“No, honestly. Your true crime episode would be highlyrated because they’d interview me and the whole world would fall in love with this face. The viewers would be horribly confused, though. They’d be incredibly attracted to me, but they’d also be convinced that I’m the number one suspect since I was the last one to see you.”
“Carter,” I say, breathing out a laugh.
He yawns again, reaching forward to place his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take you home if you want to go.”
He blinks sleepily and acceptance floods through me. I’m staying here tonight. He’s exhausted, and making him drive in this state would be painfully cruel of me. Plus, he’s offering me a guest room. My own space. This night could remain PG like it was intended to. He’s not insinuating or pressuring me to do anything, he’s just…asking me to stay.
I shake my head. “I’ll take the spare room.”
He smiles sleepily with gratitude and shakes me a bit by the shoulder. “I won’t let this happen again. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say, and it is. It’s not the end of the world. “Can I borrow a shirt or something to sleep in?”
He shoots me a look, dropping his hand from my body. “Really?”
“What?”
He huffs, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. You’re the clothing bandit. You enter my teammates' homes and rob them of their clothing. Don’t think I didn’t do my own background check on you.”
I choke on my laugh, but he’s already standing and holding out his hand for me.
I slap my palm into his and let him hoist me to my feet. We’re suddenly really close, and as much as I hate to admit this, I’m pretty sure I hold my breath. He peers down at me, all sleepy and adorable, and those twinkly eyes flicker back and forth betweenmine.
“C’mon, girlfriend. Bedtime.”
He leads me down the hall, and that’s when I realize there is more than one guest room where I can choose to lay my head tonight. I’m suddenly flooded with jealousy. He has all of this space that is going unused, while I’m stuck in my little hellhole he barely fits in. I dream of places like this, rooms where Anya and Serena could sleep if they ever came to visit, rooms they can have if they want to move here after our father passes.
Carter gestures to the three doors. “Pick what one you want, Goldilocks.”
I sigh. “Your pet names really need some work. Most of them offend me. I’m not even blonde.”
“I’ll study hard before I think of the next one.”
“Any room is fine, Carter. I’m not moving in.”
“No, pick.”
I find this a bit ridiculous, but appease him anyway. I peer into each room, one by one, and while all nice—I settle on the one with gray and yellow accents. It's cozy. Inviting. Right across the hall from his. It feels like sitting on a warm patio in the sun, sipping a good cup of tea. The yellow really pops throughout the room. It’s warm.
I pick it because it’s the most colourful, and I’ve been deprived of colour for way too long.
There’s a king-sized bed and an ensuite, too. That might have played a factor in my choice. It’s ridiculous. Nice, luxurious furniture, much nicer than my second-hand Ikea set. A huge chest of drawers, a television mounted on the wall, and a cute little reading corner tucked into the space between the window and bookshelf.
He smiles, leaning against the doorway as I walk inside and take it all in. For a guest room that belongs to a bachelor, there is much more life in this space than I could have imagined.
“What?” I ask, feeling his eyes on me.
He shrugs again. “I figured this would be the one you picked.”
“Why?”
“It’s the room Ariana decorated for herself,” he tells me, glancing around the room. “She always told me I needed one room with a woman’s touch if I ever wanted to be taken seriously. I wanted to test that theory.”
I smile, dropping myself onto the foot of the bed. “Smart girl.”
“Brilliant,” he confirms with a nod. His eyes skim my body, and his tongue sweeps over his pink bottom lip. After a moment, he clears his throat and pushes himself off the wall, gently thumping his fist on the doorframe. “I’ll grab you some clothes. Hang tight, alright? Feel free to shower. Ari keeps all of that shit stocked, too.”
He leaves, so I take that time to study the room. Ariana has a good eye, and she’s right, this room feels like it was curated for a woman. I slip into the bathroom, and mygod.There’s a gorgeous clawfoot tub with shelves built right into the walls, and so many bath products that I almost want to curl up and live right here.
