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Ah. So that was what their conversation was about. I was glad it wasn’t anything more sinister. But then it begged the question of why Max was doing business with a guy like that. And to leave behind debt for his daughter to cover. I thought I sent over more than enough for him to live comfortably without ever having to work again.
“Is he bothering you?” I asked.
“Not really,” she replied and shrugged. “He just wants his money back, and I can understand that. He’s not what bothers me.”
“Then who are you scared off?”
“I’m not scared of anyone. I’m scared of….” She took a deep breath and looked at me from beneath her eyelid. “You’re going to think I’m a weirdo if I tell you.”
“Darlin’, I think our conversation today already established that we’re both a bunch of weirdos.”
She smiled a little at that. “Right.” She held herself and propped her shoulders up before she admitted, “I’m scared of that.” She pointed outside to the backyard, and I was stumped for a second.
“Trees?’
“No.” She giggled again, a light sound that still sounded nervous. “Darkness. I’m scared of nightfall, and I can’t….I have trouble falling asleep at night. Sometimes during the day too, but it’s definitely impossible at night.”
“Huh,” I muttered. Out of all the things I expected her to say, that was the last thing. “That was why you didn’t want me to leave.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it helps when someone is here. I can’t sleep well when I’m alone, and usually, I need to have someone hold me first.”
“Oh.” I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, not entirely sure what she was saying.
She seemed thoughtful for a second as she turned off the stove after heating the soup. Then, she turned back around and asked, “Could you come with me for a few seconds?”
I nodded, even though I had no clue what this was about. I followed her up the stairs and around the corner until she stopped in front of a door. She opened the door to what was clearly her bedroom, walked to her bed, and gestured to it.
“Can you sit down, please?”
Alarm bells were clanging in my head, but I ignored them. I moved and sat on her bed, leaning back against the headboard. She took a deep breath, then shifted slowly and sat in my lap, crawling into my arms.
“Can you hold me for a little bit, just like you did yesterday?”
My mind blanked.Why? I wanted to ask, but I found myself nodding instead. I was still stiff, trying my best not to move and give away the giant wood that was growing larger and larger by the second. She mistook the reason for my stiffness.
“Don’t worry,’ she said and yawned. “I promise not to kiss you this time.”
I couldn’t even laugh. I was too busy trying to withstand this torture.
And in a few seconds, she was fast asleep.
THIRTEEN
TILLIE
I was resting on a cloud.
I didn’t know exactly where I was, but it felt so warm and firm and soft at the same time, so much so that I didn’t want to get up. And it smelled heavenly, like a woodsy scent with a hint of something else I couldn’t identify. That, plus the warmth, made me want to slumber forever.
I couldn’t remember if I bought a weighted blanket, but if I had, it was the best money I ever spent.
I didn’t want to do anything but sleep for as long as humanly possible, but then I heard the familiar chime of my alarm clock. That, combined with the dog’s whining coming from the end of the bed, told me that it would be better if I got up. I didn’t want to get chewed out by Erwin again.
I slowly and reluctantly pulled myself out of my slumber, yawning and stretching as I did. I’d barely stretched when my hand caught on something that felt suspiciously like skin.
My eyes pried open slowly. I wasn’t lying on a weighted blanket after all. I was lying on a full-fledged man whose six feet something inches didn’t fit completely on my bed. His feet dangled over the edge, and the rest of his body was propped up against the bed’s head in a pose that couldn’t have been comfortable. At some point, he’d opened his shirt, and I could see his ab muscles gleaming on his bronze skin.
Desire twinged in my stomach as my gaze traced over the smooth, gleaming skin, wondering why God built such a fantastic-looking man to tempt the female population.
