I’m so freaking hard that all the blood in my body is pulsing in my dick. Shit.

The sun is coming up, so my brothers will be moving around soon. They’ll never let me hear the end of it if they find me in here. I started off on the couch, and swore I would stay there.

Shit.

I just wanted to keep her safe and now she’s in bed with me. Or I’m in bed with her.

Involuntarily, I clench her thigh in my grasp. I turn onto my side to face her, and hitch her thigh up higher over my hip. I need to slide out from under her arm. But then her brown eyes blink open. We’re face to face. She doesn’t seem startled. “You stole the covers,” she says.

She has morning breath, and I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so bad in my life. “Why are you in my arms?” I ask.

She looks around like she’s not quite sure, and she bites her lower lip between her teeth again. I pull it out very gently with my thumb and she licks her lips, just like she did last night. “I was cold. And you were warm.”

“I started out on the couch,” I say.

She nods, leaning close to me, burying her face in my chest. She inhales deeply, her breath moving through the thin material of my t-shirt when she exhales. Did she just sniff me?

“You smell good,” she mouths, looking up at me so I can see her lips.

She did just sniff me. I can’t help it. I palm her ass and draw her closer to me. “Do you always wake up so sweet?” I ask. She’s like cotton candy in my arms. She smells soft and clean and she’s not shoving me away.

“I’m not awake yet,” she mouths. She spins over in my arms, facing away from me. My forearm is under her head and her bottom is tucked against my groin. Her head is beneath my chin, and I can’t see her face anymore. But I doubt she’s talking. She’s soft in my arms, and her breath rushes out of her open mouth with every exhale, searing my forearm with her every breath.

The bottoms of her feet are cold against the tops of mine, so I unfurl the blanket over us both, tucking it around her, throwing it over our feet.

I don’t want to let her go. But I know I need to get up. I need to go back to the couch. I close my eyes and brush her hair down between us.

She lets me wrap around her, and by her own admissions she’s still asleep. Will it hurt to stay there? I keep holding her. I’ve never had a girl sleep the whole night in my bed before. Ever. I’ve never woken up with someone. I’ve never wanted to. Until now.

I settle my arm around her waist. I’ll just stay a few more minutes.

***

My bedroom door slams open, and I feel its thwump as it hits the wall. Paul is a bear in the morning, and he doesn’t wake anyone up easily. He goes around, throwing open doors and turning on lights until the twins are up and ready for school. They’re both seniors in high school and have to be there early. I look up at him as he stops in my doorway.

I knew you wouldn’t stay on the couch the whole night, he signs to me. He doesn’t say it out loud. Probably so he won’t wake her up. Kit’s asleep on her stomach, her hand tucked beneath the pillow and one leg pushed out to the side. I sit up and look down at her. My AC/DC shirt has risen up around her waist, and one side of her pink panties has migrated to tuck in the crack of her ass. Her left ass cheek is on display, the firm, round globe taught but relaxed. I toss the blanket over her bottom as I get up.

Shut up, I sign to Paul.

I reach over and grab my jeans, shoving my legs into them quickly. I put on my boxers before I went to sleep last night.

Paul is wearing a pair of lounge pants and no shirt. When I get to the kitchen, the twins are eating bowls of cereal, both in their boxers.

Put some clothes on, I sign to them. Kit’s still here.

“That’s her name? Kit?” Sam asks.

I shake my head. I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that’s not her name. It’s what some guy on the street called her.

“Where’s she from?” Pete asks.

I don’t know. She won’t tell me.

Paul motions to the couch. “How’d you sleep?” He grins.

My neck still hurts from being on the couch. Fine, I say.

“She slept in your bed. With you.” Paul’s grin has turned into a glare.

I nod. Not the whole night. Just part of it. I fumble for a cup of coffee, but the coffee pot’s not where we left it. What the f**k happened to the kitchen?

Paul has his hip hitched against the counter top and he’s staring at me. “We woke up to it looking like this.” He motions toward the expanse that is our clean countertop. I can’t remember the last time I saw the Formica.

Where is all the stuff?

He opens the pantry door and points inside. She put it all away? The sink is empty of dishes, until Sam puts his bowl in it. Put it in the dish washer, I tell him. If she worked this hard to clean the kitchen, we can try to keep it looking like this, can’t we?

“Aww, man,” Sam complains. But he opens the dish washer and puts his bowl in there.

“You two get to school,” Paul says. He shoos them toward their room so they can get dressed. “Next time, put some clothes on before you come out of your rooms,” he warns. He looks at me. “How long will Kit be here?”

Paul looks over my shoulder and smiles at something. I turn around and see that it’s Kit. She’s all rumpled and she has a dent in her cheek from the crease of the pillow case. “I’ll leave today,” she says. She walks toward the coffee pot, which is now on a different counter. Granted, it’s more convenient where she put it, but it’s still not where it goes. She takes out a coffee cup and pours herself a full mug, and then she turns and says, “Thank you for letting me stay last night. I appreciate it.”