She shrugs.
Turning in my seat, I place my finger on her chin. “Tell me.”
“I don’t want to sleep in the guest bedroom.”
Fuck. I don’t want that either, but I’ve got to play it cool. “It’s the promise of the big spoon that got you, right?” I chuckle.
“Uh, huh. Your big spoon.” When she starts to giggle, I realize what she just said.
That was Willa-style dirty talk. I’ve gotta say, I don’t mind it except… “You’re not ready forthatbig spoon just yet.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” Wine gives my girl confidence, I see.
“Because I’ve got to know you’re all in before we go there.” And she won’t be tipsy when we do that for the first time.
“All in?”
“Yes, Willa. All in.”
“I see.”
I hope she does.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
HUDSON
I wake up alone.I reach over to her side of the bed, and it’s cold. “Shit.” I hope she didn’t take off in the middle of the night. Pushing the sheet down and off, I throw my legs over the side of my bed and give myself a second or two to get my bearings. The clock on my bedside table reads 2:23 AM.
I make my way down my short hallway to the living room. She’s there, thank God, sitting on my sofa. “Hey,” I say with my sleepy, scratchy voice. “You okay?”
She places a finger over her lips, the universal sign for shut up. Stepping up behind her, I look down and see Barney curled up on her lap. Whispering, she explains, “He finally came out. I fed him his special food, and now he’s sleeping.”
“Come back to bed.” She’s about to shake her head, so I add, “Bring the big guy with you.”
“I doubt he’ll say put.”
“There are lots of comfy places for him to curl up. If we need to buy him a cat perch to place by the windows, we will.”
Willa gives me a sleepy smile. “That’s sweet.”
“Well, I’m a sweet guy. When I get my beauty rest.”
“Fine.” Willa stands, holding Barney in her arms. “Come on, my yellow fella. Let’s see if you’ll sleep in the same bed with my other fella.”
And right there, my heart went pitter pat, hard.My other fella?Jesus. Why were those the best three words I’ve ever heard in my fucking life?
I wait for Willa to get back into bed to see what Barney does. So far so good when he curls up next to her. I slide in on my side and scoot close to her, doing as promised, spooning her. The three of us are as cozy as can be until I bring my arm over her hip. Barney doesn’t care for that, apparently, because he gives me his deep, guttural growl. “We’re going to have to get along, Barney. I’m not going anywhere.”
I must have said the right thing because two things happen. One, Barney stops growling, probably because Willa is petting his head. The second good thing? She uses her other hand to bring mine around her so I’m giving her a real spooning.
God, that sounds dirty too.
When my hand accidentally brushes against Barney, he’s had enough. He jumps down off the bed, and thanks to the glow from the living room, Willa and I watch him prance his ass out the bedroom door.
“At least he’s acclimating.”
“You were right. It didn’t take him long.”
