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Besides, when they finally slept together, he wanted her operating on all eight cylinders, not fighting off bone-weary exhaustion.
When he scooped her up off the couch, other than letting out a soft sigh, she didn’t wake as he carried her over to the bed. He tucked her in, then flipped off the light.
Catching a few more hours wasn’t exactly a bad idea. He wouldn’t balk at a little more sleep.
If she woke up and he was gone, it would leave her with more questions than answers, so he decided to crash on the bed next to her.
He kicked off his shoes, then skimmed off his jeans and removed his shirt. Sleeping in nothing was his normal routine, but this time he kept his boxers on as he slid under the covers.
Fuck, being next to her like this, so close, and her in those sexy as hell underwear? He’d be fighting a permanent hard-on the entire night. Sleep might be the only way he’d get any relief.
* * *
It was almost 5:00am when he woke, and the only sound in the room was the low hum of the air conditioner.
Holly was curled up against him, one hand resting on his stomach as she nestled against his chest. He pulled her closer, resting his chin against the top of her head. The fragrance of lilies lingered on her hair from the flower he’d slipped behind her ear, and he knew he’d associate the scent of it with her forever.
Sleeping in a bed with someone like this just wasn’t something he did. He usually spent a few hours with a woman, and then he was gone.
Waking up to find her cuddled against him was like being in a foreign country, but fuck, it was also heaven because it was Holly.
She stirred against him, pulling away slightly. Then she gasped as she vaulted into a sitting position.
“What’s happening?” Her voice was laced with panic. “I fell asleep?”
“Hey,” he whispered, rubbing her back. “It’s okay. You were asleep when I came back up to the room, so I brought you in here to get some rest.”
“No, it’snotokay.” Holly drew her knees up to her chest. “I fell asleep.”
“Yeah, because we both had a hell of a night after Hannah’s party,” he said gently. “You were exhausted. We both needed the rest.”
“But now...” Holly gestured at the clock on the bedside table. “It’s tomorrow, Eli. It’s almost dawn.”
“So?”
“So, we only had one night, and I fellasleep,” she said, her voice wavering. “I told you, we needed to get this out of our systems and go back to the way things were in the morning. It’s morning.”
He turned her toward him. “We can just extend the deadline a little. You know West paid for these rooms for the day, right? He hates checking out early. I think we’ve got until 6:00 pm. And we don’t have practice today. It’s fine.”
“I know, but we said...”
He could finally make out her face in the darkness, and that’s when he saw her expression.
She looked devastated.
“Hey.Hey.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Do you really think either of us can walk out of this room without being together? Because I know I can’t. And one time isn’t going to be enough.”
Holly launched herself into his lap and curled up against his body, and the tightness in his chest eased almost immediately.
“You’re freezing, sweetheart,” he murmured. Eli wrapped the blanket around her and tugged her down on top of him. “Come here and let me warm you up.”
He rubbed his hands over her arms, trying to get her warm as she snuggled closer. “You know, you told me a long time ago that you weren’t a hugger.”
“I’m not, but I like hugging you.” She lifted her head, studying him in the darkness. “When’s the last time someone has really hugged you, Eli? And I don’t mean hockey hugs after someone scores.”
He swallowed hard, running his hand down along her back. “A hug from someone that matters, you mean?”
She nodded, holding his gaze.
