Page 281 of Playing the Pucking Game
Watching the seconds tick around on the clock, I wait.
And wait.
There is only one bedroom I want to spend tonight in, and I need to make sure Rett is staying put before I even attempt to slip into her room.
I shouldn’t. I should be good and go to my own room.
But I can’t.
Not only am I addicted to sleeping beside her, but I need to talk to her about earlier.
She looked utterly defeated as she marched from the room with her shoulders slumped and her head down.
I did that.
It fucking kills me.
With my patience withering, I push to my feet, abandon my empty bottle in the kitchen, and after making a stop in my bathroom, I silently slip into Parker’s bedroom.
The fact that she’s fully closed the door wrecks me. She’s actively choosing to embrace her fear in order to put a physical wall up between us.
I guess I should be grateful there isn’t a lock on the door because, if there was, I have no doubt she’d have used it.
The room is silent as I make my nightly journey around the bed.
It annoys me that she sleeps closest to the door. Not because it’s my preferred side, but because there’s a caveman inside me that wants to have that side so I can protect her. I’m not sure what from, but it feels right. Just one of many things I never used to consider before that are now a big part of my life.
Her breathing is shallow and even. I hate that she’s fallen asleep with my words spinning around in her head.
Gently, I lift the sheets and slip under. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to groan loudly as the heat from her body hits mine.
“Linc,” she mumbles as I wrap myself around her like I have done every night we’ve slept together.
I know she’s asleep; she’s too pliant, too relaxed.
The second the fog lifts and reality comes back, her entire body stiffens.
“What are you doing?” she hisses.
“Go back to sleep, pretty girl,” I whisper.
She jerks in my hold, attempting to get away.
“You need to leave.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Linc,” she argues, still trying to free herself. “I’m only here temporarily, remember? I’m moving out.”
“Fuck that, babe. You’re not going anywhere. I’m sorry,” I say, rolling her onto her back so I can gaze down at her. “I didn’t mean any of what I said. I was just…fuck. I was panicking. Rett was standing there, and I was rocking a semi. I didn’t…fuck, Parker. I wasn’t expecting to find him standing there, watching us. I didn’t know what to do.”
She falls silent for so long that if I didn’t know better, I’d think she’s fallen back to sleep. “Do you want to tell him?” she finally asks softly.
“Babe,” I sigh, pressing my forehead to hers and staring into her eyes. “I want to tell the world, not just your brother. But I don’t want to rush into it just because he’s turned up. We do this our way, yeah?”
She nods, but even in the dark, I can sense that she’s holding back.
“What is it, babe? You can tell me anything.”
