Free Love Me Like That by Marie James

didn’t want to sit in the room alone going stir crazy.
    I tell myself to get my hormones in check because this man is hurting and I only complicate things.
    He sets the pack of cards down on the table in front of the fire and makes his way over to the table with the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on it. He holds it up in offering. I shake my head back and forth, and he laughs but doesn’t say anything.
    “I wouldn’t want to get drunk and jump you in the hall again,” I say only half joking because I sort of do.
    He doesn’t respond, just pours some of the golden liquor in a tumbler and sets the bottle on the table by the cards. Seems he has different plans for the evening.
    “What do you want to play?” I ask as I open the cards, removing the cellophane from them along with the other random cards they throw in there, and begin to shuffle them.
    “Rummy?” I nod and continue walking.
    It’s incredibly late by the time I give up on cards with Kadin. He’s won at least four games to my one and the more he drinks, the better he gets.
    I yawn and cover my mouth. “I’m going to call it a night.” I hand the stack of cards to him and stand from the sofa.
    “Good night,” he says and tilts his whiskey tumbler at me.
    We talked about everything under the sun: our lives and childhoods. I laughed like I haven’t laughed in years, and it came easy not forced.
    I smile as I enter my room and head straight to my bed. Even with my nap from earlier, I’m tired. I kick off my sweats and slide in between the sheets, snuggling as far as I can go in the thick blankets and before I know it I’m drifting off to sleep.
    My sleepy mind barely registers the hot, massive form that slides behind my back and wraps its arms around me. My mind does, however, register the gentle kiss to my shoulder just before he nuzzles his nose in my hair.
    “So warm,” he whispers against my neck as sleep drags me down once again.

Day two of waking up with London. I tossed and turned for hours last night before finally giving up and crawling into bed with her. I had planned just to head downstairs and drink some more but when I passed her door, I noticed it was cracked. I saw it as an open invitation.
    I crawled in behind her and held her in my arms. Her only reaction was the release of a soft sigh in her sleep. Now that I’m sober and still wrapped around her back this morning, the idea seems more like a poor choice. If she wanted me in bed with her, she would’ve asked me to join her. Now I’m the creepy guy, taking liberties with a houseguest I’ve known for just over forty-eight hours.
    I came in here straight from my own bed across the hall, so I’m only wearing my underwear. I’m doing my best not to move too much but from the warmth coming from under the covers, she’s either naked or only wearing panties with her thin tank top. I could stay here all day and just lay against her, but eventually she’s going to wake up and not only wonder why I’m in bed with her, but I’d also have to explain the erection pressing against her ass.
    The sun is just beginning to shine through the window, so I know it’s still relatively early. I wiggle and scoot backward gently. Once out of the bed, I give her one more glance and freeze as I watch her bury herself deeper in the covers, groaning slightly. I smile at the thought that she misses my warmth. We were in the same position we were in when I first came in last night so hopefully she won’t even realize I was in here.
    I leave her room, making sure to leave her door cracked open like I’d found it last night and shuffle across the hall to mine, closing myself quietly in my room. I shower quickly, taking care of the more-than-morning-wood issue before throwing on a pair of jeans and heading downstairs.
    I purposely make as much noise as I can in the kitchen, hoping she’ll wake up and join me for coffee. Once it’s brewing, I crack open a can of cinnamon rolls and preheat the