Mine tried.
It really tried.
But every time his thumb brushed over my knuckles, my brain lit back up like it had forgotten we were supposed to be sleeping.
I closed my eyes anyway.
Because this was safe.
This was good.
And tomorrow… tomorrow was waiting.
Whatever it brought.
Whatever Theo decided he was ready for.
Whatever I was going to pretend I could handle like a normal person.
I let out a soft breath and finally, the dark took me—Theo’s arm still around me, his hand still holding mine, and my heart already bracing for the moment the sun came up and we had to figure out what we were going to do with what we’d started.
48
THEO
I wokeup slowly on Sunday morning to soft morning light spilling through the windows, warming my cheek.
For a second, I didn’t move—just lay there with my eyes closed, trying to decide if it was possible to slip back into slumber for another hour.
But then the mattress shifted beside me and a warm, feminine body moved closer, tucked against my chest like she belonged there.
Nora.
My eyes popped open, and the memory of last night washed over me.
The offer to be her fake boyfriend.
The bonfire and how it felt to have her in my lap.
And then everything that had happened after that in this room. In the dark. In this bed.
A sharp, vivid image of Nora’s mouth moving with mine flashed through my mind.
The way she’d caught her breath when I’d pulled her closer.
The way she’d held onto me like she didn’t want to let go.
Yeah. I definitely wouldn’t be forgetting that kiss anytime soon.
Maybe ever.
I drew in a slow breath through my nose, allowing her perfumed hair to fill my lungs.
We both must have slept hard after everything last night, because hours later, we were still in the same position we’d fallen asleep in. Nora’s back was pressed to my chest, my arm still draped around her waist.
I studied her profile in the pale light. The curve of her cheek. The line of her nose. The freckles scattered across her skin like little constellations.
I had the ridiculous urge to count them.