought you were a sound sleeper!”

“I usually am, but I’m not used to someone creeping around my bedroom at six in the morning—on a Sunday!” he added. She wasn’t the only one allowed to be mad.

Kayla planted her hands on her curvy hips. “I wasn’t creeping around. You said I could come in if I forgot something, and I did.”

Annoyingly, arguing hadn’t dampened his arousal. Jack kept his hands in place, wishing his erection would go down.

In the meantime, Kayla’s gaze flicked over his bare chest. “Do you always wake up like that?” she asked, motioning to his lower half.

He shifted uncomfortably. “Like what?”

“You know …”

There was no use denying it. “Hard?”

She sucked in a breath. “Yeah. That.”

“Not always, but it has a mind of its own.”

Kayla chuckled. “I’ve heard that before.”

Of course she had. It was every man’s excuse. “Anyway, are you okay?”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. Well, not yours, but you know what I mean.”

“I was talking about your knee,” he explained, as she was still rubbing it.

“Oh. I bumped it on the cabinet, but I’ll be fine.”