Page 41 of This Time I'm Keeping You
“I will if you’re being an idiot.It’s water, no big deal.”
“Water can leave marks!”
He didn’t answer, just wiped the wall and whatever else was damp.Poppy then watched his really nice ass walk to the bathroom, where he threw the towel in the sink.He returned and stood beside the bed, looking down at her.
“You take the pain meds?”
“Yes.”
“Did your wrist wake you?”
She nodded and then sighed.
“What’s the sigh for?”
“I’m okay now, Nick.Go back to bed.”Poppy moved to sit against the headboard.“Really, and thanks again.”
“You hate asking me for anything, don’t you?”
“We barely know each other, and here I am staying in your house, and all the other stuff you’ve done for me….”Poppy tried to explain how she was feeling.“I’ve been on my own for so long?—”
“And now you’re not,” he said.
She watched him switch off the light.Nick then walked around the bed and sat on the other side, because she felt the mattress dip.
“What are you doing?”
“You can’t sleep.I’ll stay here until you do.”
As a loud yawn followed this, Poppy said, “You’re tired.Just go to bed, Nick.I’ll fall back asleep soon.”
He bounced a bit, and Hercules made a noise, expressing his displeasure.
“Settle down, cat.I was just testing the mattress.I’ve never slept in here.”
“Possibly because it’s your guest bedroom,” Poppy said.
“Possibly.”He lowered himself down on the bed until his head was on the pillow.“It’s comfortable.”
“It is.”
“So lie down, then.”
“Do you spend your life telling people what to do?”Poppy asked, but she did as he said because she was exhausted.
“Most of the time.”
Poppy snorted.“This should feel weird.”This time she yawned.
“We were friends once,” he said.“And comfortable with each other, so it stands to reason we still can be.”
Comfortable wasn’t the label she would put on it, but she knew what he meant.They’d had a connection—well, on her side anyway.She’d found him easy to talk to, and that didn’t happen often for Poppy.
“I’m not sure we were ever friends,” she said softly.
He was silent for a while and then spoke.
“I need to ask you something.”
