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He was using up a good portion of his self-control on this exercise, but he wouldn’t push her if she wasn’t comfortable, whether because of Jen or for some other reason. Luke leaned toward her ear and teased her with his nose while he spoke. “If Jen wasn’t awake in the next room, I’d be happy to show you one of those hundred ways right here. Then I’d carry you to the bed and show you a couple more.” He groaned as he kissed her lips hard. “But I can wait…and when we come together, it’ll be spectacular. I promise.” That earned him a sexy smile as he lowered her feet to the floor. “Now go, before I change my mind.”
He opened the door and guided her out, patting her round derriere as she went by, and was rewarded by an insincere glare. Damn. A groan bubbled up in his throat. Letting her go was harder than he’d thought. Hopefully, they’d find some private time…and soon, but hell, what did he know about living with a kid? Privacy could be a rare commodity.
Another quick and cold shower later, Luke slipped into an old pair of sweats and reentered the bedroom. One glance told him Jen had fallen asleep on top of the comforter in the middle of her game. Her mother had closed the curtains and covered her with the blankets from the opposite side of the bed, leaving Sally’s side bare except for sheets. She was clearly exhausted, and he hoped to give her two or three hours of sleep before they headed out again. As he watched, she picked up the phone, turned it off and laid it on the nightstand. Then she spread out on the bare side of Jen’s bed.
Luke poured a glass of water and drank it down. He’d never spent any time around kids until he’d met Sally. What was the proper etiquette here? Would it be so bad if Sally slept with him in the other bed? Of course they couldn’t do any of the things he longed to do with her, but at least she’d be warm. The one thing he could be sure of was that whatever Sally thought was acceptable…she wouldn’t compromise on the issue. It would have to be her idea.
He set down his glass and walked toward his bed. Removing his watch, he left it by her phone, then slipped between the sheets and moved to the far side, leaving the bedding folded down invitingly on the other. After a few minutes, he propped his head on his elbow and looked at her. Sally hadn’t moved, her eyes open and staring at him over Jen’s sleeping form. He held her gaze as he crooked his finger and patted the sheets beside him.
Sally shook her head, and Luke didn’t argue. As soon as he lay down on the pillow, he saw her head pop up in his peripheral vision. He closed his eyes and pretended to ignore her, but he couldn’t disguise his pleased grin. The ball was in her court.Make it seem like it’s her idea.
“What’s so funny, Harding?”
Luke heard the aged box springs creak, and when he opened his eyes, she was standing over him, hands on her hips. Her lips were pressed together, not in annoyance but apparently trying to forestall her own laughter. His arm snaked out and caught her by the shirt, pulling her in close and over his body to the other side of the bed, then rolled partway on top of her.
“Shh.” He tapped her lips with his finger to remind her of the sleeping girl in the next bed.
He recognized the instant it dawned on her that she could wake Jen by the hand she threw over her mouth and the giggles it didn’t quite contain.
When she’d composed herself, she looked in to his eyes, a you’ve-got-some-explaining-to-do tilt to her head. “What do you think you’re doing?” Her husky whisper fell far short of the feigned indignation on her face.
Luke raised a hand and swept it toward his blankets. “Well, sunshine, I’m offering you a place in my bed for a little nap.” She felt so damn good underneath him, her breasts plumped against his chest. He should really stop teasing her now before it came back to bite him.
A tentative smile hadn’t wavered on her features. “Where will you sleep?”
A low laugh rumbled from his throat. “Funny girl. You’re not really going to make me answer that, are you?”
Her smile gave way to worry and she shook her head. “We can’t, Luke. Not with—”
He lowered his head and gently nibbled her lips, effectively swallowing the rest of her words. A few seconds later, he reluctantly drew back. “Yes, we can. We can sleep in this bed together and I can finally hold you in my arms. The only thing I can’t do is have my way with you.” One eyebrow arched upward as he dropped another kiss on her doubtful mouth. “I can live with that…for now. Can you?”
Sally visibly relaxed beneath him. “You’re always thinking about her, aren’t you? Do you realize how rare that is?” Her fingers traced a path from his shoulder to his rib cage.
Fire seemed to follow her caress, and he captured her hand in his to stop the torment before things could get out of hand. “I think pretty highly of that kid, and I’d never do anything to knowingly cause her harm. You know that. But right now, my thoughts are all about you.” He met her gaze as she digested that information. Encouraged when her glance drifted to his lips, he covered her mouth again, kissing her long and hard.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, responding eagerly. Too willingly—a condition he’d wished for a dozen times but had never come to fruition while circumstances were in their favor. Now, with Jen a few feet away, Luke’s control was becoming dangerously thin. If he was going to sleep with Sally wrapped in his arms as he’d said—as he’d imagined so many nights—he’d need to call a halt to this sooner rather than later.There’ll be time.His raging libido wasn’t convinced.
Luke backed away from the urgency, gently kissing her several times before he raised his head and shifted off her, just enough so she could move. “Roll over, babe. I want to spoon with my girl.” Okay, so maybe he was rushing things a little, but the fact that she didn’t get in his face and set him straight made him the happiest he’d been in a hell of a long time.
With a quizzical tilt to her brows, Sally turned her back to him, lay her head on his arm stretched beneath the pillow and scooted back until every inch of her touched him somewhere. His nostrils full of the fruity, coconut smell of her hair, he pulled the blankets over them and slung one arm over her hip, his hand splayed halfway between her rounded breasts and the oasis between her legs. His dick twitched in response.
Sally looked over her shoulder with a droll smile. “Um…are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”Not exactly true, but I’ll run with it.“We should get out of here about noon. Do our shopping and hit the road. So sleep while you can, sunshine.”
“That might be easier said than done.” Amusement warmed her voice. She faced away from him again and snuggled next to him as though the two of them were one.
They lay still for a moment before Luke propped himself up so he could lean over and glimpse her face. “One more thing you need to know. If I fall asleep and start thrashing, acting out of my head, don’t try to wake me.” He’d been debating the warning since she’d allowed him to sleep on her couch last night. The dreams, and his inability to shake them, made him feel weak and out of control. He hated admitting his Achilles’ heel to Sally. A woman should feel safe with her man, but he was telling her not to trust him when he was in the throes of one of his nightmares. Best-case scenario—he wouldn’t be her man very long. Worst case—she might be afraid of him…in bed, for shit’s sake.
She turned onto her back this time, disbelief staring from her expressive eyes. “Don’t wake you? What would you have me do?”
“I want you to get out of the way. I’ve been known to swing on guys who’ve interrupted one of my dreams, trying to calm me down. It can get ugly pretty fast. You saw what I was like in the Jeep a little while ago. I don’t want you or Jen hurt because of me. I’d never forgive myself. Promise, Sally.”
She pursed her lips and studied him thoughtfully. “I’ll make sure Jen isn’t in harm’s way, but that’s the best I can do.”
“Sally.” He spoke the warning as sternly as he could manage, with a half-naked woman in his bed making him crazy.
She silenced him with an accusing glare. “Weren’t you listening when we talked earlier? When we decided to give this thing between us another try?”
