Page 49 of Lavender Lake
I shivered. “I remember.”
He released my chin, but then his thumb skimmed along the apple of my cheek. “I don’t think you need soft or tender. I think you need someone who can withstand the onslaught.”
The night we spent together flashed through my brain. And I knew he was thinking about it to. Desire reflected in his eyes.
“I’m here. Any time you need to work it out. You get me?”
I took a step back, forcing his hand to drop from my skin. I missed the connection immediately.
“And our bet?”
He peered at me for a long moment. “If you come to me and ask, the bet is a draw. Neither one of us would lose. In fact, I think we’d both win.”
But if I came to him and asked, I would be losing so much more than a bet. It would be proof that I needed him. Needed him in a way that I’d never needed anyone before.
His eyes searched mine for a moment, and then he inclined his head. “Good night, Powell.”
He strode into the bathroom, and then the connecting door to Hadley’s room closed.
I got ready for bed, my thoughts a whirling mess. They weren’t any clearer when I climbed into bed. I stared into the dark, wondering if I was brave enough to cross the divide.
The time change from New York, along with sunlight at 4:30 a.m. peeking in through the curtain I’d forgotten to close, roused me from bed.
Sleep, when it finally came, had been fitful. When we were younger and lived at home, if I had trouble sleeping, I’d crawl into bed with Hadley and make her tell me stories until I fell asleep.
But she wasn’t asleep in the room next to mine.
With a sigh of exhaustion, I flung off the covers and traipsed toward the bathroom. I opened the door and came to a halt.
Bowman was leaning over Hadley’s sink, toothbrush stuck in his mouth.
His blond hair was tousled and his shirt was off.
And I finally had a good look at the ink that spanned his chest and arms.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect you to be up,” I blurted out, rubbing the corner of my eye and stifling a yawn.
“New bed. New place,” he explained.
“Right.”
He gestured to the other sink. “Plenty of room.”
Nodding, I stepped fully into the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush.
“Why are you awake so early?” he asked.
“Time change. And the sun.”
I stuck the toothbrush underneath the running water, and then doused the bristles with toothpaste.
“Declan texted me last night and asked me to feed the chickens,” Bowman said. “He wants Hadley to sleep in.”
“Pregnancy. The get-out-of-ranch-chores card,” I quipped.
He smiled, his steely gaze raking down over me. I was wearing a tight black tank and a pair of faded plaid boxers that hung low on my hips.
“Gideon’s?” he asked, jaw clenching. “Or one of the Parisians?”
