Page 25 of No One But You
He glanced up as I entered and smiled.“Ready for bed?”
“Yeah.Thanks for waiting.”He’d been ready to sleep half an hour ago, but I hadn’t wanted to be up later than him.Something about the thought of being the only person awake in a mostly dark house freaked me out.
Max had offered a bed to the officer parked outside, but they’d insisted that they preferred to keep watch from their vehicle so they could see if anyone approached the house.
I kind of hoped the intruder might give up, since they hadn’t been able to break the back lock, but I doubted I’d get that lucky.
Max set aside his book, stood, and stretched, revealing a pale band of taut skin across his lower belly.I tore my gaze away before he noticed me staring, but my cheeks warmed.For once, I was grateful for the bruising, since it would mask my blush.
I backtracked into the hall and waited for him to go into his room before I stepped into mine.
He sent me another soft, sweet smile.“Good night.”
I waved like an idiot.“Sweet night.”
He chuckled and turned off his light.I spun away and covered my face with my hands.
Sweet night?Seriously?
“It’s ‘sweet dreams’ or ‘good night,’” I muttered to myself as I flicked the light switch and climbed into bed.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling until I finally summoned the courage to shut my eyes.That lasted a few seconds before the image of that figure in the window sprang to the front of my mind, and I was suddenly certain that he was in the wardrobe or hiding behind the curtain.
Just go to sleep.
Squeezing my eyes closed again, I started to count, but I’d only reached seven when my eyes flew open, and I scrambled out of bed and turned on the light.I blinked against the sudden brightness and went straight to the wardrobe.I yanked it open and peered inside, then reached in and felt around.There was nothing but clothes and wood.
Feeling foolish, I walked to the windows and pulled back the curtains to check behind them, then I lowered myself—slowly, painfully—to my knees and looked under the bed.It wasn’t tall enough for anyone to fit underneath, but that didn’t stop my subconscious from being certain that if someone tried hard enough, they could shimmy into the narrow space.
I returned to bed, leaving the light on, but despite how tired I was, my mind wouldn’t stop conjuring possible hiding places.
With a sigh, I got up again.Maybe I just couldn’t be alone.I hated to burden Max, but if I wanted any sleep, his soothing presence might help.
Hopefully he wouldn’t send me away.
I went to his door and knocked lightly.It was dark in his bedroom, but I could make out his silhouette as he sat up in bed.
“What is it?”he asked sleepily.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, hating how silly and young it made me feel.“Can I sleep with you?”
His breath caught.“Bailey…”
“Just sleep,” I added, realizing too late how that might sound.“Being near you helps.”
He hesitated for a long moment before saying, “I can bring your bed into this room, if you’d prefer.”
“No, no.I don’t need you to get up or make a fuss.I’ll just join you.”The last thing I wanted was to make a nuisance of myself so he’d regret allowing me to stay.
He hesitated again.“I don’t want to jostle you.”
“The occasional bump won’t bother me.”Reluctantly, I explained, “Having you close will help me relax, and I trust you not to hurt me.”
Unless that wasn’t the only thing holding him back.
I curled my fingernails into my palms, then winced as they bit into the healing skin there.The cuts and scrapes had scabbed over, but it was still best not to put too much weight on them—although the same could be said about most of my body.
“I’m sorry.I’m pressuring you.”I didn’t want him to feel like he had to let me into his bed or else I might have a meltdown.My state of mind was my own responsibility, not his.“I’ll manage.Sorry to bother you.”
