“Headache?”
“No.”
“Do you need space?”
“No.”
He answered immediately.
I pushed myself onto one elbow, careful not to crowd him.
“What do you need?”
“I don’t know.”
He squeezed his eye shut.
“My body seems very certain. My brain is standing somewhere across the room observing the situation.”
I kept still.
Noah drew a shaky breath.
“I woke up hard.”
“All right.”
“It isn’t going away.”
“You can leave it alone.”
“I tried.”
“You can take care of it yourself.”
“I know.”
The color in his face deepened.
“I don’t want to.”
The room fell silent except for Marlowe’s slow breathing and the faint complaint of rigging outside.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No.”
“Stay without touching you?”
“No.”
My pulse kicked harder.
Noah looked at me.
“I want you to help.”
Desire moved through me so quickly that it bordered on fear.
