“Have you decided what you’re going to do about your novel?”
She laid her head back down on the pillow and sighed. “I’m staying true to myself. Keeping it sweet. I’ll just deal with my editor and publisher when the time comes.”
He respected her decision of not giving into anything out of her comfort zone. Remaining true to her readers. True to herself. Something he hadn’t done since he abandoned photography. “I’m glad to hear that. Happy you’re deciding to, do you.”
The silence between them almost drowned out the storm.Kiss her good-night.But he was afraid if he did, he’d want more. Any man would, not just the one who realized he was falling victim to the love bug.
“Dylan, can you hold me?”
It was an unexpected request, one he wasn’t confident could be fulfilled. Holding Chloe would draw her closer to him, and could probably result in his hands all over her—shaved legs or not. “I, uh, am not sure…”
“I’ve never been held before. I don’t know how it feels to fall asleep in a man’s arms.”
Dude, how can you say no to that?
“All right. But you have to promise to control yourself. That Personal Protection Plan of yours doesn’t include a Dylan Hawke warranty.”
She laughed, moved closer, allowing Dylan to swoop his arm around her, as she positioned her head on his chest. “What’s your Personal Protection Plan?”
“I don’t have one, Chloe, so this will likely be harder for me than it is for you.” In fact, it was hard for him to not give into the temptation to kiss her lips, move down to her collarbone, run his fingers along her soft skin, eventually making love all through the night.
“We can be like the couple, Eva and Josh, from book four in my series, who had to share a bed when there was a hotel-room-mix up. And since they were attracted to each other, it was a long, long night of fighting the persuasion of giving into desire.”
“Believe me, I can relate.” Dylan let a gentle laugh escape him as he ran his fingers through her hair. “But we’re not the hero and heroine of one of your novels…are we?” He kissed her forehead, rubbed her shoulder as she snuggled closer to him, her fingers grazing his chest.
“You never know, we could very well be a love story in the making.”
For Dylan, there was no denying that.
When morning arrived,and Chloe was still nestled in his arms, Dylan smiled to himself, pleased he made it through the night. It was a first for him,sleepingwith a woman he was attracted to. Yet, it wasn’t as bad as he imagined it would be. Of course they’d kissed—actually, full-on made out—for a long while, before drifting off to sleep. But to simplyholdChloe, was soothing, and for some reason, made him feel closer to her. And to watch her fast asleep in his arms, Dylan felt a sense of elation, comfort, nothing like he’d ever known. The look on her face, calm, without a care in the world, gave him an idea.
Slipping out of bed, careful not to wake her, Dylan grabbed his camera bag off the desk. The memory of Chloe’s wordsdon’t let them win, was on replay in his head.
She was right.
Aiming the camera lens at his new inspiration, Dylan snapped photos of Chloe as she slept. Tousled hair. Full lips. Lush lashes. Sprinkles of freckles adorning her flawless face.
Click. Click. Click.
He was falling fast for this woman, and God, how he hoped, she was falling with him.
