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Dustin nodded, and when Charlie disappeared down the hallway, Dustin closed and locked the door. He’d considered sleeping in one of the guest rooms, but he didn’t want to be that far away from her.
He got undressed, leaving on his boxers, and crawled under the covers next to her. He pulled her against him and she snuggled close, sighing against his chest.
“I am really sorry I’m so much trouble.”
Dustin kissed her forehead softly. “Didn’t you know? I love trouble.”
“I did hear that somewhere.”
His fingers stroked down her back as he waited for her to fall asleep, his mind racing as he thought about what could have happened if Asher had wanted to do more than scare her. What if he’d broken the window, gone inside, and hurt her? There was no guarantee he would have heard her if she’d screamed, and if anything more had happened to her, he didn’t think he could live with himself. Imagining a world without Rylie in it was impossible. Her smile. Her voice. Her laugh.
It was as though he couldn’t remember what life was like before he really knew her and he never wanted to go back there.
“Talk to me,” she whispered.
He rubbed a hand across his face, banishing his dark thoughts. “What do you want me to talk about?”
“Anything.” Her soft voice was slurring slightly and he wondered how much longer she was going to stay awake.
“I loved the doughnuts.”
“I knew you would.”
He chuckled, then sobered. “The cheesecake was supposed to be a thank-you, but I guess I kind of ruined it, huh?”
“You were a dick.”
“Yes, I was.”
“Why?”
What exactly did he tell her? That he liked her? That he was starting to think she wasn’t just another one of his hookups?
She’d never believe it, even hopped up on painkillers. She’d think he was feeding her a line.
“I guess I was just surprised,” he said, honestly. “I was getting used to having you around.”
“Just because I don’t live here doesn’t mean we won’t still see each other. We still work together.” She yawned against the front of his chest. “We’re friends.”
Dustin knew all that, but there was something different about having Rylie so close. Knowing that he could just walk down the steps to get a glimpse of her. That she’d pop through the door in t
he morning to say hi to Victoria and he’d sometimes stand on the stairs and listen to them gossip at the table.
Well, Victoria would gossip and Rylie would listen, which was just another thing to like about her. She didn’t spread stuff around like the rest of town.
“I know we’re friends, but it won’t be the same with you living across town.” His arm squeezed her affectionately as he added, “I’ll miss your little noises when something tastes good. The way you roll your eyes when I annoy you. But I think I’m going to miss your zombie walk when you first wake up most of all.”
Her hand half-heartedly smacked his chest. “Be nice.”
“I thought I was being nice.”
“You called me a zombie.”
“I also said I would miss you.”
She grew so quiet he thought she might have fallen asleep. Only a few moments later, she mumbled, “I’ll miss you too.”
Dustin traced his fingers from her temple to her cheek, until the soft rustle of her deep breathing fell from her lips. It was another thing he’d learned about Rylie; she had this funny little snore that almost had a wheeze on the end. On any other woman, he’d have found it annoying, but on Rylie it was…cute.
