“Alex.”
“That’s not going to work this time.”
“And you’re not sleeping on the floor in your own room.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor, either,” he repeats. “My room, my rules.”
I twist my wrist to pull it away from him. “Then I guess we’re just both sleeping in the bed,” I spit out, calling his bluff.
Or, that was my intention.
His cheeks turn bright fucking red. And it’s adorable as hell.
But then he does the thing I don’t expect. He nods. “Yeah, okay. It’s big enough for both of us.”
What the fuck. “Yeah. Totally.”
“Yep.”
“Uh-huh.”
He moves in front of me, his face still bright red, and he grabs the two pillows from the ground and tosses them up onto the bed. Then he leans over and straightens them, and if I wasn’t so distracted by this little game of chicken we appear to be playing, I might notice how nicely the thin cotton plaid of his pajama pants stretches over his ass.
Aw, hell, who am I kidding? I totally notice anyway.
Alex straightens up then and blows out a breath as he stares at the bed before glancing back at me. He seems much less sure of himself when our eyes meet again, and he reaches up to run a hand through his hair. “Which, uh, side do you want?”
I shrug, but I feel my cheeks heat up, and I quickly look away, back to the bed. My phone’s sitting there, the screen now blank, and I step around Alex, pick it up, and set it on the nightstand. And since there’s no way I’m backing out now, I go ahead and crawl onto the bed and under the covers, scooting all the way over until I’m right up against the wall, my back to him.
I close my eyes and hold the blanket up to my chin, and he clears his throat, turns out the light, and climbs into the bed after me.
“Good night, Nico,” he says into the dark.
“Good night, Alex.”
There’s a pause, and then his voice is gentle and quiet when he adds, “I can’t wait to see you in the morning.”
A soft warmth surrounds me, and I hold my breath for a second before letting it out slowly. Then I swallow and say, “Yeah. Me too.”
He shifts a little behind me, and then I just hear his quiet, rhythmic breathing. And I close my eyes and try to fall asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Alex
Nico’sinmybed.
Nico’s in my bed,with me. He’s not two feet away, and my heart hasn’t stopped hammering in my chest for a while now, at least since he blurted out that we should both sleep in the bed. Together.
And now here we are. Although I’m not sure whether I’m going to be able to sleep. My whole body seems to be on fire, and I’ve got the urge to turn over and scoot closer and gather him up in my arms. I can picture it and feel it, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from acting on it.
I try to relax, try to keep my breathing level and deep, if for no other reason than I don’t want him to sense how tense I am. After what might be a half hour or so, I hear him exhale a long, deep breath, and not more than a few minutes later, he shifts a bit, his body heat moving closer. His soft snoring stays rhythmic and slow.
Very carefully, I turn over until I’m facing him, and then I bite back a smile as contentedness washes over me. He’s lying on his back just about in the middle of the bed now, and even through the darkness, I can see how beautiful he is. His eyes are closed lightly, his long, dark lashes contrasting against his pale skin, and he looks so relaxed, so comfortable.
My heart is urging me, too. To hold him. To hug him. To chaseaway anything bad that might bother him in his dreams and do everything in my power to help him feel safe and loved.
After everything he’s been through, he deserves that. He deserves to feel loved.
