Page 62 of Facing the Line

“Can you call that twenty-four-hour maintenance line the college has?” I say as Hadley gestures towards my bathroom.

“Gonna shower,” she whispers. “I might have cooties now.”

I nod as John says, “Yeah, I’m gonna google that. Sorry if this messed up everything for you downstairs.”

“Nah, no big deal. Good luck and let us know if you need anything.”

I press the end button and toss my phone onto my nightstand. I approach my bathroom door. The water’s already running, so I clear my throat, hoping she can hear me through the wood. “Hadley, there’s an extra towel under the sink you can use. Need anything else?”

I don’t know if she heard me or not, but I’m not going to open the door and intrude on her privacy.

Shit, where is she going to sleep tonight? Of course, Evan and I still haven’t found a couch yet, so that’s not an option. All of her bedding needs to be washed, so we can’t put her on the floor in the living room.

I peek back into her room, and the wet stain is spreading and getting worse. I don’t want to touch those blankets now I know it’s toilet water. We don’t have any rubber gloves for cleaning, but I have surgical gloves somewhere. I pace back to my room.

Before I can stress about this further, Hadley opens the bathroom door. She’s in her tiny, tempting pajamas, and her hair is wet. After combing her fingers through it, she takes a rubber band off her wrist and twists it onto her head.

“I know you’re not supposed to sleep with wet hair, but that’s the least of my worries right now.” She smiles at me, but it’s strained, and I want to take away the frown line between her brows.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll do some laundry tomorrow and wash your stuff. Until then, I have a very spacious extra-long twin bed I’d love to offer you.” I wave at it like I’m Vanna White showing off a new car, gratified when she giggles.

“Thanks for that, Joe, but I’m not going to steal your bed. I’ll just…” She trails off as her limited options must hit her. “Um, I can sleep on the floor. I just need some bedding. All of mine is drenched.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it’s me. You deserve to have a bed tonight after yours got soaked in… never mind.” Mentioning sewage might not be kind right now.

“Do you have an extra pillow or blanket for you, then?” she asks, motioning towards my spartan bed. And no, I do not.

“I’ll figure it out. I’m sure I can borrow from someone around here. Or I bet there’s an extra empty bed in one of their rooms.” Yeah, that’s smart. There has to be somewhere to sleep in this dorm. It’s late but I can make some calls and?—

“Or if you don’t hate the idea, we could share?” She raises her brows, and my heart rate triples.

We could share. I didn't want to pressure her, so I let her set the pace. But she suggested it. I glance from her—those long, perfect legs on display in those shorts I love so much—to my bed. It’s big enough for me, but both of us, together in a twin? We’d need almost every part of our bodies touching for that to work. Pressed against each other. No space between.

I swallow. “I don’t hate the idea.”

With a smile, Hadley climbs in my bed and pats the spot next to her. It’s not enough room. “Come on, then. Get in here.”

She doesn’t have to ask me twice. Peeling back the covers, I try to get situated. I end up on my back with my arm around her while she uses my chest as a pillow. There’s no other way we’ll fit.

Her wet hair is nice on my shoulder, like a cooling towel. And then she starts tracing patterns through my spartan chest hair. Every nerve ending in my body is on high alert. It’s amazing. Hadley hikes one of her bare legs up to twine around mine and presses a kiss to my chest. I might explode.

She moves her lips to kiss my neck, my skin on fire. I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want her at this moment.

“Hadley.” My voice is a low growl. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

She nods against my neck. “Is it working?”

“Yes.” I shift her so I’m laying on my side, facing her. Enough light streams in through the blinds so I can make out her features. “But I’ve never done this before.”

“What, you’ve never had a girl in your bed before?” Her tone is light and teasing, but I’m not offended.

“Nope.”

“I—what?” She scoots up, resting her head on her hand. There’s no place for her to go.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I don’t—I just wanted it to mean something. I’m not judging anyone else’s choices, but I had to do what was right for me. And I wanted it to be someone I cared about, someone special. Not something random.”

She stiffens, speechless for a second. What is she thinking?

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