"Oh, um, you don't have to go. I mean, if you want to finish the movie, that's fine."
"Actually I think it's almost over but I'll stay until I've given this foot equal time." His thumb repeats those long strokes on the bottom of my other foot, then slowly sinks into that spot again, holding it there and gently rubbing.
I gasp as a warm, tingling sensation fills the area between my legs. How the hell does he do that? Is there some kind of sexual pressure point on the feet that only Nash knows about?
"You're not supposed to do that." My voice is breathy and he notices.
His eyes are on the TV, but he's smiling. "I have to do both feet the same. Otherwise, they'll be off."
"Yeah, but—" I can't talk as he rubs over the pressure point again. He has me so worked up I can't even think. Maybe my body's just so deprived from a man's touch that I'm overly sensitive.
"You don't like it?" he asks in a kidding tone.
I ignore him and close my eyes and just let him continue. I'm too embarrassed to tell him to stop. He knows what he's doing to me so why try to deny it? Or stop it? I might as well enjoy it.
"I'm gonna get going, okay?"
I open my eyes and see Nash crouched down beside me, his hand on my arm. My legs are lying on the sofa and I feel wetness on the side of my lip. I must've fallen asleep and drooled all over myself.
I wipe away the drool and quickly sit up. "What time is it?"
"Almost midnight."
"Midnight? How did it get so late?"
"You fell asleep after the foot rub. You've been out for hours. I didn't want to wake you up but I need to get home and I didn't want to just sneak out. I wanted to make sure you locked the door after I left."
I nod as he offers me his hand and helps me up. "Sorry I fell asleep. I didn't think I was that tired. Or maybe it was the foot rub. That was awesome, by the way."
"Well, whenever you want one, you know where to find me." We walk to the door.
"You're offering free foot rubs?"
He smiles. "They might come at a price."
"Which is what?"
"You have dinner with me again."
"Do I have to make it?"
"No, but technically it IS your turn."
I smile. "All right. I'll make dinner."
Instead of leaving, he remains at the door, looking at me, and I wonder if he's trying to decide if he should kiss me. I told him not to do it again, but now I'm regretting that as we stand here, the desire building between us. We both want it. I can feel it. But I told him not to.
He puts his hand on my arm and gently squeezes it as he leans down and kisses my head. "Goodnight, Callie."
"Goodnight," I say as he turns and leaves. I shut the door and lock it, then rest back against it, wondering why I'm feeling this way. Why I'm feeling something other than sadness and anger and anxiety and guilt. Those are the only feelings I've known for so long now that I can't even remember feeling any other way. Until now.
I feel calm. Relaxed. My mind is at rest, rather than the jumbled mess it usually is. Maybe that's because I was sleeping. But normally, as soon as I wake up, I'm back to feeling anxious and guilty and sad. So why don't I feel that way now?
Chapter Twelve
Nash
I've been lying here for over an hour and still can't get to sleep. It's after one and I need to be up at five to start working. I have so much shit to do and I need to be awake for it. But instead of sleeping I'm lying here thinking about Callie, wondering what happened to make her react that way tonight. I offer to take her for ice cream and she starts crying?
There's something she's not telling me, which is understandable because we just met and she's made it clear she's a very private person. But when I saw her break down like that, I got a pain in my chest. I barely know the girl but seeing her cry really got to me. I wanted to help her, ask her what was wrong and what I could do, but she refused to talk about it, so I just held her in my arms. And then I didn't want to let her go. She felt good in my arms, like she belonged there.