“We can leave the door open just enough for her to slip in and out if she wants.”
It was something that would normally make me stiffen. A strange man with access to my bedroom while I was unconscious? Absolutely not.
But Colter had more than proved himself trustworthy. And I really did want to get some sleep.
So the door stayed open.
The problem was, I couldn’t sleep.
I didn’t know if it was the unfamiliar bed, the strange noises of strangers in rooms around me, or the anticipation of staking out my old clubhouse, but I tossed and turned, getting more frustrated by the moment.
Finally, I got up, staring at the opening connecting the two rooms, and deciding what I really needed was Sugar.
I always slept better when she was in the bed. It was like she calmed my nervous system. Or maybe it was something to do with how she trapped me with her body so I had no choice but to be still until, eventually, I just passed out.
Either way, I was going to see if I could get her to come to my room. Or maybe even curl up in the bed with her.
I couldn’t be going into a stakeout the next day without sleep.
I tiptoed through the room, finding Colter had left his TV on with the volume on low, likely to drown out the unfamiliar sounds. Though I wasn’t sure why it would matter to him, since he had to be used to sleeping through noisy things—both in the military and the clubhouse.
When I got to the extra bed, I found Sugar sprawled diagonally across it, all four legs stretched to the max, her back arched at an angle that would make me walk funny for a week.
“Sugar,” I whispered, petting her head. “Come to bed.” She didn’t even flinch. “Then scoot over.”
“Babe,” Colter’s voice called, soft but thick with sleep. “You okay?”
I glanced over.
And almost instantly regretted it.
Because the man was asleep with the blankets at his lap. And bare from the waist up.
It was like a kick to the gut.
It was one thing to know a guy was built like that. It was a complete other to actually see it. I could probably bury a finger between his ab muscles, for God’s sake.
I swallowed hard and forced my gaze back up to his face, finding him watching me, likely knowing exactly where my mind was at.
His arm was casually cocked behind his head. The corner of his lips was curved up ever so slightly.
“Yeah. I can’t sleep,” I admitted. “I sleep better with Sugar in the bed. But she won’t come. Or make room for me,” I added, shooting her a look, but she was still passed out, her little feet twitching as she dreamed.
“I got room.”
“You’re not my dog,” I said, unsettled by how much my body ached to walk over there.
“A body’s a body,” he said with a shrug. Then, sensing my hesitation, “Worth a try. You gotta get some sleep.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Fine,” I said, sounding a lot more grudging than I actually felt. “I’m just gonna get my blanket.”
It was a stupid idea.
It genuinely could be one of the biggest mistakes I could make.
Not just because it could lead to something physical, which I was on the fence about.
