Yeah… Pretty sure I had never been more alert in my life.
But he was right.
Staying here another second would be dangerous. Bring on consequences I wasn’t sure we could come back from.
So instead of finding an excuse to linger, I said, “You’re right. It’s been a long day, and I could use the sleep.”
You know… unless you change your mind in the next three seconds and invite me to stay.
And for a split second, it almost seemed like he might do just that.
But then, his hand came up, tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, and he said, “Goodnight, Nora,” his gorgeous green eyes searching mine. “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Theo.”
Then, before I could make a further spectacle of myself, I turned and walked down the hall toward my room.
32
THEO
Creak.The soft click of my bedroom door pulled me out of sleep. I blinked and looked toward the doorway, my brain slow and foggy.
“Nora?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep.“Is that you?”
“Sorry,” she said quietly as she stood there in the moonlight, her arms wrapped loosely around herself.“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Everything okay?” I asked, my mind still half buried in dreams.
“I keep thinking about the fire,” she admitted.“Every time I close my eyes, I’m right back in my bed, trapped in the flames.”
And that was all it took for my chest to tighten.
She’d put on such a brave face today, doing all those steps to put her life back together. Even going to the wedding.
But she was scared. Scarred from the danger that had almost taken her away from me.
“Come here,” I murmured, scooting to the center of my bed and lifting a corner of the blanket. Because in the hazy logic of sleep, having her climb in beside me felt like the most natural thing in the world.
She padded across the carpet in the moonlight, and the mattress dipped slightly as she settled under the covers.
“Would you mind holding me for a little while?” she asked after turning to face me.“I think that will make me feel better.”
“Oh.” The request caught me a little off guard, but there was no real way I could say no to that.“Sure.”
I rolled onto my back and lifted my arm, letting her curl in beside me. She settled against my side, resting her head lightly on my shoulder.
My arm slid around her without much thought, pulling her a little closer.
For a while we just lay there like that, her head resting against my shoulder as she snuggled in, her hair brushing softly across my bare chest.
I breathed her in without meaning to. She smelled like vanilla and coconut, the scent wrapping around me in a way that was comforting.
And even though it had been so long since I’d had a woman in my arms like this, it felt… right.
Like something my body had craved long before my brain had realized what I needed.
“You’re safe with me,” I murmured into her hair.