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Finn smelled like the air-conditioning in his car, wintery and fresh. She closed her eyes and memorized the scent. It was different, unique to him. She grounded herself in his touch, treating him like the teddy bear she’d pull out back home when the memories overwhelmed her and she needed something to bury her face in.
Wordlessly, Finn eased up and sat on the bed. She adjusted herself accordingly, hugging him tighter.
He was no Mr. Cuddlepants.
For one thing, his body was too hard and broad to compare to her fluffy teddy bear.
But there were a few perks.
Mr. Cuddlepants never rubbed her back in comfort. And he definitely didn’t talk back.
“Bad dream?” Finn murmured.
She nodded, unable to speak.
“It’s okay.” Finn rubbed his hand over her back in comfort. “You’re okay, Jewel. I won’t let him do anything to you. Ever.”
She pulled away and stared at the bedspread. “Could you… sleep with me?” His shocked silence had her reeling to clarify. “Not with me. I meant, would you sleep up here?” She patted the other side of the mattress.
Finn’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Why?”
Jewel pushed her nerves away and admitted, “I have a teddy bear at home that helps me sleep, but I didn’t bring it.“ When he still looked unconvinced, Jewel grabbed a pillow and set it between them. “I’ll sleep over there and you can sleep here. I’m not going to cross the line.”
“You promise?” A corner of his lips quirked upward.
He was teasing her.
Jewel’s answering smile was fragile, but at least the scary dream was starting to lose its effect. Terror slid away from her mind like smoke in a dying fire. The longer she spoke to Finn, the better she felt.
“What’s your teddy bear’s name?” he asked.
“Mr. Cuddlepants.”
His eyebrow twitched, but he didn’t make fun of her. “And who’s more handsome? Me or him?”
“I’m not sure.” She rubbed her jaw, amused by the way he was trying to distract her. It was so obvious and yet so heartfelt that she was, unwittingly, moved. “He’s a little softer around the middle and I kind of dig that.”
Finn laughed. “I see.”
Jewel scooted back so he could fit on the narrow bed, making sure to leave the pillow between them. She knew it was a flimsy barrier. If Finn intended on touching her, he could just as easily pluck it and toss it to the floor.
But he wouldn’t.
She wouldn’t have invited him up here if she didn’t believe that he was a man of self-control and self-restraint.
Unicorns, as her friends would call it.
Finn clicked off the light.
Immediately, the room was thrown into shadows.
She listened to him breathe for a minute, adding yet another item to the list of differences between the handsome man sharing her bed (at her request, which was even more shocking) and the teddy bear back in her shanty.
Jewel heard rustling and glanced over at Finn. He had rolled over so he was lying on his back.
He grunted. “I know I’m acting as your stuffed animal right now, but honestly, you’re doing me a favor. The floor was cruel to my back.”
“You sound like an old man.”
