Purr.
“Hey.” He pulled the glasses off his nose. “Late night?”
“Your sister needed a repair in her apartment, so I stopped by to help.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” His mouth compressed into a flat line.
“I didn’t mind. When I wouldn’t accept payment, she took me out for champagne.”
His eyebrows jumped. “Yeah? How’d that go?”
She leaned against his doorway. “It was great, actually. I think she’s lonely. But I’m sure it won’t be long before she makes friends around here.”
“If she stays.” He put his bookmark into the book and tossed it onto the nightstand along with his glasses. “Once I’m gone, she will shadow my every footfall, mark my words. I’m glad she was nice to you.”
Reagan chose to ignore the idea that Brody would be gone and Jaylyn would follow. “We talked about what it was like for you all growing up. The ideas she has for jewelry designs. I encouraged her. I believe she could have a successful business selling her creations. She’s so talented.”
His mouth softened into a smile. “I know she loved hearing that. She’s the most artistic Crane I know.”
“I don’t know about that.” Reagan meandered into the room, her purse on her shoulder, and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re a great writer.”
“So the world says.”
“So I say.” Unable to help herself, she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. His hand cupping her jaw, he held her there. He was warm and he smelled good, and she was so damn tired. Crawling in next to him and going to sleep sounded perfect.
“I have to pack,” she whispered.
“Do it in the morning.”
“Our flight is at eight. That puts us needing to leave for O’Hare around five thirty in the morning. Who knows what I’ll pack at that ungodly hour? I’m an early bird but the idea of waking up at four thirty is terrifying.”
“I can reschedule the flight.”
She shook her head as he reached for his phone. “There’s no sense in pushing our flight. I can make it work. Besides, I’m sure there are fees and?—”
“Done.” He tossed the phone aside. “I texted the pilot to let him know we’ll be leaving at ten. Now you can sleep in. Why don’t you climb into bed with me and see what happens?”
“You texted the pilot?”
“I did.”
She slowly came to the realization that the flight they were taking was of the private-jet variety. She kept forgetting: billionaire. “And I know exactly what will happen if I climb into bed with you. I will fall asleep and take up the majority of your precious mattress real estate.”
Plus, not sharing a bed had been an unspoken boundary line between them.
“I don’t mind. Do you?”
“It’s not that I mind…” She sent a longing gaze toward the doorway.
“It’s that we haven’t done it yet,” he pointed out.
“Right.”
He moved her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “And that feels like a big deal to you?”
She thought about his question. Really thought about it. Did it feel like a big deal? She was used to being skin to skin with him during the most intimate act ever. Arguably the biggest deal between them had been meeting his siblings—Jaylyn had said so herself.
“I guess it’s not. I’m just fixated on making this very, very different from when I lived with Dustin.”