little do you know // niall horan au

chapter 17; bumper cars (part ii)

Mona couldn't help the huff that worked its way out of her lips as she shifted her back into a more comfortable position.

She cracked her eyes open only to find the room was still relatively dark. It seemed as though the sun was just barely beginning to sneak up the horizon because the smallest bit of light started to stream in through the windows. She stretched an arm over her head before reaching for her phone on the dresser, tapping the screen to see the time. 5:12 am.

She groaned, shifting to turn around to face the window, only she was met with the sight of Niall's exposed shoulders instead. At that, she couldn't help the smile that curved along her lips. She shuffled closer, fingers reaching over to trace lines between the splattering of freckles that dotted his pale skin. Memories of the night before flooded back and her smile grew tenfold.

She couldn't help the way she moved closer towards him, draping an arm over his waist under the sheet and pressing her lips to the space between his shoulder blades. He was sound asleep, and she could hear the soft puffs of his breath in the otherwise silence of the room. Still, she couldn't help the way her lips moved from his back to his shoulder to the curve of his neck, creating a soft trail up to the hinge of his jaw.

It wasn't long until Niall let out a soft grunt, leaning into her slightly as she lightly nibbled along that freckle just under his ear, his fingers finding hers which were resting just over her chest. "Mmm." He stretched his arms overhead before shifting to turn around and face her, his hand automatically reaching to fit right into the curve of her waist as he sent her a sleepy smile. Mona's tummy erupted with butterflies at the sight of it. "Thought I was the big spoon last night."

Mona giggled breathily, eyes fluttering shut as his nose pressed against hers. She couldn't help the way she tilted her head for better access to his lips, pressing hers against his one, two, three times until Niall grinned so hard she started to laugh again. "Good morning," she murmured, shuffling in closer to him, and Niall pulled the sheet up under both of their chins and leaned in to kiss her again.

"Oh darlin' this morning is more than just good." He caught her lower lip between his teeth and rolled it gently before letting go, going in for yet another peck. Their fingers had somehow become tangled together again and Niall used the opportunity to pull her arm over his waist so they slotted together even closer, and then sighed contently. "Woke up in a gorgeous city with a gorgeous girl in my bed. Got nothin' to complain about there."

Mona grinned into the curve of his neck, unable to stop the flush that rose to the surface of her skin. His heart beat was a steady thrum against her ear and his arms were a warm weight around her body. He was right—there was nothing to complain about at all. She was almost glad Harlow conspired to get them this room without her consent. At that thought, she remembered the confusion at the reception desk yesterday and how she was so frustrated that she failed to consider what Niall must have thought. "I'm sorry if I was rude about the whole room situation yesterday," she murmured into his skin, his heart beat a steady thrum against her ear. "A lot was happening and I was just frustrated and I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Niall shifted so he could press his lips against her hairline, a gesture that nearly never failed to calm her down. "Don't worry about it, love." His voice was sweet and soft and felt like a warm blanket being wrapped around her. "We're here now."

They forgot to close the blinds last night so Mona could see that the sun had not yet made an appearance over the horizon, but the sky swirled with that deep blue of early dawn. Even though they were hundreds of miles away from New York, being there all wrapped up with Niall in their Vegas hotel room somehow felt as comfortable as home.

"Did you ever call Nick back?" Niall's voice was soft and sleepy, his hands a warm weight on her skin as he gently skimmed them up and down her arm which was wrapped over his torso.