Her hands skimmed her hips, which did not help. “That would be great. Thank you.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I went to my bedroom, forcing my brain—not my groin—to stay in control. She needed clothes. A place to sleep. I probably had an extra toothbrush I’d gotten at the dentist’s office. There’d be more to deal with—a lot more—but that should get her through the night.
Grabbing my THS hoodie, a white T-shirt, and a pair of pajama pants that were going to be big on her but were the best I could do, I fished a toothbrush and some toothpaste out of a drawer in my bathroom and took it all across the hall to the spare bedroom. It was a bit of a mess in there. I used it mostly for storage, although I had a futon that folded flat. No one had slept on it in years. Probably not since my brother Zachary, back in his troublemaker days. He’d needed a place to crash once in a while—usually after starting shit at the Timberbeast.
Those days long gone. The couch was covered in a pile of old clothes I’d been meaning to get rid of and one of the blankets my mom had knit for me. I tossed the clothes in the corner and moved the futon away from the wall so I could fold the back down. I couldn’t remember where I’d put the extra sheets, but there was a sleeping bag in the closet. Not ideal, but it was better than nothing. I found a pillow and made the bed as best I could, draping the throw blanket over the sleeping bag to make it look a little cozier.
I laid the change of clothes on top and set the toothbrush and toothpaste on a side table. My makeshift hospitality wasn’t exactly impressive, but at least I had a room to offer her.
“Sorry,” I said as I walked back to the living room. “I was getting things set up for you. There’s a futon in the spare bedroom. All I could find is a sleeping bag. But I put some clothes in there and I found a toothbrush that’s still in the package.”
She still stood in the living room, hugging her arms around herself, her expression as forlorn as a puppy left out in the pouring rain.
My entire body ached with the desire to hold her. To march over, put my arms around her, and crush her against me. I wanted to fix this. Not her relationship—she deserved so muchmore than that dick—but I wanted to make her feel better, almost more than I could stand.
“Thank you.”
The way her voice still shook held me back. I was out of my depth and feeling way too many things. I had to be careful or I was going to do something monumentally stupid. Like kiss her.
Or worse, offer to be her revenge fuck. No. Not a good idea.
I stepped aside and gestured toward the spare room. “It’s through there.”
With a nod, she went in and closed the door behind her.
Letting out a low groan, I raked my hand through my hair and wandered into the kitchen. I needed to keep moving—keep doing things. Tea. She liked tea.
Did I have tea?
I rooted around and found a box of green tea in a cupboard. Turning it over, I wondered why I had it. And how old it was. Did tea expire? I didn’t even have a teakettle—just a coffee maker—but all I needed was hot water. That I could do. I pulled out a small pan and got some water heating on the stove.
Was she hungry? I wondered if they’d made it through dinner before he’d popped the question. Curiosity about how that had gone down poked at me. I opened the fridge, but I hadn’t been to the store recently and didn’t have much on hand.
I turned around at the sound of the bedroom door opening. She emerged, dressed in my hoodie and the too-big pajama pants. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, draping between her neck and the hood. She had the sleeves rolled up and her hands in the front pocket.
Why was that so hot?
None of it fit. The sweatshirt hung low, I had a feeling the drawstring was the only reason the pants weren’t falling off, and her feet were bare. And it was sexy beyond belief. It called tomind an image of her coming out of my bedroom in the morning after a night of ravaging her.
Why was I thinking like that? I was the worst.
“Thanks again,” she said. “This is much more comfortable.”
My eyes swept up and down and her toes caught my attention. “Are your feet cold? Do you want socks?”
“No, I’m fine. This is great.”
“I’m making tea.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the stove. “Not sure if it’s any good, but it’s all I have. Do you want some?”
“That’s okay.” She headed toward the couch in the living room. “I don’t need any.”
I turned off the burner while she sat down, then went to join her. Maybe I should have given her space, but I sat right next to her. I couldn’t help it. The need to be close to her was killing me.
“I’m surprised I didn’t see it coming,” she said. “He brought me flowers. Do you know how long it’s been since he brought me flowers?”
“I don’t know.”
