He padded into the dark kitchen and noticed a glow coming from the refrigerator door, standing ajar. Flipping on the light switch, he moved to close the fridge.
“Elyssa? What are you doing?”
Sitting cross-legged on the tiled kitchen floor, she lifted her glazed eyes to his. She gave no response, but licked her fingers. Her face and hands were covered with smudges of dark brown, and in her lap was an open plastic storage container with the partial remainder of uneaten chocolate cake.
He chuckled. “If you were hungry, you could’ve gotten a plate and fork and sat at the table. There’s no need to be secretive and hide on the floor. I don’t mind sharing my leftover cake.”
She blinked her eyes at him.
“Elyssa? Are you awake?”
She blinked again, but didn’t respond. She must be sleepwalking.
“Do you want to go back to bed now?”
Placing the cake on the floor, she struggled to her feet. He reached down to give her a hand up.
“Don’t! Don’t touch me—not on my skin. It makes me tingle, but I don’t want you to know.”
“Uhmm… okay.” He bit back a smile. “How about if I help you go back to bed without touching you?”
She took a deep breath. “You aren’t going to touch me?”
“No, I promise. I’ll just keep my hand on the back of your shirt here to make sure you don’t loose your balance.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Yes. Absolutely. I won’t tell anyone your secret.” He guided her down the hallway toward her room.
“You know, when you touch my skin? I like it.”
“You do?” He grinned. “I won’t tell anyone you like it when I touch your skin.”
“No, that’s not it. That’s not the secret.”
“Then what’s the secret?”
She stopped, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. “I haven’t ever kissed a guy.”
Part 8: A Thorny Situation
ELYSSA RUBBED THE SLEEP from her scratchy eyes as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The bathroom mirror just across the hall from Jaxon McCall’s room, inside his apartment. She was still surprised she'd managed to sleep, even with the sleeping pill she took. Staring at the blurry image in the mirror, she groped for her contact case, reluctant to put the lenses in her irritated eyes. But she’d forgotten to grab her glasses when she’d hurriedly packed her bag the night before.
Sliding the contacts in place, she blinked to focus her eyes. What was that brown smear on her lips and chin? She rubbed on it with one finger. Oh no! Was that chocolate? She’d found evidence of sleep eating once or twice when she’d taken her prescription sleep medicine, but she’d forgotten about that possibility when she'd swallowed the pill last night. I hope I didn’t leave a mess in the kitchen. Perhaps if she hurried she’d beat him, and she could clean up any telltale evidence.
*****
With a second cup of coffee, Jaxon collapsed at the kitchen table. He’d barely slept after his encounter with Elyssa last night. Even a cold morning shower had done little to rouse him. He knew he looked scruffy, but he hadn’t had the energy to shave. How was he going to get through a day leading classes at the gym? Maybe he could get Nate to cover for him, and he could catch a few winks on the couch in his office.
Elyssa Rose… Her name was perfect for her. Beautiful, but watch out if you got too close—those thorns were really sharp. In the midst of her confession, he’d been tempted to take advantage of her less-prickly state. He’d been thrilled at her admission of his physical effect on her, especially since he’d had the same sensations with her. He’d only wanted to kiss those luscious chocolate-smeared lips—he wouldn’t have taken things any further. At least he hoped he wouldn’t have.
He could tell she wasn’t very experienced despite her previous flirtatious and cutting remarks. But after she’d admitted she’d never even been kissed, he knew he couldn’t let himself start anything. If she responded to his kiss with any of the same passion she showed in every other encounter with him, there was no way he’d be able to control himself. He wasn’t going to be the one to take away her innocence. It would be like finding a rare flower and crushing the petals to make perfume.
“Hi.” Her voice broke into his reverie. She was standing in his kitchen, looking all sweet and delectable with a rosy blush on her cheeks.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Her face turned bright red as she peered around the room, eying the refrigerator. “Uhmm… yes, I slept just fine. Was uhmm… was everything okay this morning?”