“No, I’ll take the floor. It’s stupid for you to sleep on the floor in your own house. Alternately, it’d be easy to sneak in next door. The likelihood of anyone seeing me, and it getting back to Beau is nil.”
Her voice rose with each word, and she glared at me from her diminutive height. With her hands planted on her hips, she vibrated with annoyance at what she called my pigheadedness. God, why would Beau diminish all that sparkle?
“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor,” I said flatly. “My sleeping bag will be fine. That’s what I used the first week I was here, and I’ve had worse.”
She was stubborn, but I was a stubborn ass. After a lengthy stare-down, she finally conceded with grumpy acceptance.
“Fine. But only for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll figure out something else.”
I grunted my agreement. I’d get furniture and throw rugs and everything else she needed. Now that we’d crossed this Rubicon, I wanted her to stay.
After I unrolled my sleeping bag, I waited for her to return from the bathroom. She was changing into a pair of my shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in.
The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears as I memorized everything about tonight. Maybe tomorrow she’d change her mind, and this would be the only time we’d share a roof. She returned from the bathroom and scurried under the covers, but not before I caught a glimpse of surprisingly long, toned legs under my t-shirt.
The vision of her in my clothes burned into my brain, but I’d choke on my own tongue before I asked why she wasn’t wearing the shorts. I turned off the bedroom lights. Moonlight shone through the blinds and kept the room from plunging into full darkness.
“Good night, Dani Girl.”
“Good night, Jake. Thank you again.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
Quiet settled over the house. Sleep never came easily for me, and I soaked up the knowledge of having her in my house, my clothes, This was the closest I’d get to my dream, and I wasn’t going to miss it for some stupid sleep.
Dani tossed and turned for a long time before she sat up.
“This is stupid,” she said. “I’m never gonna fall asleep like this.”
“I’m sorry, I—“
“This bed is big enough for both of us, and we’re adults who can control ourselves. Get your ass up here, or I’m going to join you on the floor. I have too much guilt to fall asleep, but I’m tired, so don’t argue with me.”
My brain stuttered to a halt.
“Well?” she demanded.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The image of her bare legs sliding under my sheets taunted me.
“I trust you, Jake, but if you don’t trust me, we can build a wall with pillows. Wait, you don’t have that many pillows.” Her soft laughter caressed me. “I don’t care. Get your ass up here so I can go to sleep.”
“I’m fine where I am.”
“But I’m not. Come on, Jake. I’m exhausted, but I can’t relax because you’re on the hard floor because you helped me. My brain won’t let that go.”
Fuck. Naturally, she’d feel guilty about me sleeping on the floor when I’d had much worse places to sleep.
“Fine,” I grumbled after examining all the other possibilities.
With my sleeping bag in hand, I navigated to the bed in the dark. The last thing I needed was to see her in my bed, her hair tangled across my pillow, her face soft with sleep. No, my imagination was torture enough.
I placed the sleeping bag on top of the bed and climbed into it, and Dani laughed again. It would be warmer than I preferred, but it would also hopefully hide my morning wood.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said on a yawn.
“No, you are.”
