Chapter Thirty-One
Brian
She came out of the en suite bathroom with a freshly washed face, in those pajamas that left nothing to the imagination, and I was immediately at war with myself.
What the hell was I thinking, suggesting we share a bed again—for ten days?
Maybe I was secretly a masochist and loved the torture of having her so close, knowing she was off-limits.
Or maybe I wanted a chance to prove I wasn’t a chicken shit after all.
But as she slid between the cool sheets next to me, I wasn’t feeling like this was my shot.
Instead, I was thinking about all the ways I’d already fucked things up, and how making a move now, after telling her we could share a bed without any concerns, would be slimy.
Not to mention I’d be guaranteed sleeping on the couch for the rest of the time we were here.
She glanced my way while she straightened the comforter around her and found me watching her.
Her soft hand touched my biceps.
“Do you need anything? More pain medication? How’s your bandage?”
“My bandage is still in place, so I think it should be fine until morning. And I found some ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet, so I took four.”
“Just make sure you’re alternating that with acetaminophen. You don’t want to take too much. It’ll wreak havoc on your stomach if you take too much for too long.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you always in nurse mode?”
She countered with, “Can you just shut off being a cop?”
“I’m going to try really hard while we’re here, where everyone is a stranger.
It’s different when I’m in Haven Springs.
People know me, so even if I’m in jeans and a t-shirt, they have an expectation that I’ll keep the peace if something happens.
Or that I’ll still arrest them if they break the law.
I mean, people on the road see me in my Silverado, and immediately slow down, like I’m going to pull them over in my personal vehicle when I’m in my gym clothes. ”
“I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll bet that can get exhausting.”
She slid down the mattress, then rolled to her side with her head in her hand, her elbow bent. The way her other arm laid on the bed in front of her caused her tits to mash together.
I had to force myself not to stare. Or imagine my face buried in her cleavage.
“I’m sure you have stuff like that happen to you all the time. People stop you and tell you their symptoms and want you to diagnose them.”
“I think it’d be worse, though, if I could prescribe meds, but I guess I’ve had my fair share of, “Hey, can you look at this,” when I’m at the post office or Lainey’s bakery.”
“Ms. Myrtle stopped me at the grocery store last week and demanded I arrest Ms. Blanche for stealing her cookie recipe.”
She laughed out loud. “What’d you tell her?”
“I told her that it sounded like a civil matter, and she should call her attorney.”
“Just think,” she said wistfully as she snuggled under the covers. “We get to spend the next ten days not worrying about running into anyone we know.”
“I can’t wait. What do you want to do tomorrow?”
“I think we should get up and go to the store for groceries, then come back here and be a pair of beach bums for the rest of the day. Then, we’ll see if we feel like going out to dinner or eating in. No schedule.”
“Sounds like a perfect day.”
With the perfect girl.
Maybe I’d figure out a way to make a move tomorrow.
“Well, goodnight then.” She reached over and switched off the lamp on the nightstand next to her.
“Goodnight,” I replied as I did the same and the room went dark. I rolled on my side and faced the wall. If I looked at her back, it would be too tempting to pull her into my arms.
Tonight, I needed to be on high alert and not cross that imaginary line dividing the bed.
I hadn’t even considered what I’d do if she was the one who went over the invisible boundary.
~~~~
The room was still dark when something pulled me from my slumber. For a few seconds I couldn’t make sense of it—the shift of the mattress, a warm body pressing against me. My head cleared enough to realize Jade was draped across my chest and a sense of dread immediately overcame me.
Shit, I’d done it again. Moved to the middle uninvited.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust and my brain to fully catch up, then I realized I wasn’t in the middle. I was still on my side of the bed.
It was Jade who’d moved.
She was straddling my hips with her upper body sprawled against my chest, and her blonde hair spilling over my shoulder.
For a beat I thought I must be dreaming, but the steady warmth of her against me said otherwise.
Surprise flickered through me, chased fast by confusion.
She had to be dreaming again—why else would she climb on top of me like this?
I stayed still, every muscle tense, afraid that if I moved I’d wake her.
Her lips skimmed my neck as her hips rocked against my hard dick. I told myself not to move, not to react, but my arms betrayed me. I pulled her close, just for a moment, letting myself feel how good she fit against me before the guilt settled back in.
It overrode everything else, and I forced myself to softly shake her shoulder and whisper, “Jade, honey. Wake up. You’re dreaming.”
I was not expecting her to immediately reply, “I’m not dreaming, Brian,” while her fingers slid through my hair, and she pressed soft kisses against my throat. “I’m wide awake.”
I’m sorry—what?
I slipped my hands to her waist, regret twisting through me as I lifted her off my lap and set her gently beside me. The loss of her warmth was immediate, but I forced myself to swing my legs off the bed and flick on the lamp.
The light felt harsh after the dark, and so did the words I knew I had to say.
“Jade…” My voice came out rough. “You don’t want this with me. I’m not boyfriend material.”
She propped herself on an elbow with her blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders. Her green eyes were focused on me like she’d been expecting my response. “Why not?”
“Because I’ll screw it up.” I raked a hand through my hair then met her eyes. “I’ll put work first, I’ll disappoint you, and one day you’ll look at me and realize you could’ve had better. I’ve already lived that once, and I can’t go through it again. Not with you.”
For a second she was quiet, then her mouth curved—not a smile exactly, but close. “I know.”
That stopped me. “You know?”
She nodded. “Which is why this doesn’t have to be more than what it is. We’re at the beach where no one knows us—sixteen hours away from Haven Springs. It’s summer; we’re on vacation. We can enjoy it while we’re here and then… leave it here.”
Her voice softened as she added, “No expectations. No strings. Just us in the moment.”
I should’ve told her no. I should’ve walked away before I ruined any chance of something with her in the future. But looking at her sprawled across the bed with her messy bedhead hair, every ounce of willpower I had burned to ash. Because even if this was only for ten days, I wanted it.
I wanted her.
And I already knew I was going to regret letting her go when it ended.