“EMMA?”

Huh? What time is it? Oh, man, please don’t be morning yet because I need more sleep!

“Sasha?” I croaked, wincing as my throat rasped and scratched. I blinked rapidly, trying to focus.

“Do I sound like a girl?” a husky voice asked, laughing quietly.

I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw Carson. His head was level with mine, and his breath blew across my cheeks as he laughed. One of his arms was wrapped around me tightly and I was cuddled into his chest. He was playing with my hair.

What the hell?

“Who’s Sasha?” he asked, looking at me curiously as his finger traced across my cheekbone.

I couldn’t make sense of this situation at all. Was I still asleep and this was another dream I’d had about him or something? Flicking my eyes around the room, I tried to work out why he would be in my flat. But I quickly realised this wasn’t my flat – it was the backroom of the club.

I gasped. “Oh, my God, did I fall asleep on you?” I asked, horrified. The last thing I remembered was him telling me to close my eyes and then he’d carried on massaging my feet and kissing my neck.

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Yeah. Did I bore you?” he teased, tracing his thumb across my now burning cheek.

How bloody embarrassing! I hated that this happened, and to him of all people. As if Carson would ever bore me! This happened because I felt too comfortable with him, and because he made me feel so relaxed and safe.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep; you didn’t bore me, I swear!”

He grinned and shook his head. “I was kidding, Em. That was the whole point of us coming back here, so you could relax and take it easy. I thought you’d fall asleep. You looked really tired.” Shrugging, he pulled me a little closer to him, tangling his legs with mine. It was so comfortable that I didn’t ever want to move.

That was when I realised what he’d said. He’d paid for the backroom all night so I could relax. I smiled and couldn’t stop the little “aww” which crept out of my lips.

“You feeling any better?” he inquired, looking into my eyes, making me feel slightly weightless as butterflies started to swoop around in my stomach.

I nodded and yawned. I actually was feeling a little better; I really needed that little nap. “Yeah, thanks.”

I had no idea what the time was, but I was definitely up for a little backroom action now. His body was so teasingly close; every inch of him was pressed against me. Running my hand down his chest slowly, I slipped it under his shirt, tracing my fingers across the muscles I could feel on his stomach. He shivered and his lips parted fractionally as he sucked in a breath through his teeth. I watched as his pupils dilated before he leant down, heading to kiss me.

Just as his lips were about to press against mine, I remembered I couldn’t kiss him. I whimpered and pulled back quickly, shaking my head. “No. It’s catching that way,” I protested breathlessly.

He frowned and inched closer again, his gaze firmly fixed on my lips, as if they were his next meal. “I don’t care.”

I wanted to kiss him so much but I couldn’t; I would feel terribly guilty if he got sick, too. I shook my head and turned my face to the side, putting my hand on his chest and pushing him away from me gently.

“Please don’t, Carson. I don’t want you to get sick. We can still have some fun without kissing,” I suggested, my fingers starting on the buttons of his shirt.

He smiled his dimpled little smile before shaking his head and pressing his face into the crook of my neck. “We can’t, Em. It’s closing time, that’s why I woke you up.”

I gasped and jerked up. I had wasted the whole three hours? My whole night with him and I was asleep through it? Disappointment bubbled inside me. I’d waited three two weeks to get my hands on him again, and I ruined it by falling asleep!

“It’s closing time? Damn it. I’m so sorry!” I bit my lip and tried not to cry about it. “I wasted the whole night by being asleep! Oh, God, you paid for the room and everything! Shit. I’m so sorry, Carson. I’ll speak to Jason. You won’t have to pay for it,” I promised, looking at him apologetically. I had no clue how I was going to smooth this over with Jason; my guess would be that I would be paying for the room out of my own pocket, paying the fee Carson had agreed on. I tried desperately not to panic about it.

Carson rolled his eyes and gripped my waist, lying back down on the little sofa and pulling me on top of him. “Emma, will you stop? I paid for the room so you could chill. I wasn’t expecting anything else. I just didn’t want you to work if you’re not well. I got exactly what I paid for.” He cupped my face in his hands and tipped my head back, kissing around my throat again.

He actually paid for the whole night so I could sleep? My love for him made my eyes prickle, so I closed them and just savoured the feel of his soft lips against my skin. I savoured the heat from his hands warming my face. I savoured the way he seemed to make my whole body feel so hot, yet so cold at the same time.

I dug my fingers in his sides as my whole body screamed for more. Carson was the only one who ever made me feel like this, and I loved him so much it was almost painful. He guided my head down onto his shoulder, wrapping his arms around me and rolling to the side, trapping me against the back of the sofa and throwing his leg over the top of mine. He just smiled at me as he looked into my eyes, playing with my hair.