“I’m aware.” He grinned.
“What I meant is, I don’t need to take your bed. I can sleep on the couch or...”
“You’re not sleeping on the fucking couch, Soph,” he bit out more harshly than he intended. Pulling in a calming breath, he added, “I have a futon in my office. I’ll take it, and you can sleep in here.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does, actually. I have some work I need to do, so I’ll probably be up for a few more hours. The spare room is right next to my office, so its best if you sleep in here, where you won’t be disturbed.”
“But—”
“No buts, sweetheart. Now, make yourself at home. The bathroom is in through there”—he pointed to a set of doors to his left. “There are clean towels in the tall cabinet by the sink, and a spare toothbrush in one of the drawers.”
Speaking of drawers...
He went over to his dresser and pulled out one of his t-shirts. Shoving the drawer shut, he went back to her and held it out for her.
“You can wear this to sleep in tonight.” He handed her the garment. “If you’re feeling up to it, we can go to your place in the morning to pack up some of your things and bring them here.”
Her pretty eyes rounded. “Exactly how long are you planning on having me stay here?”
“Until I know you’re safe.”
“It was a break-in, Jason. I seriously doubt the guy’s planning on coming back.”
“We can’t know that for sure.” Especially given the incident in Djibouti. “Eric and Riley are doing all they can to find the intruder, and when they took you back for a CT, I put a call into McQueen. He’s going to get someone to fix your window, and his team is also installing a top-of-the-line security system so we can keep an eye on things. In the meantime, you can stay here. With me.”
Both of Sophies brows rose high. “Guess you’ve thought of everything.”
Hehadthought of everything. Including putting out feelers to see if there was any way this was connected to Djibouti.
The likelihood was slim, but after seeing Sophie lying on that floor—bleeding and unconscious—he wasn’t taking any chances.
Never with her.
“I’d argue with you, but I know you’re right.” Her soft voice pulled him back to the present. “I can’t stay at my place, and I’ve been meaning to get an alarm system put in. I just kept putting it off. So, if you’re sure I won’t be imposing...”
“Not an imposition, sweetheart.”
She offered him a tiny smile. “In that case, thank you.”
Unable to stop himself, Jason let his knuckles trace the delicate skin of her cheek. “I already told you, you don’t have to thank me.”
She moved inward, bringing her body closer to his. “I do have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Why are you doing all of this?”
Jason nearly jerked back from her words, but then realized it was a very valid question.
Of course, she doesn’t know.
How could she? He’d spent the last four years intentionally keeping a wide distance between them.
Though it was sometimes hard, given their interconnected jobs, he’d forced himself to avoid any and all situations that might put him in a position where they would be alone.
Where he’d be tempted to give in to the urges he felt every time he laid eyes on her. Where he might forget why he’d vowed never to get that close to anyone ever again.