The early morning light crept through the half-drawn curtains, casting a soft golden glow over the cozy, slightly chaotic bedroom. Lila stirred, her mind sluggish as she registered the unfamiliar tangle of sheets beneath her. The faint, lingering scent of last night’s pizza party—a wild sleepover with her best friend, Mia—tickled her nose. She groaned, rubbing her eyes, her body sprawled haphazardly across a bed that definitely wasn’t hers.
A warm, heavy weight draped over her waist made her freeze mid-stretch. Her heart skipped a beat, a jolt of adrenaline cutting through the grogginess. Someone was pressed against her back, their presence solid and unyielding. Blinking away the last remnants of sleep, Lila glanced down at herself—her thin t-shirt had ridden up during the night, and her sleepover shorts were nowhere to be seen, leaving her in nothing but panties. Her clothes were probably buried somewhere in the mess of blankets and empty soda cans strewn across the room.
A low, sleepy grunt rumbled behind her, and Lila’s breath hitched. Slowly, cautiously, she tilted her head just enough to catch a glimpse over her shoulder. Her stomach dropped. Spooning her, his breath hot against the nape of her neck, was Mark—Mia’s dad. His bare chest brushed against her back with every slow inhale, and the rough graze of his morning stubble sent an unexpected shiver down her spine.
Panic surged through her, sharp and electric, but it was tangled with something else—a confusing rush of heat as she registered the firmness of his body molded against hers. Her mind screamed at her to move, to get the hell out of this bizarre situation, but her body seemed momentarily paralyzed. She squirmed, trying to create some space between them, but Mark’s arm tightened instinctively, pulling her even closer. His stubble scraped her shoulder again, and she bit her lip to stifle a gasp.
“What the hell?” she hissed under her breath, her voice low but dripping with teenage sass and a hefty dose of alarm. She wasn’t about to scream and wake the whole house, but she sure as hell wasn’t okay with this.
Mark stirred at the sound of her voice, his eyes fluttering open. For a split second, confusion clouded his rugged features, but it quickly melted into a lazy, infuriating smirk. “Mornin’, kiddo,” he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep. “Didn’t expect a cuddle buddy.”
Lila whipped her head around fully now, glaring at him with all the fiery indignation she could muster. “I’m not your teddy bear, old man,” she snapped, rolling her eyes as she shoved at the arm still slung over her. “How’d you even end up here?”
Mark chuckled, completely unfazed by her venom. He stretched out with a groan, his muscles flexing under tanned skin as he propped himself up on one elbow. “Guess I sleepwalked,” he teased, his smirk widening. “Lucky me, huh?”
Her cheeks burned, a mix of embarrassment and irritation flaring hot under her skin. But Lila wasn’t about to let him see her rattled. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shot back, “Lucky? You’re one snore away from a restraining order, perv.”
His laughter came louder this time, a deep, rumbling sound that only made her scowl harder. Sitting up fully, the sheet slipped down to reveal his boxers, and Lila’s eyes darted away before she could stop herself. “Relax, princess,” he quipped, his tone mockingly gentle. “I’m not after your crown jewels.”
The tension in the room crackled like static, sharp and undeniable. Lila scrambled to grab a blanket, yanking it over herself like a shield as she tried to ignore the way her pulse raced. She wasn’t about to let this smug fossil of a man get the upper hand. “Keep your ancient ass on your side of the bed,” she barked, her sharp tongue slicing through her flustered state, “or I’m telling everyone you drool.”
Mark grinned, standing up with a mock bow that only made her want to throw something at him. “Your secret’s safe with me, brat,” he said, winking as he adjusted the waistband of his boxers with infuriating nonchalance. “Let’s just hope my daughter doesn’t walk in on this soap opera.”
Lila huffed, clutching the blanket tighter around herself as if it could somehow protect her from the absurdity of this moment. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m dying to explain why I’m half-naked with her fossil of a dad,” she muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm as she scanned the room for her scattered clothes. Her eyes landed on the bathroom door across the hall, and she mentally plotted her escape. She needed to get out of here before this got any weirder—or before Mia stumbled in and saw something neither of them could unsee.
Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her biting tone, but he didn’t push further. Instead, he sauntered toward the door, tossing a final quip over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll let you have the throne for now. But don’t think I won’t be back to reclaim it.”
“Dream on, grandpa,” Lila shot back, her voice steady even as her heart thudded traitorously in her chest. She waited until he was out of sight before letting out a shaky breath, her mind racing with a mix of mortification and something she refused to name. Whatever this morning had been, it was a disaster—and she was damn sure going to make sure it never happened again. Or so she told herself as she bolted for the bathroom, blanket and all.
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