Page 68 of What Started In Deception

She rolled her eyes. “It’s normal and healthy. You don’t ever…”

He nodded. “Of course, I do. It’s just hotter to think about you doing it.”

She laughed. “Well, hot or not, I like knowing that I don’t need a man to take care of my needs.”

“Hey, more power to you.”

She chuckled. “You and I have some very interesting conversations.”

He certainly talked about things with Lydia that he never did with anyone else. “They keep me entertained.”

She laughed as he grinned. “Are you sleepy yet?”

“I’m getting there. Are you?”

“I’m sure if I close my eyes, I’ll fall asleep.”

His smile faded, hating that his mind wandered to the case—the entire reason they were here in the first place. “Do you think that we might be able to talk about Massachusetts tomorrow?”

She held his gaze, exhaling a long, quiet breath as the easiness of their night together evaporated. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to tell you about my life up there.”

“We leave in a few days, Lyd.”

“I know.” She looked past him to the wall before she met his gaze again. “They’ve always been so good to me. They’re all that I have left of my dad. When Uncle James laughs, I can hear Grandpa Beau. When he smiles, I see my dad and Burke. Today with Gram-Gram… I feel like I’m diving deeper and deeper into the waters of betrayal.”

He took her hand, nuzzling her soft skin against his cheek, loathing that every time he brought up the Monroes, he hurt her.

Everything about being with Lydia was new for him—sharing his life with her, sharing his bed. They were things that didn’t happen—things he’d never done with anyone else. But as he stared into her big, trusting eyes, he knew he wanted to do everything right. “How about we get some sleep for now?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He kept her hand captured in his. “Good night, Lyd.”

“Good night.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lydia opened her eyes in the bright morning light as a car alarm blared three stories down on the street. She blinked as she rolled over, letting her eyes adjust, realizing that Ty had kicked off most of his covers at some point in the night.

She trailed her gaze from his beautiful face to his magnificent torso, snagging her bottom lip with her teeth as she studied just how cut he was as he slept deeply on his back. Chiseled pecs and abs. His sexy Adonis belt. Long, powerful thighs. And then there were his boxer briefs.

She swallowed as her eyes wandered back to his underwear, officially understanding that he hadn’t been kidding when he made a joke about his big hands on his rooftop deck. Andy had worn boxer briefs, too, but he hadn’t looked like that. Apparently, everything about Ty was impressive.

She exhaled a slow breath as she rolled onto her back, pillowing her head on her arm, forever surprised that she kept finding herself in very interesting situations with Ty—her fake boyfriend whom she now shared a bed with.

She turned her head, looking at him again, remembering how wonderful he’d been yesterday. When he’d hugged her in the bathroom after Gram-Gram nearly broke her with her words. When he’d taken her to see his dad’s grave, sharing a deeply personal part of himself with her. When he’d joked with her and made her laugh, then taken her to enjoy a messy dinner. She grinned as she thought of how he’d made her cover her eyes as he guided her closer to the spectacular view at the top of the old post office tower. And then he’d held her hand while they drifted off to sleep.

He stirred, blinking his eyes a couple of times before his sleepy gaze met hers. “Hey,” he said in a deeper voice as he rolled to his side, sending her a slow grin.

She ignored the swift rush of butterflies that danced in her stomach as she rolled, too, smiling back. “Hey.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

She nodded. “Like a rock. How about you?”

He nodded this time. “The city sounds are like a lullaby.”

She laughed. “I’ll have to make you a city sounds playlist when we get back to Oliver Heights.”