She turned and grabbed her phone off the bedside table and checked the time.
Okay, been here four hours, as it was past one.
She didn’t normally get in bed at nine, but it was uncomfortable sitting in Clay’s living room watching TV with the silence between the two of them.
She wanted nothing more than to have him sitting next to her on the couch, his arm over her shoulder, her head on his chest.
None of that happened.
He was in his recliner with his feet up. The fact he didn’t have shoes on was the only thing different. He didn’t even appear relaxed to her.
There was no reason for that in his own home, so earlier than normal she said she was getting ready for bed. She even thought she’d fall asleep with the events of the night.
She heaved out a sigh, threw the covers back, and padded to the bedroom door as quietly as possible since she was next to Clay’s room.
With her hand on the knob, she turned it as gently as she could, as if time were standing still, to not make a peep in the home's silence.
Her shoulders relaxed when the door clicked and she pulled it open as if it weighed a thousand pounds. Phew, no squeaking.
There was no light in the hall, but one in the kitchen, so she followed it in a straight line knowing she wouldn’t bump into anything.
Her feet moved faster than she opened the door, but not like she did in her own home.
Some of it had to do with the surrounding ache in her big toe from stepping on the glass.
She groaned when she had a flash of him holding her bare foot, then cleaning and bandaging it.
For such a rough guy, he had a gentle touch.
She grabbed a cup out of a cabinet. The house was old, she knew that.
Obviously Clay had done some work in here. The kitchen was updated, new cabinets and countertops. Appliances too. Not the modern light and bright motif, but more earth tones. Browns and greens. She liked it.
What she liked even more was the cabinet didn’t make a noise when she opened it, but she swore under her breath whenit slipped out of her fingers and she thought for sure it’d slam shut.
Nope, she forgot it had the soft close.
She barely got half of the water down when she heard, “What’s wrong?”
She swiveled around and dropped her cup in the sink. Thankfully, it didn’t break. The way her luck was going it’d shatter on the floor for her to step on again.
“Oh my God. You scared me. Did I wake you?”
“You’re making enough noise,” he said.
She couldn’t hear anything other than her own breathing while she moved around.
“No,” she said. “Not possible.”
“Then how did I hear you?” he asked.
He moved out of the hallway toward the kitchen. Oh shit.
She was staring.
It was hard not to.
All he had on was a pair of athletic shorts riding low on his hips.
