Free Fair Play by Dakota Madison

cheek.
    “Did you get to eat?” I suddenly remember that Evan picked me up right from work.
    “I’ll get something later,” he says dismissively. “I want to make sure you can keep that toast down first.”
    “You don’t have to take care of me.”
    “Maybe I want to.” There is so much warmth in his eyes it tugs at my heartstrings a bit.
    I take another bite of the dry toast.
    “Do you want to watch some TV?” Evan asks and it occurs to me that in all the time Evan and I have spent together over the years, we’ve never actually just spent time together without it involving sex.
    “Okay,” I agree although it feels strange.
    “Why don’t you get under the covers?” he suggests.
    Evan’s bed is so inviting, with his thick comforter and ove rstuffed pillows, I dive in. Evan grabs the remote and clicks through the stations until he finds a movie channel. Pretty Woman is playing.
    “Romance movie?” he asks.
    “Is that what you really want to watch?” I ask skeptically.
    He furrows his brows. “I like romance movies. The Notebook is one of my favorites.”
    “You like The Notebook ,” I scoff. 
    “Why is that so hard to believe?” He actually sounds a little hurt.
    I feel a twinge of sadness that there’s so much I don’t know about Evan. I know his reputation as the womanizer, Evan the Conqueror, which is well-deserved and I know quite a lot about how he performs in bed, which usually borders on amazing. I know about his family and all of the things that they want the world to know about Evan: that he’s a champion skier, that he graduated from an Ivy League school with Honors and that he now works for one of the most prestigious accounting firms in the world.
    How can I know so much about Evan but not really know Evan, the person inside?
    “Let’s watch Pretty Woman ,” I agree.
    Evan hops into the bed with me. “Come here,” he says as he taps his chest.
    I rest my head on his chest and he puts his arm around me and pulls me close. I snuggle into him and it feels comforting and scary at the same time.
    I’ve never actually been held by a guy when it didn’t involve sex. It’s a new feeling to just relax into Evan’s strong arms. Before I know it, my eyes start to feel heavy and I fall asleep.
    ***
    I bolt awake and realize I have no idea where I am or what time it is. I have a vague memory of being in the hotel bar with Roxie drinking my face off then passing out in Evan’s arms.
    Then the memories flood back to me: Evan bringing me back to his place, making me toast, holding me until I feel asleep.
    I scan the room in search of a clock. It’s 3:00 a.m. I seriously consider making an escape until I remember that Evan drove me here and my car is still parked in the hotel lot.
    “Are you okay?” Evan mumbles half awake. “Do you feel sick?”
    “I’m fine,” I whisper. “Go back to sleep.”
    “You can’t leave,” he says. “You don’t have a car here.”
    Did Evan plan it this way? Was this a plot for him to get me to spend the entire night with him? He knows better than anyone my fondness for making a quick exit.
    I heave a sigh of defeat. It looks like Evan is going to get what he wants this time. It also occurs to me that maybe it’s not such a bad thing when what he wants is me.
    “You’re letting all the warm air out of the covers,” Evan complains and I have to smile. He’s like a big kid in some ways and I find it oddly endearing.
    I slip back down into the bed and Evan grabs me by the waist and pulls me toward him so that the two of us spoon together.
    “That’s better,” he says as he nestles his head against my neck.
    It isn’t long before I hear his breathing even out and he’s asleep again. The panic I feel about waking up with him in the morning is quickly overshadowed by the comfort I feel in his arms and the peacefulness of being in his bed. 
    ***
    I feel like someone is punching my head from the inside out. And there are strong arms holding me in