Guarded

11

I crumpled up the note and wanted to toss it out the window, but I looked over to see Harry trudging down the front stairs to the car. He pressed his chin against the half open window, smudging it a bit with his hot breath.

“You stayed,” I said.

“I did.” He looked at me, his green eyes staring deep in my brown eyes.

“Why are you up? It’s nearly six in the morning.” My voice was soft and curious.

“I’ve been waiting up for you. I thought I heard car so I came to check to see if it was you.”

“Are Niall and Lizzy still here?” I wasn’t sure why I was still asking silly questions when I could go in and find all this out myself.

He nodded. “Your aunt had to give Lizzy a Xanax so she would calm down. She fell asleep about twenty minutes later on the couch before Niall moved them to the guestroom.”

I opened the car door; stopping when I realized the note was still in my hand. I shoved it into my pocket, hoping Harry hadn’t noticed. I didn’t feel like discussing it with him right now. I walked ahead of him into the house and listened for him to shut the door behind me. I didn’t feel like speaking about anything really and made my way up to my bedroom, his footsteps padding behind me. He shut the door after himself.

I sat down on the bed. He stood awkwardly by the door, hands in his pockets, waiting for my invitation. “Come lay down with me, please?”

“Of course.” He came over next to me and climbed into bed next to me, keeping his distance.

“Why are you being so weird?” I asked.

“I’m not being weird. I’m being respectful.”

“That’s not the Harry Styles I remember,” I said, sitting up. I glanced over at him lying peacefully next to me, his arms outstretched above him as he stretched. His white linen shirt lifted as he stretched, exposing his muscles and the trail of hair than began just above his belt buckle.

“I can be when I want to be. Like now.” He said, his eyes searching mine.

I crawled closer to him; bringing my knees on either side of him before straddling him. “What if I don’t want you to be?”

“Annaleise, I don’t think you should be –“

He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence before I caught his arms in my hands and pushed my lips against his, kissing him demandingly. He tried to protest, but I kept up the force, slipping my tongue in between his lips to meet his own, which he wasn’t making very easy. I nipped his bottom lip, chuckling lightly to myself as I remembered first trying that trick on him.

I placed gentle kisses on his cheekbone and down to his neck. I pressed the tip of my tongue against his neck and heard him draw in a sharp breath. I pressed my hand over his mouth so he couldn’t protest before I began to softly kiss his neck before adding more pressure and eventually gently tugging lightly with my teeth.