Page 162 of The Path to Loving Him
“We can share the bed, Ryland. It’s big enough.”
“It’s really okay, Gabby.”
I shake my head. “It’s not. Either you share the bed with me or I sleep on the floor.”
His brow questions me. “You’re really going to play it like that?”
“Yeah, I am,” I say with finality. I flip the game ball in my hand to him, then take off with my bag to the bathroom where I get ready for bed. I take a very quick shower. I don’t bother washing my hair since I did last night and opt for some dry shampoo for it to soak up the oils overnight, and then brush my teeth and go to the bathroom. I slip on Ryland’s shirt that I packed for myself—it’s the most comfortable shirt I’ve ever put on—and then turn off the light and head into the bedroom with my charger and phone in hand. Ryland’s on one end of the bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head and the sheets only up to his waist, making him look all kinds of yummy.
Keep yourself together, Gabby.
Seeing me enter the room, he tilts his head to the side. “I packed the ball carefully into a plastic ball holder. We can get you a glass one, but it’s all I could find when I saw that he gave it to you.”
“You got a ball case?” I ask, shocked and touched.
“Yeah, I didn’t want it to get damaged. That’s an important ball. Like I said, we can find you a better case later on, one with UV protection, but this will do for now.”
“Ryland, that was very thoughtful. Thank you.”
He smiles. “No big deal.”
Once my phone’s charging, I take a seat on the bed, facing him and tucking my legs to the side.
“It is a big deal. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for everything you did for me today.”
“Seriously, you don’t have to keep thanking me. I was happy to be a part of it all.”
God, I want to touch him, reach out to him, let him know just how grateful I am, but I don’t want to startle him, make him recoil, and give me the lecture on friends with no benefits. I don’t think I could survive it tonight.
“Well, I’m glad that you were.”
To my surprise, he holds his arms out. “Come here.”
Uh, don’t mind if I do.
I lie down on the bed, enjoying how his fresh soapy scent seeps into my senses as he gives me a warm, gentle hug.
“Glad you had a great day.”
When I let go, he releases me as well, letting his palm travel down my back as he slowly removes his hand. I lift just enough to look him in the eyes, and I can feel the energy between us zapping.
The room shrinking.
The sparks flying.
But I know where this leads every time.
It leads to mind-blowing sex, with a conversation afterward about how we can’t do this again.
And I don’t think my heart can take it one more time.
So reluctantly, I disengage from the energy flowing between us, and I move to my side of the bed.
“Thanks again for finding us this place,” I say as I turn away from him and tuck my head against one of the softest pillows I’ve ever touched.
“Not a problem.” He moves in behind me, but not close so he’s touching, just enough to have my skin hyperaware that if he reached out, he could pull me in close to him.
I wet my lips and squeeze my eyes shut as I try to relax my body and find a place of Zen.
