Chapter 7
Seven
Poppy
“I can sleep on the couch,” I said for what felt like the thousandth time as Patrick narrowed his eyes at me and cocked his head to the side as he leaned against the wall.
We got back to his cabin a while ago and were now fighting over where I would sleep.
He was just as stubborn as I had remembered.
“And I’ve already said no. Several times.”
“I give up,” I muttered, tossing my head back and groaning. “I wouldn’t have taken you up on your offer to stay here if I knew that you were going to try to give up your bedroom for me.”
“It’s seriously not that big of a deal. I sleep on the couch all the time.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Okay, so I don’t sleep on the couch. But I am more than fine with it and am happy to start tonight.”
“Have you seen that storm outside?” I asked, extending my hand to the living room window, which didn’t have any curtains and looked like it needed to be replaced. It was old and thin, which meant it would absolutely get freezing cold in here tonight if the power went out.
The wind howled outside as a shiver ran through me.
“What are you going to do when the power goes out?” I continued. “You’re going to freeze your balls off.”
“My balls and I will be just fine. That’s what blankets are for.”
I arched an eyebrow and stared at him, ignoring the comment about his balls because those were the last thing I needed to think about right now.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” I said bluntly, putting my hands on my hips so he knew I meant business.
His eyes slowly trailed down my body, making note of the gesture as he chewed his lower lip, and his eyes sparkled with mischief.
He pushed off the wall and took a few strides until he was standing right in front of me, violating my space as the light scent of his cologne lingered in the air.
“I think it’s cute that you think you can come in here and boss me around,” he said, his voice low and deep as butterflies swarmed my stomach.
“Make no mistake, Poppy, I decide how things go around here. If I say you’re not sleeping on the couch tonight, you’re not fucking sleeping on the couch tonight. ”
“But yet you can?”
He shrugged his shoulders as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“You should sleep in your bed, Pat. It’s more comfortable and I already feel bad enough that I’m crashing here. Please don’t make me feel worse that I’m making things hard for you.”
“Does it mean that much to you?”
His voice softened as his eyes searched mine.
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice struggling to come out. “It would mean a lot to me if you slept in your own bed tonight.”
“Fine.”
I pulled my head back, trying to hide my confusion but failing. It seemed way too easy when he was so adamant about sleeping on the couch a few minutes ago.
“Why are you s—” I started, but stopped when he leaned in and tossed me over his shoulder.
All I could see was his ass as I squealed and tried to see where he was going.
It was weird that I didn’t immediately flinch or pull away from his touch—instead, I found myself craving more of it.
Maybe it was because I had known him for so long and trusted him, or maybe it was because I could tell that he genuinely cared about me and would never hurt me.
“Patrick! What are you doing?”
His hands held the backs of my thighs tighter as he stopped for a moment to open the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. He walked through, then closed it behind him as the cute Basset Hound puppy whimpered when he was left behind.
“I’ll be back to deal with you in a few, Travis,” he said over his shoulder to the dog.
“Seriously, what are you doing? Put me down,” I warned, though I couldn’t stop laughing.
He stepped into the room and deposited me gently on a plush king-sized bed before stepping back and allowing his eyes to roam my body once more.
“I thought I made myself clear,” he said, taking a few steps back as he grabbed his hoodie from the back and pulled it over his head.
The fabric caught on his t-shirt underneath, pulling it up with it and showing a sliver of the most beautifully sculpted abs I had ever seen.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch. Since you said it means so much to you that I don’t sleep on the couch, the only solution to our problem is that we share my bed. ”
“What?” I asked, leaning forward as I hung onto his words and my jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.”
“But we can’t share a bed,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“Why not?”
“Well... I ummm... There’s... Ummm... My cousin would be pissed if he found out,” I finally blurted out, hating that I didn’t have a good excuse for not wanting to sleep in his bed other than because I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from trying to touch him.
“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t give a flying fuck what your cousin thinks. Gage is the least of my concerns right now.”
“Why is that?” I asked dumbly. It was obvious, but for whatever reason, I still wanted to hear him say it. I needed to hear him say it.
“Because keeping you safe is the only thing I’m worried about right now. Gage can be mad if he wants to. But I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you while you’re staying with me. That includes allowing you to sleep on a shitty couch in a cold living room.”
I nodded and sat on my hands to keep from fidgeting. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had cared so much about my well-being. Scratch that—I couldn’t remember the last time anyone cared at all about my well-being.
“I need to go get Travis settled for the night. Feel free to set up whatever you need in the bathroom. We’ll do laundry in the morning so you’ll have clean clothes to wear, but for the time being, help yourself to anything you want in my closet.”
He smiled warmly and walked out of the room, leaving me sitting there as I tried to process how I had gotten myself stuck with being taken care of by the most caring man in the world.