“Where’s your key?”
“Back pocket.”
Moving one arm under her butt for support, I use the other hand to check the pockets of her denim dress. “It’s not.”
“Oh... then... I think Chloe has it.”
Fuck my life. No way I’m going back across the lake. It’s too big of a risk. My fist might accidentally slip and land on Jensen’s nose.
“Looks like you’re sleeping in my bed tonight.”
She arches back, her big eyes meeting mine. “I am?”
“Yeah. You are.” I’m already on the move, my heart picking up rhythm as I descend the stairs. “Unless you’d rather sleep on your doormat?”
She chews her lip, considering the option.
“You’renotsleeping on the doormat, Hailey. Head on my shoulder. I can’t see where I’m going.”
Ejecting all air from her lungs, she obeys, nuzzling her face so close I feel her eyelashes brush my skin when she blinks.
I could get used to this.
Five minutes later, we enter my room. I drop Hailey on the bed and fetch a fresh t-shirt from the closet.
“You’ll be uncomfortable sleeping in your dress,” I explain.
Without a word, she gets up, a little unsteady on her feet as she pads across the room, locking herself in the bathroom before I can order her to strip right here. What wouldn’t I give to watch her change...
Bad idea. God knows it’ll be torture keeping my hands from her all night. It’s already hard not to touch her whenever she’s within reach. Seeing her naked would complicate things further.
Stripping out of Nash’s uncomfortable clothes, I leave my watch and phone on the bedside table, then get between the sheets, willing my cock to stop twitching like it’s trying to burst out of my boxers and corner Hailey in the bathroom.
The door cracks open five minutes later. She peeks into the room, her dress neatly folded, eyes idling between the bed and the loveseat tucked against the opposite wall.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn, pulling the covers aside. “Get that pretty ass in bed, or so help me.”
A small smile lights up her face, cheeks flushed, though I don’t think it’s embarrassment heating her skin. It’s however many drinks she’s downed. She leaves the dress on my desk and comes closer, hips swaying, my tee swishing around her mid-thighs.
“I don’t like sleeping on that side.” She points at the empty space. “Can you move across?”
“No.”
“Oh come on. Pretty please?”
“No, Hailey. If I move, there’s nothing between you and the door.” I cuff her wrist, tugging until those killer legs have to clamber over me.
With a little pout, she makes herself comfortable, kicking the comforter about and whacking the pillow like it’s threatened her family before she lays down, facing me.
The warmth of her body seeps into mine, igniting needs and wants I doused while she was in the bathroom. Her sweet floral perfume wafts in the air, permeating the bed sheets. I’ll smell her here for days until room service changes the sheets.
It takes less than a minute for her breaths to even out. Either she’s comfortable around me or utterly exhausted. The night lamp bathes her skin in an orange glow, her lashes casting long shadows over her porcelain cheeks. No trace of a blush...
How disappointing.
Not long ago she didn’t trust me enough to admit her father was lying. Now, she’s falling asleep beside me, unconcerned that she’s at her most vulnerable.
A strand of blonde hair falls across her face, moving with every breath she takes. Involuntarily and against all rational thoughts, I tuck it behind her ear. She stirs, but doesn’t wake, nuzzling her face deeper into the pillow. I don’t backtrack, running gentle fingers from her ear down over the line of her jaw. She’s soft, delicate, so fragile beneath the tough exterior.
