She didn’t understand why at first, until an odd panic gripped her at the thought of Iax sleeping in Foster’s room again. Not because it meant invading Foster’s space, but that they would separate. How had the warmth of his body beside hers become a necessity?
Her hands settled on the edge of the work surface dotted with dirt. Iax placed the last pot on the rack, then touched the button to raise it to the next level. It hummed, followed by a weighted silence.
She turned a little and found him studying her with his head tilted to the side. “Do you always sleep alone?” she blurted.
He blinked and straightened. “Yes.”
She nodded, then let her head drop back. “Yeah. Me too.” This was dumb. She didn’t even know what she was asking, and stared at the snow accumulation on the roof of the greenhouse without really seeing it.
“Do you want to sleep alone?” His question came after several beats of silence.
Straightening, she turned. An inquisitive frown puckered his brow.
“I guess I don’t.” Her body flushed hot at the admission. She didn’t want to be left alone with her thoughts, her memories, but it was more than that too. Her very skin yearned for closeness.
There was another beat of silence, and another. The wind howled outside the windows. She’d had to increase the temperature inside by ten degrees to protect the plants.
“You want me to sleep with you?”
A strained laugh sputtered out of her mouth at the question. “Not likesleep, sleep.“ Not that she hadn’t been thinking of how he tasted, how he’d felt against her all day, but despite her body being on board with the make out sessionand more, her brain was definitely glad she’d stopped them when she had.
“But yeah,” she admitted. “To actually sleep.” A shaky sensation had entered her limbs at how much she really needed to rest.
His head tilted. “All right.”
Tension oozed from her shoulders, and before she could re-examine any of that exchange—or second guess herself—she took his hand and led him from the greenhouse to her quarters.
The door opened with a swish. “Lights dim,” she said before they could brighten to full and bombard her with common sense.
Because she definitely shouldn’t be inviting a Calypson into herbed.
Wynn dropped his hand and hurried toward the wall compartment, grabbing a clean set of sleepwear. With a glance over her shoulder, she headed toward the washroom to clean the dirt from her skin, take off her PALM, and change into her sleepwear.
When she stepped out, he was in the same position as she’d left him, his eyes fixed toward her.
“You can use it now,” she said, her voice tight with nerves.
He didn’t move for a moment, then passed her by, the door closing quietly behind him.
Taking a deep breath, she crossed to the laundry sluice, and shoved her clothing inside. She paused beside her bed, stared at it, and wondered what the hell she was doing.
The door to the washroom opened. She tensed, then turned to find Iax stalking toward her.
“Did you want to get more comfortable?” she asked in a high-pitched voice when he stopped beside her.
His head tilted in question.
“I don’t have sleepwear in your size, but you could take your shirt off if you like.”
Stars above, it sounded like she was trying to get him naked. Her lower extremities thrummed, loving that thought, but the rest of her? She barely resisted the urge to cover her face with her hands.
Iax turned a little, then took hold of the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head.
Her mouth went dry. What did Calypsons do for exercise? Because this one wasbuilt. Sculpted flesh spanned his chest, defined abdominals disappearing into the top of his pants. She’d felt those muscles beneath her fingers this morning, and now she wanted to both look and touch.
Shaking her head, she lifted her gaze to his face. She wouldn’t suggest that he remove his pants too. From experience, she knew he wasn’t wearing anything beneath, and that would open a whole other cargo container of trouble.
She gestured to his feet. “You should take off your boots, too.”
