Fuck yes, I did.
“I can’t just spend all of a Mon?—”
Oh.
Ohshit.
My head snapped back just enough to look at him, then past him, to the clock on the stove.
8:45 AM.
“Holy fuck.” I sucked in a breath, pushing off away from him. “I have class. I have—where are my clothes? Where are my shoes?”
I looked around like they might magically appear draped over one of his stupidly perfect chairs, heart kicking up fast now, that warm, heavy feeling from before snapping into something sharper.
You have come running down your thighs.
“Settle, baby. We’re not going in today.”
“You can’t just—no.” I pointed at him, still half breathless. “I can’t miss class. Do you know how smart those professors are? If I’m not locked in, I’ll fucking fail.”
Henry stepped in before I could spin any further, his hand coming up to cup my face, steadying me in place.
“Breathe.”
And then he kissed me.
Just firm enough to interrupt the spiral, his mouth closing over mine and holding there until the frantic edge in my chest started to settle.
When he pulled back, his forehead stayed close to mine.
“It’s nothing you can’t come back from,” he said quietly. “I’ll help you, Rabbit. You’re not going in today. Yesterday was tough for you.”
“I have a lot of tough days, Henry.”
“No.”
My hands found my hips. “You don’t get to boss me just because you’re older and I let you stick it in me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Baby, yes, it fucking does, and I’m not bossing you. I’m taking care of you.”
I huffed out a breath, frustration still buzzing under my skin. “That sounds suspiciously similar.”
“You’re not going to fall behind in one day, Rabbit. And if you do, I’ll make sure you catch up.”
The grip I had on my hips tightened, my brain trying to argue while my body was already starting to settle again under his hand.
“You’re not going to let me leave, are you?”
His mouth curved faintly. “Not a chance. Now go take a shower while I make you pancakes.”
Ooooo.Pancakes.
18
ARCHIE
Istood in Henry’s house, dressed in his clothes, wet hair dripping down the back of my neck and a belly full of pancakes.