Steal My Heart

3. Ash

Chapter Three

Ash

My eyes fluttered open, and sensation filtered into my awareness. The rhythmic rise and fall of Mack’s chest under my palm. The warmth of his thigh where my knee was hooked over it. Mack was warm all over, and I didn’t want to move. His arm was wrapped around my back and his palm rested at the base of my spine, his fingers teasing the waistband of my leggings.

As soon as I absorbed the reality of my situation, I slammed my eyes shut as my heartbeat kicked off at a rapid pace. Considering that I was plastered against his side, I knew if he was awake, he could probably feel every thud of my heart against his ribs.

I could feel my cheeks heat in the darkness and prayed like crazy that he wasn’t awake yet. Cautiously opening my eyes again, I glanced at his face. His profile was in shadow, but his eyes were blessedly closed.

Just beyond his shoulder, I could see the glowing numbers of the clock on the nightstand. It was 5:00 a.m. Taking stock, I realized we were mostly over toward his side of the bed, which meant I was the one with the wandering body and hands. I was mortified beyond belief. I was curled against him so tightly that I didn’t know if I could detach without him noticing. As if it weren’t bad enough already, I could feel the slick heat between my thighs. Apparently, I was capable of getting insanely aroused in my sleep. Who knew? Certainly not me.

I started to move in increments, and my knee barely brushed against the evidence of his arousal. Oh. My. God. Heat suffused my entire body, and I felt my core clench in response. No matter what my mind thought, my body was having an entirely different conversation with Mack.

I tried to keep my breathing quiet, but that only seemed to send my pulse into the stratosphere. I needed away from him and prayed he didn’t wake up. I rolled away swiftly, just far enough that we weren’t touching anymore. I worried too much motion and crawling all the way across the bed would wake him. He might not know I’d been plastered to him like a desperate hussy, but I’d noticed his arousal. I figured only one of us needed to be embarrassed.

I tried to go back to sleep, but my body wasn’t having it. I couldn’t shut off the need pulsing through me. Even worse, I kept imagining the feel of his hard, muscled body over mine, causing me to shift my legs restlessly in order to relieve the ache there.