Chapter 194: Morning After

Morning light slipped through the curtains and spread across the bed as Luke woke slowly and waited for his mind to catch up with where he was. Lauren was curled against his left side with one leg thrown over his, her cheek resting on his chest and most of the blanket gathered around her body. Her black hair covered his shoulder, the pillow, and part of his arm in a tangled mess that looked nothing like the smooth style she usually wore downstairs.

The previous night returned piece by piece: the café, the stairs, the bedroom, Lauren beneath him and then above him, and finally her voice when she told him she loved him. Heat crept into Luke’s face. Sleeping had done nothing to dull any of it.

He lowered his eyes toward Lauren. She was still asleep, completely relaxed against him, with one bare shoulder showing above the blanket. Every slow breath moved her cheek lightly against his chest, and Luke still found it difficult to believe that everything had actually happened. A few months earlier, he had been sleeping beneath a bus shelter and wondering whether he could afford breakfast. Now he was lying in Lauren’s bed after spending the night with the woman who had rescued him. Then he remembered how she had said "good boy" near his ear, and his body reacted before he could stop it.

Seriously?

Lauren shifted against him, and Luke went still. Her thigh moved slightly over his legs before settling again, pushing her closer and making him painfully aware of every warm point of contact between them. He stared at the ceiling and tried to will his body into calming down, but it didn’t work.

Lauren made a sleepy sound against his chest. Her breathing changed, and a moment later she stretched beneath the blanket, one arm sliding across his stomach before her fingers curled loosely against his side. When she opened her eyes, she simply looked at him for several seconds. Luke expected teasing, but instead she smiled.

"Morning." Her voice was low and rough with sleep, and Luke’s heart reacted more strongly than it had any right to.

"Morning."

Lauren’s gaze wandered over his face before drifting lower. Luke saw the exact moment she noticed because her sleepy smile changed.

"Oh."

Luke looked away at once. "Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You made a sound."

Lauren lifted her head and settled more comfortably against him. "I woke up beside my boyfriend. An eighteen-year-old boyfriend who apparently wakes up very enthusiastic."

Luke covered his face with his left hand. "This is already terrible."

Lauren laughed and pushed herself a little higher against him, which did nothing to help. When Luke lowered his hand, her hair was still wild and her cheeks faintly pink from sleep, giving her an unusually soft look. Then her gaze dipped again, and amusement crept back into her expression.

"Please don’t start first thing in the morning."

Lauren’s innocent expression lasted about two seconds before the corners of her mouth gave her away.

"You’re enjoying this way too much."

She answered by kissing his chest. The movement seemed casual at first, but then her lips moved lower, and Luke’s breathing changed.

"Lauren."

She kept going, and his left hand caught lightly in her hair. When Lauren glanced up, the look in her eyes destroyed whatever argument he had been preparing. She was wide awake now and clearly enjoying herself.

Luke leaned back against the pillow. "I thought we were supposed to rest."

Lauren’s mouth curved while his fingers tightened slightly in her hair before he made himself loosen them again. His injured right wrist remained safely supported beside him, where he wouldn’t accidentally brace through it. Lauren noticed anyway and briefly adjusted the pillow beneath his forearm.

Luke stared at her. "You’re checking my wrist right now?"

"I’m not letting you hurt it."

That answer took some of the joke out of him. Luke glanced at his hand, flexed his fingers once, then relaxed again when nothing felt wrong. "It’s fine."

Lauren watched him for another second before continuing, and Luke’s ability to form coherent thoughts began deteriorating almost immediately. Morning light made every reaction obvious. He could see the messy strands of hair around Lauren’s face, the lingering flush in her cheeks, and every little change in her expression when she noticed one of his reactions. She could see him just as clearly, and there was nowhere for him to disappear when his breathing became uneven.

Lauren slowed once to watch him, and Luke recognized the look. "Don’t analyze me. I’m serious."

Her lips twitched, but she continued without answering. Luke let his head fall back against the pillow, and thinking became increasingly difficult. Lauren had spent months learning exactly how easily she could embarrass him with a few carefully chosen words. This morning, she barely needed them. She kept watching, smiling whenever he failed to hide a reaction.

His left hand tightened against the sheets. "God."

Lauren glanced up, and he regretted making the sound at once. Her eyes brightened, but instead of saying anything, she held his gaze for a second longer than necessary before continuing.

That was somehow worse.

The next few minutes reduced Luke to broken breaths, unfinished words, and several sounds he would absolutely deny making if Lauren ever brought them up downstairs. She probably would. Imagining her behind the café counter later, wearing her apron and smiling sweetly while knowing exactly why he couldn’t look at her for more than a few seconds, only made his face hotter.

Luke finally reached down and brushed several strands of hair away from her face. Lauren paused, and for a moment the teasing disappeared. Morning light touched her bare shoulders and caught in the dark strands around her cheeks. She looked messy, flushed, and completely comfortable in a way he had never seen before.

"You’re beautiful."

Lauren’s expression softened, but Luke didn’t stumble over the words this time or look away. "I mean it."

