Page 57 of The Deal Breaker
Could he have messed everything up by accident? Not knowing would keep him awake all night.
He glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock. It wasn’t too late. He would see if she was asleep and then decide what to do.
Dash jumped out of bed and headed to the door.
Wait.
He jolted to a stop. Going to see her without wearing a shirt might be skirting their rules. He was taking no chances.
Grabbing a T-shirt from his dresser remedied that. He put it on, not caring if it clashed with his plaid sleep pants. He was clothed, not in his underwear or a towel. He was good per their rules.
Dash went to her room, his steps not as confident as he’d hoped they would be. No light shone from beneath Iris’s door. He listened but heard nothing.
Leave it until morning.
He would if he could, but maybe Iris was feeling the same way as him and unable to sleep, too.
Just get it over with.
Dash tapped a knuckle lightly against the door.
“Is someone there?” Iris asked, her voice soft.
His stomach fluttered. Butterflies or nausea? He couldn’t tell. “It’s me. I mean, Dash.”
Idiot.
You and she are the only two in the house.
“Come in,” she said.
His muscles twitched. A desire to flee overcame him.
Pull yourself together, Cabot.
As Dash gripped the knob, he took a fortifying breath and opened the door.
The room was dark except for the glow of an eReader screen on Iris’s lap. She sat in bed with her back supported by pillows against the headboard. She wore long-sleeved fleece pajamas. One foot poked out from under the comforter.
He forced a smile. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me, either.” Wanting to talk to Iris like this was out of his comfort zone. Normally, he was the peacemaker, who never brought up difficult or uncomfortable topics. He disliked conflict to the nth degree. Maybe that was why he hadn’t a clue how to begin. But she was worth getting over himself to talk to her.
As she raised her eReader, the screen cast shadows on her face. “I’ve been reading.”
“I was watching a hockey game. Well, trying.” He scrubbed his face, struggling for what to say next. “I apologized, but it’s still bugging me. I meant to kiss you on the cheek, but then you turned your head. Not that I minded kissing your lips.”
Ugh. All that money in the bank, yet he was beyond help. Rambling. Acting foolish.
“It’s okay, Dash.” Iris sat straighter. “You didn’t do that on purpose.”
“Thanks.” A weight lifted. “All this crazy stuff was streaming through my brain, and it wouldn’t stop. I was sure I’d messed up again, and you wouldn’t want to be friends.”
Would you shut up?
He bit his bottom lip to keep from talking.
