Page 42 of A Cowboy's Bride
But he was laughing too.
She slipped from the bed and the water turned on.
Aiden curled himself upright and headed to the bathroom as well. He grabbed a washcloth to do his own cleanup, then straightened the sheets and pillows and put the bed back to rights.
By the time Petra reappeared, this time wearing a pair of pale green pyjama shorts and a matching tank top, he was once again in bed with his briefs in place.
He pulled down the sheet beside him and patted the mattress. “As ordered. Right side of the bed is yours.”
She slipped in, laying on her side to face him. Her eyelids were heavy, but her brain was still going a million miles an hour.
“Did you ever decide?” he asked.
She raised a brow.
“Are you a cuddler or no?”
Petra’s expression went straight to Happyville. “I am, but I prefer to be the big spoon. Or to cuddle like this, face-to-face.”
Huh. “Good by me. Let’s try this first.”
He tucked his right arm under his head and lifted the quilt, encouraging Petra to slide in against his torso.
She moved closer, tangling their legs together until she was nuzzled up right under his chin.
Aiden dropped a kiss on her forehead then curled her in even tighter. “Tomorrow we’ll deal with the next thing. Okay?”
“Yup. Clothes for Jinx, routine for the house. School sign up and?—”
He stopped the list by tilting her head back and pressing a brief kiss to her lips. She blinked when he pulled back. “Tomorrow.”
She snorted softly, eyelids wavering toward closed. “We also need to plan our engagement story, you realize. Because people will ask.”
He didn’t answer, but it was true. Things had steamrolled ahead at such an exaggerated rate they hadn’t had time for those details. He firmly toldhimselfthey’d worry about it in the morning before his brain settled into uneasy loops.
Petra was warm in his arms, smelled like heaven, and he still had endorphins from a great sexual release buzzing through his body.
Falling asleep was like dropping into a slice of heaven.
When he woke, he’d rolled. Now facing the edge of the bed, Petra was tucked up against his back, arm draped over him. It felt as if he was wearing a warm, soft backpack. He took a moment to appreciate the situation before sliding away as carefully as possible to avoid waking her.
Eyes still closed, her mouth was open the slightest bit and the cutest little snore escaped her lips.
It only took a moment to get dressed and out of the bedroom, pacing quietly down the hall until Aiden was in the main living space.
Sunday morning. Another thing that they’d have to decide on as a family. At this point, none of them in the house were churchgoers, but that could change. Made sense to have an actual day of rest, though, even if church wasn’t involved. A plan for down the road when they didn’t have quite so much on the agenda.
He checked the cooking schedule. Declan’s name was on the list.
To hell with it.
Aiden didn’t mind pulling two days in a row, especially considering how good he felt. Sex did that to a man, he decided as he filled the coffee maker and got out the fixings for breakfast.
The coffee pot was full when dog nails clicked a warning on the hardwood behind him. Dixie bounded into the kitchen, rushing in to bump affectionately against Aiden’s shins.
Jinx wandered in a second later wearing a new old pair of jeans and a bulky sweatshirt. Her face was washed and the mess of her hair pulled back into a clumpy knot. She looked at him warily but gave a little wave as Dixie raced back to her side.
“Sleep okay?” Aiden asked.
