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He grimaced as he fingered the dried blood in his hair. “I’m sorry that you’re having to take care of me.”
“I don’t mind.” She certainly couldn’t complain about the view, especially now that he was almost naked.
“What time is it?” he asked. “Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you come sleep with me?”
There were two other bedrooms in the house, so she had options, but she planned on staying much closer to him than that. “Maybe I will later, if you don’t take up the whole bed,” she joked.
“Just push me over.”
“We’ll see. Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
“I don’t feel like eating.”
Renewed concern made her hesitate at the door. “That isn’t because you’re nauseous, is it?”
“I don’t think so. All I want to do is sleep,” he said and a few minutes later, he’d drifted off again.
Talulah went to the kitchen and tossed herself a salad. Then she decided to bake homemade croissants stuffed with ham and Gruyère cheese, using the dough she’d made and chilled last night. They didn’t sell croissants at the dessert diner, so it’d been ages since she’d attempted them and was in the mood for a challenge. They could be tricky. The secret was adding a little brown sugar to the recipe, which tasted wonderful with all those buttery layers.
As she worked, she checked on Brant periodically. Fortunately, he seemed fine.
The croissants filled the house with the yeasty smell of fresh bread as they baked. Once they were done, Talulah put one on a plate and took it upstairs to see if she could tempt Brant to eat.
He stirred as she pressed a hand to his forehead.
“What’s that incredible smell?” he muttered.
“I made ham and cheese croissants.”
“Youmadethem? No one makes croissants. I don’t know where they come from. Heaven, maybe.”
She had to admit he was cute when he was at a disadvantage. “Are you hungry? Because you might feel better if you eat a few bites.”
“In the morning.”
“You don’t want anything tonight?”
His eyes latched onto her. “Does what I want matter?”
She could tell he was setting her up. “Maybe... Why?”
“I want you to come to bed with me.”
When she hesitated, he said, “I’m harmless. What could I do? Look at me.”
Shehadbeen looking at him. That was part of the problem. He looked pretty damn good to her, and she didn’t want to fall into the same trap so many other women had fallen into, wanting Brant when he was unobtainable.
But she had such a hard time falling in love she couldn’t believe that would be a serious concern—not for her—so she shrugged off her reservations. Sleeping in the same bed would be better than waking up every hour or two to cross the hall and check on him.
“Okay. I’ll be up soon.”
She went down to the kitchen to eat and take care of the mess, and when she returned, he was asleep again.
Grabbing the tank top she normally wore to bed, and a pair of pajama shorts she usually didn’t bother with, she changed in the bathroom before creeping back into the room and lying next to him.
She’d been careful not to jiggle the mattress when she crawled in, and she was being mindful about staying on her side. So she was surprised when he reached over and pulled her into the curve of his body. “There you are,” he mumbled into her hair.
Thankfully, it’d cooled off enough that she didn’t mind being so close. She held her breath, waiting to see what he’d do next. But he didn’t do anything. Within seconds, she could hear his breathing deepen and feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. And before she knew it, she found herself relaxing into the comfort of his body.
