Chapter 5 #2
Sure, we had been in the same circles for a while, but to pick up on everything and to hear my story, then get this while he's already buying clothes for me—man, it was like the jackpot of perfect people.
"Thank you, Simon," I said, forcing the words past my lips instead of blurting out anything else.
"You're welcome," he whispered as he let go of my hand.
It almost looked like he didn't want to, and part of me thought about reaching out to grab his back, lacing our fingers together and asking him to tell me more about his day.
I wanted to hear about the different shops in town and if he ran into anyone familiar.
I wanted to know why he picked out certain outfits and have him display them to me so I could tell what his favorites were and wear those first.
Instead, I eased my legs down off the couch and moved the blanket away from me. I was getting warm, and I didn't want to have to change out of his clothes any sooner than necessary if I got sweaty. Hell, I'd sleep in them again tonight if I thought that no one would give me crap about it.
Simon stood, then held his hand out. "I think you should probably get something to eat before you go see if I did a good job with your clothes."
I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up. He let go again instantly and that same desire ran through me.
"I'm sure everything you bought is great," I said as I brought my hands together and clasped them in front of me. It was the only way I wouldn't grab for him again.
We walked together into the kitchen where we found a platter of treats—very obviously left by Harlan and very obviously already partially devoured by Sean. I smiled at the large hole where food had once been as I sat down at the counter and began to nibble on some pretzels.
Simon didn't join me. He went to the fridge and pulled out some milk, then he grabbed a glass and poured it half full before sliding it across the counter to me. "You need to drink something too. Those pretzels will make you thirsty."
I shoved another one in my mouth before grabbing the drink. It was the only way to shut me up. I was having to fight against my natural instincts with this man.
Everything in me wanted to jump and cling to him and beg for all of his attention in every way.
That wasn't smart. Besides, what would we have outside of this time anyway? There was no guarantee, no timeline in which we could be a couple—especially if he wasn't a Daddy. I knew that was a non-negotiable for me.
We sat together quietly, snacking on the food and observing through the windows how the men worked around the ranch. I was thankful Simon didn't have anything else to say, just as much as I was thankful for his company.
Part of me felt like I was being babysat in a way. It was like they wanted to watch over me to make sure I didn't panic or need help and not have it.
"Can I see my clothes now?" I said after polishing off the last of my milk.
Wordlessly, Simon stood and held out his hand again. I didn't technically need it, but I still wrapped mine around his. Unlike the two times before, he kept hold of my grip as he led me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
I hoped he couldn't feel my pulse through our connection because my body felt like it was moving a million miles an hour all while taking slow, steady steps behind him.
In my room, he stopped suddenly. He looked over his shoulder at me and said, "Someone left you something."
My brow furrowed as I leaned around him to look. He shifted to the side, and I slipped in, noting that while there were no clothes to be seen, there was a package wrapped on the bed with a bow.
From the way Simon said I had something, it made me think it couldn't have been him. Besides, why would he leave something like this when he already gave me the bracelet downstairs? That didn't make sense.
"Let's look at your clothes, then I'll leave you alone so you can open whatever that is," he said.
I turned and then followed him to the closet where he revealed a vast selection of things.
"You didn't have to get all of this," I said as I thumbed over the fabric. All of it was soft, and I knew it would keep me warm. I wanted to wear them all, but I knew taking off what I had on wasn't going to happen quite yet. I was too attached.
Simon stood behind me. His body was so close it felt like he was wrapped around me even though he wasn't. "You needed a little bit of everything, but I didn't want you to not be prepared.
Besides, Atticus was clear with me when he texted after I left that I needed to get enough for all types of things—whether you wanted to work on the ranch or simply relax. "
I nodded since my voice disappeared at his proximity. When he stepped away, I nearly whimpered.
Looking over my shoulder, I willed my body to calm down. If I turned, there was no hiding my cock tenting his sweatpants. Even with the baggy shirt, the state of my arousal would be obvious.
Simon must have moved over to the door while I was arguing with myself because there was distance between us. He knocked on the frame and said, "I'll leave you to it. I'll be right downstairs if you need me or decide you want to come back down."
"You don't have to work today?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Sean said he'd be back at some point, but I figured I could keep you company until then."
I bit my lip and nodded, then watched as he disappeared. I scurried over to the door and closed it behind him, mostly because I didn't want to get caught—both with my problem and with this gift.
Easing down on the bed beside it, I grabbed the package and slowly unwrapped it. There'd been no card, no indication of what it was. At least not on the outside.
Inside I found a bundled-up blanket made of the softest material I had ever felt. Atop it was a card, and in a pretty, swirly font it said:
You don't have to hold it all in.
As I lifted the blanket to fan it out, I realized it was heavier than I first thought. My mind registered it a second later.
A weighted blanket.
Holy crap. I'd always wanted one of these things but never stopped to buy one for myself. Whoever gave me this was a mind reader. They were also really suspicious. I had questions—loads of them—but I didn't know where to start.
I'd been asleep earlier so I couldn’t say who delivered this. Sean was here though. Maybe he saw who it was. I'd have to ask him the next time I saw him.
It was then I remembered the whole Secret Santa thing that had been mentioned earlier. Could this be from that person? Was I being included as like a mandatory thing? Like Simon said?
While I had no plans of going out to buy anyone a present, I kind of felt curious about this whole thing. Would me not getting a gift mean that someone wouldn't get anything in return? How did they know it was a balanced game?
At the same time, who would I have to buy for? How does this even work?
With every new question, I felt my anxiety rise. Then I remembered the bracelet Simon had given me. As I ran my thumb over the stones and laid out across the bed, I covered myself with the blanket. The tension in my body eased.
Between the bracelet and the blanket weighing me down, I managed to slow my heart to a more regular pace.
If only I'd known it was the calm before the storm.