It smelled like him.God, it smelled like him.
I curled slightly on my side, watching him as he stood and moved around the room.
He pulled his shirt over his head.
My breath caught.I couldn’t help it.
He glanced at me and let out a quiet chuckle.“Keep looking at me like that, Ever,” he said.“And we’re going to do more than sleep.”
Heat flooded my face instantly.I turned my head slightly, but not enough to stop looking completely.
He crossed the room, flipped off the light, and the space dropped into a softer darkness, lit only by whatever filtered in from outside.
He kicked off his pants and climbed into bed beside me.
We didn’t touch.
Not at first.
We both lay on our backs, staring up at the ceiling like we were trying to process the same thing in two different ways.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was… full.
Heavy in a way that felt important.
“I’m afraid this is all a dream,” I admitted quietly.“And I’m going to wake up in my own bed.”
He turned his head slightly toward me.
“It’s real, beautiful,” he said.“And I’m not going anywhere.”
My chest tightened at that.
Tonight, I chose to believe him.
And as I closed my eyes, I hoped, just this once, that when I woke up, it would still be true.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jude
Morning came faster than it had any right to.
Not because I was tired but because I didn’t want to move.
Ever was wrapped around me like she belonged there, one leg tangled with mine, her arm draped across my chest, her face tucked into the space just under my chin.Her breathing was soft, steady, and every now and then, a faint little snore.
I huffed a quiet laugh and let my hand move along her back, slow and careful, not wanting to wake her.
This.
This right here.
This was new, but it was fucking amazing.
I’d never been the guy who needed someone beside him when he woke up.Never craved it.Never thought twice about sleeping alone, rolling out of bed, and getting on with my day.
