All my earlier arousal had fizzled out as I felt a bone-dragging exhaustion set in. It’d been a long day and I’d had several insane orgasms with him earlier. “It’s late. I bet it’ll all look better in the morning. Maybe we should head to bed.”
Dylan nodded and grabbed my hand. “Sleep in my bed? I promise no monkey business. I just want to hold you.”
And just like that, all my irritation over his erratic behavior melted away. He had the sweetest, tenderest expression, and he wanted to hold me? “Only if you promise to take off your shirt. Oooh! And wear those gray sweatpants of yours.”
He grinned down at me. “I can make that happen.”
Then his arm came around my shoulders as he led me to his bedroom.
I hadn’t spent much or any time in here really. But it was kinda lackluster. A large bed with a white bedspread, a couple of pillows, and nightstands on either side of the bed. One door no doubt led to the closet and that was it. Even his nightstand didn’t give me any clues about him. A phone charger and a battered copy of some motorcycle magazine.
“Need help with that zipper?”
I turned from my survey and gave him a slight smile. “Yes, please.”
Dylan’s hands on my back had me biting back a whimper. I guess all that arousal hadn’t disappeared after all.
Then he muttered something under his breath that suspiciously sounded like, “fucking mistake.”
And my blood ran cold.
What was a fucking mistake?
Me?
Inviting me into his bedroom?
Or not having more sex tonight?
I was afraid to ask.
The zipper ran cleanly down, and after a beat, Dylan pressed a soft kiss against my now naked back.
I looked at him over my shoulder. “You sure about that no monkey business vow? I wouldn’t be against playing around a little more.”
So much emotion burned behind Dylan’s eyes. I didn’t know how to label any of it. Angst. Regret? Pain. So much pain.
Finally he shook his head. “I’m beat, sweetheart. I don’t want to give you less than my best, and I’m definitely not capable of that tonight. Or this morning, I guess.”
What guy in his twenties turns down sex with an almost naked and willing woman in his apartment? Only steps from his bed?
That sense of dread returned.
Something wasn’t right.
Something huge was going down, and Dylan was hiding it from me.
Clutching my sagging dress to my chest, I turned around. “What’s going on Dylan? I know something’s not right. I know you’re hiding something from me. Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”
He opened then closed his mouth as a chagrined expression stole across his face. Finally he shook his head. “I have a few things I need to think through. I had a pretty deep conversation with Aunt Wendy, and there are some things I need to sort out. But I can promise you that you haven’t done anything. This is all on me, okay?”
I nodded, but I didn’t really understand anything he said. It was bizarre double speak that seemed to say a lot but didn’t actually tell me anything.
“I want you in here with me tonight. But you don’t have to be. If you’d rather sleep in your room, that’s fine too. But I want you to know that I want you—always.”
Again, it felt like he was trying to tell me something. Like we were breaking up. But then why would he want me to sleep in his bed?
Although he also only wanted to sleep, so there was that too.
