Page 66 of Last Night Was Fun

Gabe went quiet, and Emmy worried she’d overstepped. But then he half turned to her with a look that was at once shy and scorching and said, “Except with you.”

Her knees wobbled again, and she leaned against the wall for support. He held her gaze while the corner of his mouth twitched up. The metal box was suddenly hot and small in the most delicious way.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” she said with a rush of drunken bravery.

He fully turned to her and leaned in close enough that she pressed her back to the wall behind her. The cool metal sent a shiver rippling through her. His lips parted and his voice came out a near growl.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea right now.” The words uncoiled from his tongue like a velvet rope that wrapped around her. He had her in a choke hold and he wasn’t even touching her.

She thought of making a joke about him flirting with her like she’d accused him of doing with the desk clerk, becauseholy fuck, but she couldn’t form words. His dark eyes burned inches from hers. She’d stopped breathing. Her pounding heart and the ding of the elevator arriving were the only sounds.

Emmy shook her head, coming back into herself. “Well, knowing you, whatever you were thinking was probably an insult.”

He quietly laughed and then sighed. He followed her out of the elevator and down the hall. Emmy was suddenly bone-tired and hopedthey could sort out the sleeping arrangement without too much fuss. Maybe she’d just pass out on the bed, and he’d have to deal with it however he deemed suitable.

A blast of frozen air greeted them when she opened the door. She quickly noted the addition of his belongings neatly unpacked alongside hers.

“I used the rest of the closet and drawers, if that’s okay,” he said.

“Of course. I left them empty for you.” A watery yawn suddenly hit her. She covered it with the back of her hand.

“You must be tired,” he said, and headed toward the bed. He sat and removed his shoes.

Gabe Olson shoeless. Who knew the sight would make her dizzy.

“Youmust be tired. You worked today and then flew here. All I did was travel then get a massage and drink my weight in piña coladas.”

He grinned and stood up to reach for the dresser drawers. He moved so comfortably while Emmy stood there feeling as agitated as a beehive full of rebels trying to kill the queen. He pulled an old T-shirt out of the drawer, one withSDSU Baseballbranded across the chest, and she had her answer to what Gabe Olson wore to bed: old alma mater tees. Well, at least that was what he wore to bed in the presence of a half-drunk female roommate of very complicated relation.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Emmy said, and escaped to the bathroom. She’d stashed a set of pajamas in there earlier in the event of this exact scenario and thanked her past self for it. Once she’d brushed her teeth and scrubbed off the minimal makeup she’d put on for dinner, she changed into her own pj’s: a T-shirt and comfy sports bra along with a pair of cotton shorts. She’d deemed it suitable for sharing a room with a very attractive male roommate of extremely complicated relation.

When she returned, ready to negotiate the bed issue, she found the room empty.

“Gabe?” she called into the space she could already see every square foot of. He wasn’t in it.

“Down here.” His voice came from the floor on the other side of the bed.

Emmy frowned and crawled up on the bed that she noticed was now without a few pillows and the top blanket. “What are you doing?” she asked when she found him on the floor in a makeshift nest with said missing bedding and his phone propped on his chest.

“Going to sleep.”

“On the floor?”

“Yes. You can have the bed.”

She frowned deeper. She knew the bed would be a tricky situation, but she figured they’d construct some kind of barrier or take shifts. She never thought he’d volunteer for the floor.

“No,” she said plainly.

“Why not?” He looked up at her like a cuddly teddy bear wrapped in white linen. The T-shirt hugged his broad shoulders and chest. A lock of his hair curled over his forehead.

Emmy sat up on her knees. “Well, for one thing, the floor is marble, and that’s not even remotely comfortable. You won’t be able to walk in the morning.”

“It’s not so bad,” he said with a shrug.

“You’re a terrible liar. Come on. This bed is gigantic. There is plenty of room for both of us.” She patted the fluff beside her.

“Emmy, I’m fine. I’ll stay down here.”