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“This discussion is over.” I close my eyes and cross my arms.
“You look ridiculous. It looks like you’re on a toy bed, Fallon.”
“I’m comfy,” I lie. My eyes are still closed. “Sleepy.”
“You know what? Fine. I’ll take the bed.” She stomps over to the other side of the room and slips under the covers. I hear her huff as she turns off the bedside lamp.
When I crack an eyelid to peek, Jen has an eye mask on with her own blankets pulled up to her neck. I smile at the sight of it, and my heart does another one of those spasms.
My smile fades.
This is as close as I’ll get to her.
The truth is, Jen is much better off without me. What can a guy like me offer a woman like her? A woman whose life has been one straight, consistent upward trajectory?
I spread a blanket over the cot and punch the pillow, glancing one last time out the window. When I see no movement beyond the leaves rustling on the trees, I lie down and close my eyes. Sleep doesn’t come easy.
CHAPTER 4
Jen
I wake up to a loud bang and a groan. Pushing my sleep mask to my forehead, I sit up and see Fallon on the floor beside the cot. He rubs his shoulder and glances at me. “Fell off. Had a dream I was skydiving without a parachute. Shit.” He rubs the heels of his hands in his eyes.
Sighing, I flick the blankets on the other side of the bed. “Get in, Fallon.”
To my surprise, Fallon only hesitates for a moment. There’s a rasp of fabric as he gets to his feet and grabs his pillow. I put my eye mask back on before feeling the bed dip beside me.
My heart thunders. The last time I shared a bed was a couple of decades ago, with the one and only boyfriend I’ve had after college. The heat of Fallon’s body soaks into my side and I turn my back to him, grateful for the dark, the eye mask, and the blankets pulled up to my chin.
When my alarm starts blaring, the first thing I notice is a hot, heavy weight draped over my body. Fallon’s leg is thrown over both of mine, and it must weigh a hundred pounds. His arm is pinning me to the bed. I groan, wiggling away from him to smack the button on my phone to stop my alarm. I hit it with the tips of my fingers, then pause.
This feels…nice. For a few glorious moments, I find myself snuggling into Fallon’s warmth. His hand tugs me into his chest while his leg curls over both of mine, as if he wants to drag me as close to his warm, hard body as possible.
I close my eyes for a few seconds. Fallon’s breath ruffles my neck, his body curled protectively around me. His scent is everywhere, his body pressed up against the length of mine. I’m being lulled back to sleep with every breath. Nuzzling into my pillow, I curl my arm around his and hold it against me.
He’s sleeping anyway. He won’t know. It’s just one little snuggle. It can’t hurt anyone.
When my alarm goes off again, I jerk fully awake, then use all my strength to heave Fallon’s arm off me. He tumbles to his back, with his lower body twisted so it’s still covering mine.
With a grunt, I pull my leg free and stumble out from under him to stand up next to the bed. Panting, I put my hands on my hips and stare at the man starfished across the sheets.
Maybe him taking the cot was a good idea.
“Fallon.”
No answer. The man doesn’t even move.
I poke his arm. “Fallon.”
A snort—but zero movement.
This is ridiculous. I shove his shoulder which, predictably, barely even budges. Fallon turns his head and mumbles something into the pillow.
“Fallon.” This time, I use both hands to shake him awake.
Nothing.
Something skitters in my peripheral vision, and I look down to see a palm-sized spider inches from my foot. Screeching, I hop onto the bed and land on all fours. I don’t know if it’s my scream or the weight of me on the bed, but Fallon jerks awake.
