Once we entered the bedroom, I closed the door. It was pitch-dark except for the sliver of moonlight coming through the window, but I didn’t make any move to turn on the light.
“Phoebe, I have a plan.”
“All right,” she whispered.
“I’m going to stay here until I’m certain that they’ve gone to sleep. Then I’ll go down to the couch. Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up before them.”
“But Emma said she wakes up at five.”
I cleared my throat. “I heard her. That’s going to hurt like a bitch.”
Phoebe laughed softly.
“I’m going to set my alarm clock before that and go for a run.”
She furrowed her brow. “Wait, you’ve got running gear with you?”
“Yeah. I figured it’d be a good idea to bring it. That’s my go-to when I need to release tension.”
There was a brief pause, and then Phoebe murmured, “Griffin, that’s insane. We agreed that the bed is big enough.”
“Yes, but that was before—” I caught myself in time andstopped talking. What the hell was I going to say?“Before I jacked off”?
“Before what?” she pressed.
I swallowed hard. “Before dinner.”
She stepped closer. “What changed?”
I didn’t say anything for a few beats, considering my words. “Things are blurring, Phoebe. For me.”
With a heavy sigh, I decided to be completely honest. “I don’t know how it is for you, but I can’t be in the same room with you…” I couldn’t finish my thought. It was one thing to open up, another thing altogether to be graphic about it.
“I heard you earlier,” she said, “in the shower.”
I took in a deep breath, stepping closer. I’d tried to be silent. I’d told myself there was no way she could hear.
“I apologize. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. It made me want to burst through that door and join you.”
The full weight of her words didn’t hit me right away, but when it did, my entire body became a live wire.
“Fuck, Phoebe.” I brought my hands to her face, tilting her head back slightly. Her eyes glinted from the moonlight. “Do you mean that?”
“Yes. That’s why I hurried downstairs.” She laughed softly. “Didn’t want to give in to temptation.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “I should go downstairs. Tell me to go.”
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to go. I want you here with me. I want you.”
I stepped closer until there was maybe an inch between our bodies. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean exactly? I need you to tell me in your own words. Sleeping next to you or?—”
“With me.” Even though her voice was breathy, it was also strong. There was no hesitation.
