Chapter Thirty
At four in the morning, she woke up with a jolt by the throaty cough of an engine outside the house. She blinked in the surrounding shadows, woozy and disorientated as her brain caught up with her surroundings.
Footsteps landed on the stairs in the house, slow and torturous. It seemed forever before the bedroom door finally opened.
Dylan plodded across the room, sat down heavily on the bed. ‘God, I’m knackered. Are you awake?’
Scarlett heaved herself up to a sitting position and turned on the bedside light. ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’ She reached out a hand, and he took it, his movements weary. ‘You won, then?’ she said, waggling his hand a bit. ‘Well done.’
‘Yeah, it was a long night. Got a black cab home — it seemed less trouble than the helicopter, which I think was mostly for show. I think they’d have quite liked for me to disembark from a dangling rope straight into the studio. So much of this game is shallow hype.’
‘I told you that ages ago.’ She watched as Dylan shucked off his shirt, enjoying seeing his long legs as he unpeeled his jeans from his body.
‘I’m assuming I’m okay to share the bed with you? I just want to hold you until I fall asleep.’
Scarlett hitched herself up on her elbow, wondering at his good manners.
She patted the bed for him to join her.
His gaze fixed on where her breasts peeped out above her t-shirt nightie. Not so incredibly polite, then. He grinned sheepishly. ‘Caught in the act, sorry.’
‘I’m sorry that I don’t have my air stewardess red lace and silk creation with me, but having been hauled out of my bed due to rogue fire alarms in the middle of the night one too many times, I learned to take serviceable night attire to work.’
‘You have an air stewardess nightdress?’ Dylan’s eyes were on stalks.
‘No.’ She laughed. ‘I’m messing with you. Put your tongue away.’
‘What an image, though. I’ll sleep well dreaming of that.’ He fell back on the bed and closed his eyes. ‘I’m worn out.’
‘Hmm, we’ve done far too much sleeping since we met up again, if you ask me,’ she said, a little put out that, once more, he appeared able to resist her.
He opened one eye and reached out for her. ‘In that case, I don’t need sleep, I need you.’
‘Then, allow me to finish undressing your tired body and see if we can put a bit of life into it.’
‘Yes! Thank you, God.’ Dylan spread his arms and legs wide, like a snow angel. ‘I’m all yours. Do what you will.’
Scarlett gave him a smile that said she would do her best and Dylan surrendered himself into her care, afterwards falling into an exhausted sleep.
Scarlett watched his chest rise and fall and his face relax until she, too, fell into a deep, contented sleep.