But maybe he was apologizing because he’d been able to tell what he did to me?
My whole body flushed with embarrassment at that horrific thought, and I was beyond glad he went straight to the dresser, quickly unpacking the small bag he’d carried in, and spoke to me over his shoulder without turning around to see how mortified I was.
“If there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable with this situation, please let me know. The cot I requested should be here any minute, and then—”
Right in the middle of him talking, my body just decided this day had beenenough.
I yawned.Loudly.
He turned back to face me.
Oh, God.
I slapped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, not daring to take my hand away.
Instead of looking annoyed at the interruption or disgusted by my total lack of manners, Mr. Garrett’s eyes crinkled at the corners, his lips curving up in a smile that did shameful things to my parts, and… wow. He was so,somuch sexier than the Daddies I’d fantasized about. And sexier than Daryl, too, although that was totally unfair of me to think and maybe Daryl would be more amazing in person than he’d seemed so far?
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Mr. Garrett finally said with a wink that made my face feel hot all over again. “I was just about to say, ‘and then we’ll both get some sleep.’ And it looks like you need it, don’t you, Rene? So that’s what we’re going to do.”
He said it decisively, like it wasn’t up for discussion, but I nodded anyway, because he was right. I definitely neededsomething. And even if it didn’t exactly feel like that something was sleep at the moment, no matter how tired I actually was, it felt beyond nice to have Mr. Garrett take charge like that and decide that that was what we were going to do. It made all my worries about sleeping together—in theroomtogether—feel irrelevant, because we were going to bed, and that was that.
Of course, I’d still have to face all those worries in the morning, but that was a long time away. And maybe, if he just kept acting like a Daddy…
“There is,” I suddenly blurted, instantly wishing I’d kept my hand over my mouth when his eyebrows shot up and I realized how needy it would be to say what I’d been thinking out loud.
“There is… what, beautiful?” he prompted.
But no, there was no way I could possibly tell him without embarrassing myself. Hewasn’tmy Daddy.
I shrugged out of my backpack and brought it around to my front, holding it against me tightly, and he must have seen some of the panic his question caused on my face, because he straightened up and held my gaze and then… then he fixed everything.
“Tell me, Rene,” he said, so firmly that it was out of my hands.
Just like before, it wasn’t up for discussion, so I didn’t have to think, or worry, or hesitate. I just had to do it.
“There, um, thereissomething you can do to make me more comfortable with… with this situation,” I admitted. “Like you asked about before?”
The stern look on his face—the one that had been making my belly flutter—fell away, and his eyes turned warm. “Anything, sweetheart. What do you need?”
“More ofthis, please?” I whispered, feeling greedy and likeIwas overstepping now, but admitting it anyway because of the way he was looking at me. “Just, what you’re already doing? Deciding it’s bedtime, and telling me what to do, and being in charge of all the things, and…”
I fiddled with the zipper on the pouch that Teddy was in and really, really wished I could just pull him out. I didn’t know if Mr. Garrett was that kind of Daddy, though, or what he’d think, so I didn’t.
“I can do that, Rene,” he said softly, making my head bob up and my stomach turn all fluttery again when I saw his smile. “If that’s really what you want.”
“It is,” I blurted. But then—just to be sure and also to remind myself that he wasn’tmyDaddy, I asked, “If your husband won’t mind?”
Which was obviously the wrong thing to ask about—or maybe I’d been wrong about everything altogether?—because just like that, his smile disappeared completely.
6
Edward
Rene had already scurriedinto the bathroom and shut the door behind him before I’d recovered from the guilt that had slammed through me when he’d asked about Blair. A new flavor of guilt than I was used to, because, right up until that question had come out of Rene’s mouth, I’d… forgotten.
Just for a moment.
