Page 109 of Peaks and Promises

“Get in bed.”

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “What?”

“Just come here. Lie down. You don’t have to stay awake.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he got up and climbed in bed.

He settled on his side, facing away from me. The queen-size bed didn’t leave much space between us; Reese was too big. And how good it felt to have him near probably should have scared me—much more than the bikes had.

Trying not to move too much—I didn’t want to bother him—I kept my back to him and did my best to get comfortable. But my skin tingled at his closeness, and the memory of his kiss flooded through me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his soft voice interrupting the silence.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You’re fidgeting.”

“Am I? Sorry, I didn’t even realize.”

He let out a long breath and turned over. Without a word, he slid his arm around my waist and hauled me against him, my back to his front.

Melting into him, I let his strength envelop me. His warm embrace felt so good, my head swam with pleasant euphoria. It was unfair, really, that a man’s body should feel that good. But I’d never experienced anything like it.

His even breathing helped me relax, and my eyes drifted closed. Sleep stole over me, almost without warning.

Tucked away in Reese Haven’s arms, I was safe. Nothing could hurt me there.

CHAPTER 25

Summer

When I woke in the morning, I was alone.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I reached across the bed and draped my arm over the spot where he’d been. When had he gotten up? He’d slipped out of the bedroom so quietly, I hadn’t been aware of it.

I closed my eyes and let the memory of relaxing in his arms wash over me. His body had felt impossibly good against mine—warm, strong, protective.

Like a husband.

Groaning, I peeled myself out of bed. I needed to stop thinking like that. He wasn’t my husband. He wasn’t even my boyfriend. I wasn’t sure what he was, exactly. A friend. But a friend who was going above and beyond.

And a friend who could kiss the life out of me.

Pushing all that aside, I got ready for work. I had an early shift, so Reese would take Nate up to his parents’ place a little later. And since I now had a car, I’d pick up Nate that afternoon.

My workday flew by. It was so busy, I barely had time to think. Which was good. I wanted to focus on my customers instead of stewing in all my complicated feelings about Reese.

By the time my shift ended, I was too tired to worry about Reese. I’d slept remarkably well in his arms, but by then, it had been nearly two in the morning. I hadn’t slept enough, and after a day on my feet, I was ready to sit down.

I said goodbye to my coworkers and left. The clouds had cleared, and the sun blazed in the sky. It had been getting steadily warmer as we headed into summer, and the town seemed to swell with visitors. People wandered up and down the sidewalks, stopping in the cute little shops or grabbing a bite to eat.

With a twinge of anxiety, I did a quick scan of the street before walking to my car. Nothing unusual.

The drive to Paul and Marlene’s was so pretty. Their long driveway snaked through pine trees and clusters of yellow flowers bloomed in the sunny spaces in between.

I parked outside the house, went to the front door, and knocked. Marlene answered with a friendly smile.

“Come on in.” She stepped aside. “Nate’s outside somewhere with my grandson Thomas. If you’re in a hurry, I can yell for them.”