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Shaking my head, I follow her lead, taking off my winter wear before I head in the direction of the kitchen.
“They’re huskies, right?”
“Yes.”
“They’re so beautiful. I bet they love the snow.Yes, I bet you love the snow.”
A laugh overtakes me. Her voice sounds so different when she baby-talks the dogs that I can’t help it.
“Oh, shut up.”
“You’re adorable.”
She freezes, facing away from me still.
“They are adorable.” She knows that’s not what I said, but I’ll let it go for now. It’s been a long day for both of us, and one more revelation may just tip her over the edge.
“Okay, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping, and then I can take these hooligans outside.”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I lead her deeper into the house. The dogs are on our heels but staying out of the way as we head towards the main bedroom. Lifting my head to look up the stairs, I see Penny grip the handrail from the corner of my eye, her knuckles white.
Without voicing my intent, because I know she’ll use her last ounce of energy to argue, I sweep her up into my arms. She gasps, her fingers digging into the material of my sweater as I head upstairs. She feels good in my arms.Right. It takes everything in me not to duck my head a little lower and breathe her in.
“You don’t need to carry me.” I give her a grunt as a response.
When we reach the top, I continue down the hall until I reach my bedroom. Letting her gently slide down my body is a combination of pleasure and pain. I reluctantly let her go but don’t let her get too far as her body sways without my support.
With a guiding hand, she rests against the end of the bed. Her other hand goes to her temple, rubbing the aching area. I want to scoop her back up in my arms and hold her, tell her everything is going to be okay. Yet while I can give her words of comfort, holding her is too much right now.
Standing awkwardly in front of her, I wait for her to comment on where she is. I’m hoping she’s too tired and out of it to realize what I’ve done. No such luck.
“This is your bedroom,” she states, looking around the room then staring me down.
I don’t answer her. Instead, I give her a little shrug before I move on.
“I don’t have anything that will fit properly, but since you’re just going to bed, I figure that’s fine. How about I—”
“I’m not staying in your room, Carter.”
“—grab some shorts and a T-shirt for you. Will that work?”
“Carter,” she grumbles, sliding off the bed and walking to where I am at the door of my walk-in closet. “I’m not staying in your room. Take me to the other bedroom.”
“There isn’t one.”
“I saw one as we were coming up the stairs. I’ll sleep in there.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I say, handing her the pile of clothes and running a hand through my hair in nervousness. “There’s no other option. The second bedroom doesn’t have a bed. It’s filled with my gym equipment and boxes I haven’t unpacked yet.”
Penny turns away from me, marching back to the bed and dumping the clothes. Her face is pale, and I can see her shaking with exhaustion, but she’s still fighting. I usually love that about her, but tonight I need her to rest and recoup. She can bring the fire tomorrow.
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“No,” I snap, killing that idea immediately. “I’m sleeping on the couch. You are going to stop fighting me on this and get ready for bed.” She opens her mouth, no doubt to give me some snappy and witty remark, but I cut her off. “Please, Penny. It’s been a long day for both of us, and I need to know you’re okay. The only way I’ll know that is if you get a good night’s sleep. You won’t get that on the couch.”
There’s a long pause before she nods. “Fine. But you’re not sleeping on the couch either. I’m not kicking you out of your own bed.”
Stunnedis not an adequate word for what I feel. Not wanting to break the spell, I don’t protest. I’m tempted to smile at the prospect of sleeping right beside her for the first time, even if it will be PG. This is progress.
