Page 15 of Autumn be His Wife
I wonder if he can hear my heart hammering against my ribs, if he knows that every cell in my body is screaming for me to close this impossible distance between us.
Rolling to look at him, I take in his form. Watching the way his chest rises and falls, I catch myself reaching over toward him before I’m shoving my hands beneath the blanket.
Can’t excuse the shiver that rolls through my body due to the coolness of the room. Thanks to this man, everything beneath the blanket is pure heat. With the kind of heat he’s radiating, it’s enough to make a heater jealous.
What I’ll do is count a hundred sheep. However many it takes for me to finally go under. If there’s the chance that one will put me out of my misery, I’ll double my attempt.
Imagining each puff of white jumping over some terribly imagined wooden fence doesn’t get me very far. I last for maybe thirty sheep before my eyes crack back open. Sighing under my breath, I roll away from him.
“Can’t sleep?” His voice is so soft, I almost miss it. Looks like we really are both sharing the same fate.
Rolling back to look at him, the moonlight slipping between the cracks of his blinds reveals he’s staring back.
Nodding my head, I find myself inching a little closer. The bed is much bigger than Eli’s, but not giant. I’m so close to himthat it wouldn’t take any effort to touch him. He’s just so warm, it’s no mystery of why I want to get closer.
“I’m cold,” I lie, excusing my actions through a whisper.
The craziest part? He doesn’t stop me or pull away. Rather, he moves his arm out of the way so that if I want, I could shift all the way to his chest if I wanted to.
Boy, do I want to.
“I shouldn’t.” Whispering the words, I can’t tell if I’m talking to him or my body.
How do I tell him that I want him so freaking bad, but I don’t want to risk misunderstanding? How do I tell him that I want to stay here right at his side without messing everything up?
“I’m cold, too.” The words leave him just as soft, and I’m confident he’s lying too.
Yet, I don’t care. I roll over to him so I can finally see what it’s like to be a little spoon. When his arm suddenly wraps around me, I learn it’s the best thing ever.
What more can a woman ask for?
“Better?” His breath tickles my throat, and it’s almost like I can feel his lips against my skin.
As my toes curl and I scooch impossibly closer to his chest, my fingers dance along his arm until finally, I reach his hand. His grip on me feels secure, like he has no intentions of ever letting me go.
“Yeah. Much better.” With the darkness hiding my smile, I close my eyes and wonder if I’ll be able to sleep now. Surrounded by warmth, it should be soon, right?
I can hear the thump of a heart, but surprisingly enough, I don’t think it’s mine. When I concentrate, I can feel it against my back. While I’m at it, I can feel his breath against the crown of my head.
I never want to leave this bed. Thankful that it’s the weekend, and both Eli and Dusty get to stay home, there’s no reason to wake early. I’ll get a few more hours of this all to myself.
His thumb brushes along my stomach, revealing we’re still in the same boat. The silk of my pajamas is so thin, the heat of his touch is soaking straight through. He may as well be touching my skin directly.
“Are you happy here, Piper?” The question is unexpected, and this time, the racing thump of a heart is definitely mine. “With us, I mean.”
“Yes.” The answer comes immediately, and I don’t consider holding back. “Even if it’s been just a short period of time, I’ve never been happier.”
A satisfied hum leaves his lips, and I feel it against my hair.
“I’ll pay you back one of these days, I swear.” Grimacing from the inability to do so now, a tingle forms beneath his hand as his touch grows firmer.
“I don’t want anything.” His voice seems deeper, almost like he’s upset by the very thought. “No, that’s a lie. I want something, just not money.”
What could he possibly want if it’s not that? How can I repay him?
“What is it? I’ll make it happen. I promise, whatever it is—”
“I want you to stay with us.” Coming out as a soft whisper, he mumbles it. For a moment, I think I misheard him. He leaves it at just that. Doesn’t demand anything but my presence.
