She gave him a wide berth as she made her way to the bathroom.He, on the other hand, faceplanted on the bed.At some point, he must have slipped underneath the covers and the sheet.He’d intended to sleep on top all night to remove any temptation to scoot over to her side of the bed while he was unconscious.
By the time he opened his eyes the next day, he was naked skin to naked skin with her.Their limbs were in a tangle; their bodies pressed together.
If blood flew south last night while she’d undressed him, it hopped on a rocket ship this time.
An ache like he’d never known filled his chest.His stomach growled, but an earthquake couldn’t peel him away from her.Her steady, even breathing said she was deep in sleep.He wanted to stay like this for as long as humanly possible, breathe in her scent, and memorize her every curve before the day got away from them.
She stirred, rolling over onto her side.Then, nestled her back against his chest, where a bomb detonated.
Since she was doing all of this in her sleep, he extracted himself.If she were awake, that would be one thing.He didn’t go where he wasn’t invited.Since she was unconscious, she couldn’t exactly give consent even if she’d been the one to scoot over toward him.
Beau exhaled a slow breath as he located his towel and wrapped it around his midsection.Coffee.He moved toward the small coffee machine as he stretched sore arms.His shoulder reminded him not to get too enthusiastic about movement.
After filling the machine with water, he fixed his first cup.There were several packets of caffeinated coffee.Good.He’d need more than one cup if he were to clear the cobwebs out of his mind.
He checked his phone.The battery was dangerously low.He had a charger in the truck.
Several messages in the group chat documented Chloe’s journey, from being released from the hospital to being taken back to the ranch.She was safe.The baby was fine.The announcement on their group chat of the pregnancy shocked no one.Turned out that everyone had eyes, used them, and had noticed the changes in her.A few had hoped that meant she was pregnant, but hadn’t wanted to jinx it.Even Beau knew announcing a pregnancy before the end of the first trimester was considered bad luck.Since many of them were superstitious, no one wanted to speak up or ask questions that might be unwelcome.
Good for Chloe and Travis.They both deserved all the happiness in the world.He hit the like button on the message and set his phone down.He glanced around the mostly dark room in search of his clothes, but didn’t see them.
They were probably still in the bathroom, in a pile on the floor.He wasn’t looking forward to putting those back on, even if it would only be for a short time.
His cell buzzed.He checked the screen, but didn’t recognize the number.
The message read:It’s me…go home.
Ivy stretchedher arms and yawned.Her stomach growled as the smell of food filled her nostrils.
“I found our clothes outside the door, folded and in a bag,” Beau said.
“Right.”She sat up, blinked against the sunlight streaming through the windows.“I ran them down to the front desk last night after my shower.You were asleep.”
Beau held up his cell.“I got a text from my mom.”
“Holy shit.”Ivy wrapped herself in the comforter and joined him at the desk.“What does it say?”
“She told me to go home.”
“Which means?”
“It’s the first apartment we lived in here in Austin,” he said.“She used to drive me past it for years after we moved.Said she always wanted to remember where we came from.”
“Let’s go right—”
“Eat something first, or you’ll pass out.I got a carafe of coffee, too.”He motioned toward the machine on the counter.“That wasn’t going to be enough for both of us.”Next, he nodded toward the bathroom.“Your clothes are hanging up in there on the towel hook.”
“All right.I’ll be right back.”
Ivy gripped the comforter around her and made her way to the bathroom.She dropped it in the hallway and made quick work of dressing and brushing her teeth after using the facilities.She returned to a plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, along with Texas toast and fruit.
Beau handed over a cup of coffee, which she immediately took a sip of.
“I almost feel human again,” she said to him as he moved the chair closer to her so she could sit down and eat.
It took a matter of minutes to clear the food.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said.
