He wound his arm around me, the embrace as comfortable as ever. I tried to sense if there was any tension in his muscles, and whether he’d been as shaken by our kiss as I was, but he seemed completely at ease. Meanwhile, I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist and demand more.
It’s only fake, I reminded myself.He isn’t yours. He doesn’t want you. Not like that.
But I couldn’t help recalling what he’d said to Thad. None of it had come across as false or exaggerated. He truly cared for me that deeply, so perhaps there was hope for more.
We returned to the table. Mom and Dad were sitting opposite Chris and Lake now, chatting about their plans for tomorrow. I heard something about beach volleyball but I was too riddled with nerves to make any sense of it without context.
“We’re off to our room,” I said when they fell quiet for a moment.
Mom frowned. “Is everything okay?”
I glanced at Lake. If none of them had noticed the confrontation with Thad, then I was hardly about to mention it. “Yeah. Just tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You too, darling. Sweet dreams.”
I hugged Mom and then Dad. As we turned away from the table, Jackson waved at me and I waved back. He was a nice guy.
The journey to our room didn’t take long. Once inside, I took my pajamas to the bathroom, locked the door, and stripped off the beautiful dress Alec had bought for me.
I smiled to myself. I’d definitely have opportunities to wear it again. It was the sort of dress that could look completely different depending on what shoes, jewelry, and accessories I paired it with.
I changed into the pajamas and wiped my face clean of makeup, then slowly made my way out of the bathroom. It was still relatively early, but Alec was already in bed, the blankets around his waist, his muscular torso on display. Tattoos wound up his left side, around his shoulder, and down his arm to his wrist.
Ugh, why did he have to be so hot?
I looked at him and then at the ottoman. It really wouldn’t be terrible to sleep on. It was long enough that I could lie down, I’d just need to curl my legs up. As long as I didn’t move from my position, I wouldn’t roll off the edge.
Shame I’d never been a very peaceful sleeper.
I nibbled my lower lip, torn. I didn’t want to sleep on the ottoman. The bed looked far more comfortable. But Alec had just turned everything on its head. How was I supposed to lie next to him when I now knew the delicious friction of his body against mine, and when the scent of his skin would remind me of the wonderful kiss we’d shared?
It was only for show.
I had to remember that. Alec didn’t really want me. The kiss had been part of the ruse. He didn’t seem flustered by the idea of sleeping together at all, and he’d already pointed out the hypocrisy of my protests about snuggling earlier.
I had no reason not to get into that bed with him.
None—except my sanity.
Too bad my priorities were skewed.
Hesitantly, I pulled back the covers and slipped underneath. I kept a safe distance between us, internally debating whether to use one of the pillows as a divider. But that would seem silly. Over the top.
With a sigh, I flicked off the light and closed my eyes. I could get through this. Sharing a bed with Alec didn’t have to be a big deal. He’d said as much himself.
“Good night,” I murmured.
He rolled onto his side and faced away from me. “Night, cocobug.”
I waited for sleep to claim me. Unfortunately, the minutes dragged on and I remained perfectly awake.
Eventually, Alec rolled onto his back. I started when his hand slipped into mine and gave a gentle squeeze.
“Everything will be okay,” he promised in the dark.
“I know,” I whispered, but it was a lie. I couldn’t help feeling that everything was about to go very, very wrong.
Perhaps, in trying to protect my dignity, I’d endangered something even more precious: my heart.
