So I did.
It was softer than I meant it to be. Less heat, more…something else. Something that made my chest feel too full.
I pulled back quickly, trying to cover the moment with a joke. “So that’s what all those girls have been raving about.”
He snorted. “Raving is a strong word.”
“Please. Your reputation precedes you, Farrell.” I climbed off his lap, legs still unsteady, and grabbed my shirt from the floor. “Do you want me to…?” I gestured vaguely at his obvious situation.
He shook his head. “I’m good. Tonight was about you.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Who said anything about fair?” He shifted on the bed, wincing slightly as he adjusted himself. “There’s plenty of list items left. We’ll get there.”
Right. The list. That’s what this was about.
I pulled my shirt back on, expecting him to reach for his clothes. Instead, he flopped backward onto my bed with a groan, arms spread wide like he owned the place.
“Oh my God,” he breathed out, staring at my ceiling. “Do you hear that?”
I listened. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly.” He closed his eyes, a look of pure bliss on his face. “No baby crying or screaming. This is what peace sounds like.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Has it really been that bad?”
“Aves, I love your niece. I do. But that kid has lungs like an opera singer and zero concept of appropriate sleepinghours.” He cracked one eye open to look at me. “You still okay with me crashing here?”
The request landed like a stone in my stomach.
No sleepovers. That had been my rule. One of the boundaries I’d insisted on when we started this, because sleepovers meantmore.
But Liam wasn’t thinking about any of that. He was thinking about Rory’s crying and his own exhaustion and the fact that my dorm was blessedly quiet. This wasn’t about us. And I’d already broken my rule by even making the offer.
“Yeah. You deserve a decent night’s sleep. The bed’s small, though.”
“I’ve slept in worse.” He was already scooting over to make room, like this was decided. “Come on. I promise I don’t snore.”
I hesitated for only a moment before turning off the fairy lights and climbing in beside him. The twin bed really was too small for two people—we had to press close just to fit, my back against his chest, his arm draped heavy over my waist.
“This okay?” he murmured against my hair.
“Yeah.”
It was more than okay. That was the problem.
Within minutes, his breathing evened out, deep and steady against my back. He’d fallen asleep that fast—testament to just how exhausted he’d been. Meanwhile, I lay there wide awake, hyperaware of every point of contact between us. His arm around my waist. His knees tucked behind mine. The warmth of him seeping into my skin.
I was already in so much trouble.
FOURTEEN
I didn’t want to move. My arm was numb where Ava’s head rested on it, her brown hair spilling across my chest and the sheets tangled around our legs, her bare thigh hooked over mine, skin warm and smooth against me.
I’d never stayed over with a girl before. I had a strict “no-spending-the-night” rule. Sleeping over invited too much familiarity. It gave the impression that things were more than just sex. Or opened the door that theycouldbe. I’d always been very clear with women about what they could expect from me.
But I hadn’t even questioned it with Ava.
