If I were a gentleman, I might say something. Or at least look away. But my eyes are glued to her. The suite feels too stuffy all of a sudden. I start to tug at my neck, until I realize I’m not wearing a tie. I adjust my glasses. “I’m not a total bastard. I can scooch over and we can share the bed.” I stretch my arm and pat the other side.
“Thanks, but there’s no way we can both sleep on that ‘king’ bed.” She makes air quotes. “That’s, at best, a queen. There isn’t even enough room to put a pillow border between us.”
“Pillow border?”
“To ensure we don’t cross the line.” She stands on the blanket, her hands on her hips like a boss and her eyes on mine.
Her top is super thin and showing the outline of her nipples perfectly. It’s really hard to focus on her words.
“Don’t you agree?” she prompts me.
“Of course.” I nod, although I have no idea what she just said.
“And I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking you to take the floor, given your seniority.”
It takes me a beat to process. The heat in my blood cools. “I’m notold,” I grind out between clenched teeth.
She shrugs. “We’re all young at heart.” She stretches out on the floor and pulls the sheet up. “Good night.”
I should really offer her the bed. But I don’t, stinging at her jab about my age because it’s partially true. I’m thirty-seven. Probably feels ancient to a twenty-four-year-old. But damn it, I work out and my hairline hasn’t receded a bit.
I stomp on my irritation. Her cheery good night probably means maybe she’s okay with the floor. That blanket’s thick.
Let her non-seniority-having joints take the abuse.
After placing my glasses on my phone, I hit a button on the room control to turn off all the lights and glare into the darkness.Seniority, my ass. I’m definitely kicking her out if she snores. I can’t sleep when people are around because they make noise. Worse yet, they sometimes cling. The biggest reason Selena and I got along well was that she slept quietly and didn’t move. The first time it happened, I thought she’d died and had to stare at her chest to make sure it was moving. It sounds petty, but a lack of sleep is a bitch. Nothing kills love like insomnia.
Some time passes, and Max’s breathing slows. For some reason, the sound soothes my frazzled nerves.
Still, my skin feels tight. I can’t seem to get comfortable. I grab a pillow and hug it, wishing it were warmer and smelled like oatmeal and lavender.
Chapter Six
Rhys
My eyes open. Still dark. The slim gap at the bottom of the blackout curtains shows no hint of sunlight outside. I shift to check the bedside clock—5:34. A little over six hours of sleep.
Good enough. I lean back to close my eyes and go over the key points for the upcoming battles. Need to convince the old geezers at Ohimesama that it’s in their best interests to work with us. They’re worried about restructuring, but it can’t be helped when over fifteen percent of their workers have no discernible duties.
Something rustles on the floor, making my eyes fly open.
What the—? A giant rat?
A few seconds later, I hear a soft smacking of lips and a small murmur.
The memory from last night floods my mind.Max. Still sleeping on the floor. Guess no lazing around, the way I prefer in the morning. She might be one of those women who take hours in the bathroom.
I start to get up, then hear her smack her lips in the dark again.
“Ex’ra cheese, mmmm. Pickles,” she murmurs.
Is she dreaming aboutfood? Amused, I lean over from the bed. I can barely make out her shape from the small strip of night lights along the edge of the floor. She’s holding a pillow to her mouth and moving her chin like she’s chewing.
“What are you eating?” I whisper.
“Cheeseburghmmm. Go ’way.” She makes a small movement with her hand, then turns over, still holding the pillow.
I have to stifle a laugh. That’s…cute. Almost as cute as her freckles. But I sympathize with her dream of a good, juicy cheeseburger. The food in London was okay, but not the best. The situation at Beissen was complicated, and with the EmPo deal in the States also requiring my attention, there was no time to go out for dinner at nice restaurants. Which doesn’t necessarily mean bad food.