Her cheeks grew pinker. She leaned into his hand for a moment, and Luke smiled at the rare chance to watch her get flustered. Then something changed in her eyes, and suspicion replaced his satisfaction.

"Oh no."

A slow smile spread across her face. Luke realized too late that the compliment had given her ideas, and he groaned her name as she returned to what she had been doing with renewed enthusiasm. His attempt to protest died almost immediately.

Lauren stayed close, paying attention to every change in his breathing and refusing to let him settle whenever he started to recover. Luke tried to say her name again, but it came out broken. Lauren made a pleased sound in response, and a few moments later his entire body tightened. His left hand caught in the sheets while his right remained safely out of the movement, and he shut his eyes as the sensation overwhelmed him.

When it finally passed, Luke lay still and tried to remember how to breathe normally. The room stayed quiet for several seconds before Lauren lifted her head. Luke opened his eyes and regretted it at once. She looked unbelievably satisfied, with her hair a complete disaster and her cheeks flushed from what they had just done. There was no embarrassment anywhere in her expression. Lauren simply looked at him and smiled.

Luke stared back until the smile widened. "Please don’t."

Lauren wiped the corner of her mouth with one finger without breaking eye contact, and Luke covered his eyes. "Oh my God."

Her quiet laughter followed him until he looked again and found that Lauren had already climbed out of bed, letting the blanket fall away behind her. Luke forgot whatever he had been about to say. She stretched beside the bed with both arms above her head, and the morning light outlined her body.

Luke stared openly this time. After everything they had said the night before, pretending not to look felt pointless. Lauren turned toward the small table near the window, where a bottle of water remained from the night before. Her hips swayed naturally as she walked, and Luke’s gaze followed. She bent to pick up the bottle and stayed there half a second longer than necessary.

Luke let out a disbelieving laugh. "Subtle."

Lauren glanced back over her shoulder, completely unbothered, then opened the bottle and took several long drinks.

Her smile made it obvious she knew exactly what she had done.

Luke watched the movement of her throat as she swallowed, then caught himself staring harder than before when she lowered the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Lauren noticed. Instead of teasing him or covering herself, she took another sip and let him look.

Luke smiled without realizing it. Lauren caught the expression and raised her eyebrows, waiting.

"You look happy."

She went still for a moment before her face softened. "I am."

Lauren glanced down at herself, then back at him. "I probably look terrible."

Luke didn’t have to answer. One look at his face made Lauren laugh under her breath and shake her head. "Never mind."

She returned to the bedside and placed the bottle on the table before standing between his knees. Luke’s eyes traveled over her again, and Lauren watched him do it with a faint flush returning to her cheeks. He rested his left hand against her hip while her fingers moved through his hair, and for several quiet seconds neither of them said anything.

Then she smiled down at him. "I think I forgot how much I liked being looked at."

Luke’s face warmed as Lauren brushed her thumb across his temple. "Don’t stop."

He let his gaze move over her once more before returning to her face. The faint color appearing in Lauren’s cheeks made him smile, and she gave his hair a light tug.

"Careful, pretty boy."

Luke froze for half a heartbeat. Lauren’s smile deepened when she saw the effect, and the heat that had already reached his face climbed straight to his ears.

He stared at her. "Pretty boy?"

Lauren ran her fingers through his hair again, entirely too pleased with herself. "It suits you."

That was worse than simply admitting it was new. Luke narrowed his eyes. "You’re keeping that one, aren’t you?"

Her answer was a slow smile.

Luke laughed softly and pulled her a little closer before she could find another way to embarrass him. Lauren stepped between his legs, and his cheek rested briefly against her stomach while her hand settled at the back of his head. He kissed her skin, drawing a soft breath from her.

When Luke looked up, Lauren was still watching him. She ran her fingers through his hair once more, and he held her gaze instead of looking away. Lauren bent and kissed him slowly.

When she straightened, Luke’s attention shifted toward the clock beside the bed. "The Bureau."

The teasing left Lauren’s face as Luke sat a little straighter. "Shaw said I could do one supervised Powerforge dive today if they have an open slot. I still need to see whether they can take me."

Lauren glanced toward his right wrist. "And if they can, one supervised dive doesn’t erase everything Shaw told you to leave alone."

Luke flexed his fingers once. "Reinforce stays off. I remember."

Lauren studied him for another second, then nodded toward the hallway. "Eat first. Then call."

Luke looked down at himself, then at Lauren. She was still completely naked, and his mouth twitched. Lauren caught the expression, narrowed her eyes, and picked up the water bottle again before walking toward the bedroom door.

"Come on, pretty boy. I’m hungry."

Luke’s face heated all over again. Lauren glanced back just in time to catch the reaction, which immediately made her look far too satisfied.

"You cannot already be using it again."

"I just did."

Luke watched her disappear into the hallway wearing absolutely nothing and stayed on the bed for several seconds, staring after her. Of course she had found another nickname that worked on him, and judging by the way she’d looked at him when she said it, she had no intention of letting it go anytime soon.

Lauren’s laughter reached him from somewhere down the hall. A moment later, Luke reached for his phone. They could eat first, then find out whether the Bureau had a slot for his first supervised return to Powerforge.