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“You’re the wounded soldier,” she teased with a drowsy smile, unerringly matching my earlier thought.
“Hardly. Get some sleep,” I told her, smiling back at her when I saw she didn’t even wait that long to close her eyes and drift off.
With the soft hum of the TV and her gentle breaths, I’d admit, something inside me felt rested.
There was a crazy world outside these walls. The TV proved that when I switched over to the news and saw a volcano had erupted in Europe, there was an earthquake in Haiti, as well as a blizzard in Boston. Yet here, all was quiet.
I knew I should go shower off the road, but the deeper she slept, the closer she moved until she was nestled up against my side. That felt good. Like a luxury all on its own.
When I knew I was starting to fall asleep, though, I dragged the pillow out from behind my head and began edging away. She grumbled under her breath but let me go.
I collected an extra blanket from the closet and, with a grimace, settled on the floor, tucking the pillow beneath my head and covering myself with the scratchy fabric.
My bones immediately ached, never mind my goddamn shoulder, but I was so fucking tired that I drifted off pretty quickly.
God knew how long later, I woke up when a soft whoosh of air brushed my neck.
I might have been out of jail for years, but my instincts still ran high when I was in a vulnerable position.
I immediately woke up.
That was when I realized what was happening—she’d gotten out of bed and was curled into me on the fucking floor.
For a moment, I just stared at her, dead certain that my eyes had failed me.
But, no.
Her scent perfumed the air around me again—gently overpowering the mustiness of the carpet. Her silky skin slid against mine as she cuddled into me. And her hand, her fucking hand, was pressed so low on my abs that she was an inch away from touching my boner.
I didn’t know if I was pissed about having zero personal space here, worried about her inability to be self-aware and to protect herself, or just fucking touched that she wanted to be so close to me, even in her sleep.
With my bones having settled, I groaned as I straightened into a standing position. Not once did she wake up.
“Fuck’s sake, Mary Catherine,” I muttered as I rolled her into my arms and lifted her high.
When she settled against my chest like she belonged there, it was hard to accept that she didn’t.
And because I had no business thinking that shit, I quickly placed her on the mattress.
The only problem?
MaryCat, of course.
As I moved away, she grabbed my hand, mumbling, “Digger?”
I heaved a sigh. “It’s me.”
“Where are you going?” She blinked sleepily. “Come to bed.”
My free hand balled into a fist. “No, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
She tutted and shifted over to the other side of the mattress, not only making space for me but dragging me with her as much as a little thing like her could with someone my size.
“Are you sure?” I asked, meaning it too.
She yawned. “Of course.”
When I gingerly settled on the bed then lay out flat, it wasn’t too dissimilar from how she’d fallen asleep earlier.
