Page 70 of Finding Hayes
I was in unchartered territory.
I sat on the edge of the bed as the bathroom door opened.Savannah came out wearing her little sleep shorts and a tank top. Her skin glistened, hair damp and long, and a drip of water ran from her shoulder toward her forearm, where her hair rested.
I had the sudden urge to lick it off.
Fuck. Now she was going to be in my bed. How the hell would I survive months of this?
“I could sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. Who would know?” she asked, as she studied me.
“I thought I told you not to argue with me about this.” My words were firm but not harsh. There was no humor there because I wasn’t fucking around.
“Ahhh… my bossy husband is flexing again, huh?”
“I can flex any time you want, wife.” I pushed to my feet, wearing only my briefs, and her eyes raked down my chest.
Her tongue swiped out to wet her lips, and she moved around me and climbed into bed. “It’s not like we didn’t sleep in the same bed dozens of times over the years, right?”
“Yep. It’s not a big deal.” I moved to turn off the light switch on the wall.
“Do you still need the side closest to the door?”
I flipped out the light and moved toward the bed. “Yes.”
The room was dark. Quiet. I slipped in beside her beneath the covers.
“Why did you always insist on that side, even when you knew that was the side I slept on in my room?”
She’d texted me a few times when her parents would have these brutal screaming fights, and I’d sneak out of my house and in through her bedroom window.
Because when Savannah needed me, I was always there.
And vice versa.
“Because if anyone ever came into your room, they’d have to go through me to get to you,” I said honestly. I’d lived with aman who was violent during my teenage years, so I assumed it was just my instincts wanting to keep her safe.
She rolled onto her side, moving closer to me, and her leg brushed against mine.
“You’re so warm,” she whispered. Vanilla and lavender flooded my system, and I reached for her hip and tugged her closer.
Flush against my body.
“You’re cold. Let me warm you up.” My voice was gruff, and I did my best to control my breathing.
Stay in control.
“You were always so hot all the time. I swear your body temperature is not normal,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull back. Her fingers traced along the muscles of my bicep.
“Maybe I’m just hot around you. Did you ever think of that?”
“Are you flirting with me, husband? You know you don’t need to do that. I’m in this. There’s no wooing necessary.” She chuckled, but I knew her. She was nervous.
“This isn’t about wooing you. We’re married.”
“Fake married.”
“You don’t have to keep saying that, you know? I’m aware of our arrangement. I find it offensive that you keep reminding me,” I grumped.
Her hand moved to my cheek. “I’m sorry. I was just kidding. Maybe I’m just reminding myself so I don’t forget. Things are—complicated.”
