AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Graham: Could you come in here for a sec?
She was in his room two seconds later, as if she’d already been on her way before he asked.
Gertrude immediately sat up and growled. Graham ran a soothing hand down her back and she settled back down but kept her eyes on Claire, body vibrating with a low, quieter rumble.
He adored his dog’s sass.
Claire stuck her tongue out.
He kind of adored Claire’s sass, too.
She took a few steps closer to the bed, passing her gaze down his body as if making sure he was all right. Her curly blond hair was piled on top of her head and the thin-strapped tank top and shorts she wore left an extreme amount of skin exposed.
Graham suddenly remembered the last conversation they’d had before his accident. Tomorrow, Reagan would leave for Florida, and he and Claire would be here alone. Which meant they would have...
He mentally slapped himself for getting hurt, then kicked himself in the balls for good measure.
“What do you need?” she asked.
She hadn’t brought her phone, so he typed out a text and handed it to her.
I’m sorry about earlier.
She stared at the screen for several seconds longer than necessary, then her hazel eyes met his. “Don’t worry about it.”
He took his phone back, unsure what to say now. How was he supposed to ask?
His heartbeat sped up and he ran a hand through his hair, dropping his gaze to his legs and the bulky outline of the cast underneath the blanket.It shouldn’t be this hard.Just tell her you’d feel more comfortable having someone with you. Just for tonight.
Graham lifted his eyes once more and found her assessing his face, her expression unreadable.
Words couldn’t explain how badly he wished he could speak right now. He’d be able to spin it into some sort of inappropriate, innuendo-laden comment, which would get the point across but distract her from reading too much into the request.
Just Graham being Graham, trying to get a woman into his bed.
Then, she spoke. “Will your devil dog bite me if I pick her up?”
He wasn’t sure, actually. Other than verbal abuse in the form of growls and trash talk, the two seemed to steer clear of each other.
Graham frowned, then shrugged.Maybe.
“I just thought maybe it would be best if I slept in here tonight,” Claire said in her no-nonsense tone, walking around to the other side of the bed. She paused. “If that’s okay. Just...in case you need something.”
That same warm sensation he’d felt when she told him about his friends coming to the hospital circulated once more. He swallowed, then nodded. Quickly, he tapped out a message.
Five bucks says she leaves and pouts in the corner when you get in bed.
Claire put one hand on the mattress and leaned over to read it, then laughed. “That, or she goes for my jugular.”
With a final challenging glance at Gertrude, Claire pulled back the covers and slipped under. Gertrude barked once, stood, and barked again, then looked at Graham as if to say,Are we allowing this?
He wanted to smile so badly, but his face hurt.
She leaped off the bed and trotted to the dog bed in the corner.
“Wow. I’d have expected her to fight a little more for you, Graham.”
Women are fickle.
