Page 26 of No One But You
I started to turn, but as I did, he pulled the blankets back.
“Get in,” he said gruffly.
“But—”
“Bailey, I want you to be able to sleep.If you’re comfortable sharing a bed with me, then it isn’t a problem.Just know that I might bump you a time or two.”
“Are you sure?”Part of me wanted nothing more than to dive under the covers and cuddle close to him, but I also didn’t want to force myself on him.
“Yes.”His voice was warm and laced with amusement.“Come on.”
I hurried over before he had any second thoughts and crawled in beside him.He shuffled farther away so we weren’t actually touching, but his heat radiated toward me, and I could smell his faint lemon-and-pine scent.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I pulled the blankets up and wiggled around, trying to get comfortable.His bed was firmer than the one I’d been using, so my sore muscles didn’t sink into it quite so much.
I kept a distance from him, determined not to overstep any more than I already had, but I couldn’t quite find a position that worked, and eventually, he laid one of his arms over my waist, then gently tugged me toward him.
“Is this okay?”he asked.
“Mm-hmm.”I melted into his embrace, going boneless against him.
This time, when I closed my eyes, I was able to relax.I drifted off to sleep with the sound of his breathing in my ears and one thought circling through my mind.
This man is going to break my heart.
FIFTEEN
MAX
Long black hair falling around almost-bare shoulders, big dark eyes, and a slender throat that rippled as she threw her head back and laughed.Was it really any surprise that I’d woken up with a hard-on when Bailey looked like that?
I tore my gaze away from the bar—and the beautiful bartender—and mentally smacked myself upside the head for my errant thoughts.No matter how stunning she was, or how wonderful she’d felt wrapped in my arms last night, I shouldn’t get turned on by a scared, injured woman who only wanted comfort and considered me a safe place to get it.
Setting aside the memories of last night and this morning was easier said than done.Bailey had fit against my chest as if she belonged there and I’d wanted nothing more than to snuggle into her and never let her go.Fortunately, I’d managed to get a hold of myself before she stirred.
Connor and Nate claimed the chairs beside and across from me and flopped into them, each carrying their own drink.I sipped my Coke.I rarely drank alcohol, and I definitely wouldn’t tonight because I’d be driving Bailey home when her shift ended.
Technically, she was well enough to return to her own home, but I hadn’t mentioned that, and nor had she.We were just both pretending that she needed to stay.I liked having her there, and she didn’t want to be alone, so for now, it worked.She couldn’t stay with me indefinitely, but until the matter was pressed, I suspected we’d keep on as we were.
“How is Bailey doing?”Connor asked, swigging his beer straight from the bottle.“She seems all right.”
I put my Coke down.“She’s healing well.She’s still achy—especially her ribs—and bright lights or too much screen time makes her nauseous, but in a couple of months, she should be mostly back to normal.”
The mental wounds would take longer to heal, but I wasn’t qualified to treat those.She ought to make an appointment with a therapist, but I wanted to wait until she’d recovered a little more before bringing it up.Besides, she was savvy enough that she was probably well aware she’d need help dealing with the trauma.
Connor clasped his hands around the beer bottle.“Good.We’ve found two more sites that were vandalized.Both were outdoors and both were dug over.One had a hole nearly four feet deep.”
Nate whistled.“It’s lucky no one fell in.”
Connor nodded.“We’ve filled it in now, but I emailed you the coordinates in case you want to check out the sites.It’s probably the same person who attacked Bailey.”
“Or people,” Nate muttered, pushing his chair out and extending his legs in front of himself.
I shook my head but couldn’t suppress a smile.The bar was bustling, and I’d never dream of taking up so much room, but I doubted it had even occurred to Nate that his position might inconvenience someone else.
“Do you think they might be looking for something?”Nate went on.
Connor snorted.“What would they be looking for in the middle of the forest?”
