Rival Hearts (Rival Love #2) by Natalie Decker Read Free Book Online Page A

to snuggle in beside her, but stop and ask, “Is this okay?”
    “I guess. I’ve never done this before. Not really.”
    In spite of myself, I smile as her words dance around in my head. I wrap my arm around her and pull her against me. She gasps, and then relaxes. All my senses seem on high alert now. I hear every sound, from cars passing by, fire trucks roaming the streets, the honking of horns, to her breathing lightly, followed by soft moans as my hand rubs along her stomach and thigh.
    It takes me a good hour to fall asleep, but it’s all worth it because she’s with me.

Chapter 10
     
    Skylar
     
    An arm tightens around my midsection. I smile, even though I should be eeeking out. Caleb is in my bed! We didn’t do anything besides sleep, but still. I’m waking up next to Caleb! Butterflies swish around in my stomach as my heart flutters like crazy. I can’t believe he came all this way in order to be with me.
    No one has ever gone through so much trouble, not really. He moans softly and pulls me closer to him. His breath falls upon my earlobe and I almost giggle as a ticklish sensation spreads across my ear and neck. I shift my head and stare at him.
    He looks so adorable and peaceful. A small smile sits on his face. I want to touch his lips, or just skim the edge of his mouth with mine. But I don’t. I won’t be able to let him go so willingly if I do that. And that wouldn’t be fair to him.
    Sighing heavily, I stare at Caleb a little longer, then stretch out of bed. Tiptoeing to the closet, I gather up a change of clothes and am about to head toward the bathroom when he yawns and says, “Hey.”
    I turn and smile. “Good morning.”
    “Seeing your gorgeous face certainly makes it a good morning.” He stretches his arms outward. I notice his muscles ripple and flex. Oh God, I want to touch them. Heat spreads across my cheeks from my current thoughts.
    “I’m going to go get a shower,” I blurt out and then dash out the door.
    I’m officially a mess. How am I going to survive almost two weeks of not kissing him? Especially when my own mind and body seem to betray me every chance they get.
    As soon as my shower is done, I change and stare at myself in the mirror. “You can do this. Don’t get physical, and you won’t be emotional.”
    My pep talk to myself really sucks, but it’s all I got. Entering my room, I look around to find Caleb sitting at my desk. He looks through his suitcase, pulling out some clothes, and then casts his eyes at me. He smiles. “Mind if I get a shower real quick?”
    “Nope, go ahead. Probably want to lock the door, though. Lidia has her own, but if she thinks you’re in there she might attack you.”
    He laughs. “Yeah, if I wanted to get mauled I’d go to the zoo and make sure I fell into the tiger’s cage.”
    I smile. “Do you need me to help you turn on the shower?”
    “Uh … ” He rubs the back of his neck. “Is it complicated?”
    “Yeah. I’ll just go show you.” All right, truth is, the shower isn’t complicated to work. I just want a few more seconds with him before he leaves me for ten or twenty minutes. God, I’ve got it bad.
    I lead him to the bathroom, grab him a towel, and show him how to work the shower. He smirks at me. “I think I could have managed this, but thanks for showing me.” Nodding, I back out of the bathroom. He stares at me the whole time, and my heart swells. Why is the world so against me? Every good or wonderful thing in my life seems to be ripped and stripped from me lately.
    “Sky?”
    “Yeah?” I ask, just outside the door in the hallway.
    “Want to go get some breakfast or lunch when I’m done?”
    I smile. “That would be nice.”
    “Okay.”
    I close the door behind me and return to my room. Going to my laptop, I flip up the screen and log into Facebook. I haven’t been on Facebook since September, which is funny because I used to check it daily to filter photos I was tagged in. That was all before the move,