Catching the Storm

24. Lack of Personal Space

So, I've actually had this chapter written up for a little while (probably around two weeks) but I didn't want to update until I'd had time to write up a few more chapters to follow after this one, unfortunately, with my crazy schedule, that didn't happen. So I figured I'd just post this chapter and not make you all wait any longer. That's not to say how soon I'll be updating again though, sorry. I have been ridiculously busy (as mentioned briefly in the post I put on my message board) and it only got worse this weekend, but it's getting better.

I do not have an update for Agent 34, so I apologize, when I have had a few minutes to write I've been working on Catching the Storm as I am closer to finishing that one than Agent 34 at the moment. So, my apologies.

I do have another chapter for Catching the Storm written up as well, but I have not finished editing that one yet. Of course, there may still be some editing mistakes in this one, so please feel free to point those out and I'll fix them.

I also wrote a bit of rant at the end of this chapter (you obviously don't have to read it) as I'm just frustrated and wanted to get it out.

Anyway, Enjoy!

Crystal's POV

The sun was streaming in through the window, casting its bright light right into my eyes. I blinked several times as I continued to lie in bed until finally, my eyes had adjusted to the sudden harsh light waking me from what had actually been a very deep sleep. I groaned and threw an arm over my eyes, trying to block out the light and go back to sleep. I was not ready to face the day and even less ready to deal with the infuriating conman sleeping on the couch.

I suddenly frowned and uncovered my eyes to look back at the window, at the curtains that I could now distinctly remember closing before I had gone to sleep. I pushed myself into a seated position as my still sleep-induced brain tried to make sense of exactly what the open curtains meant.

Well for one it means someone opened them. Brilliant deductive work Crystal, really.

I rubbed at my eyes and then began to glance around the room, to see if anything else was out of place. And there was.

I let out a scream as I scrabbled back, only to fall off the bed and hit the floor, my head hitting the nightstand beside me. I swore and rubbed at the back of my head as Jackson shot up in alarm, looking all around the room for the reason I had screamed.

He frowned, his hair tousled from sleep and half in his eyes as he then looked at me sitting on the floor rubbing at my head with a glare directed right at him.

"Why were you screaming?"

I looked at him in disbelief. "Oh, I don't know," I said sarcastically. "It must have nothing to do with waking up to a man in my bed when I know I went to bed alone."

He rolled his eyes. "Good to know your sarcasm works this early in the morning," He said as he put his head back down on the pillow in front of him and closed his eyes. "And close the curtains will you?"

Alarms went off in my head. "Were you not the one who opened them?" I asked him.

He lifted his head from the pillow once more to look down at me still on the floor. "What are you on about?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and gritted my teeth together. "I closed the curtains before I went to bed, did you not open them when you invited yourself into the bed?"

This time he pushed himself up into a seated position, a look of alarm on his face. "I did not touch the curtains."

Whatever I was going to say was suddenly lost from my mind because when he pushed himself into the seated position, the sheet that had been covering him fell away revealing his very toned, very defined, bare chest.