Page 36 of What if I Told You

“Okay, come on.” He takes my hand and turns to lead me to his room but I stop him. “Wait. What about the mess? Don’t you want to clean up the broken glass?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not going anywhere. It’ll still be there to clean up in the morning. And if some of the aftershocks are sizable, I don’t want to have to clean it up twice.”

Fair point.

“Alright.”

August leads me to his room where a king-sized bed covered in cream-colored sheets and a light tan colored duvet acts as the focal point. The lamp connected to the wall next to his bed gives the space a warm glow that contrasts with the cool temperature. August clearly likes to sleep in Alaska given how cold it is in here.

“Dang, Auggie. Why do you sleep in an ice box?”

“It’s not that bad,” he says with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. I promise you’ll be warm enough. I’m a living furnace.”

He turns around with a smile on his face but the moment his eyes land on me his expression changes. My eyes bulge in response and I turn quickly to glance behind me wondering what he’s looking at.

“What?”

“Ella what…” He shakes his head and grasps the back of his neck. Clearing his throat he asks, “What are you wearing?”

I look down at my outfit quickly having forgotten completely that I changed into my favorite sexy sleep set before going to bed.

“Pajamas.”

“Those are…not…pajamas,” he tells me, his voice strangled. “You can’t sleep in that.”

“Why not? You’re sleeping like that.” I gesture to a half-naked August standing in the middle of his bedroom wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs. And yes, for the record, his body is fire but I can’t focus on that right now no matter how much I want to. “Look at you. You’re literally in your underwear.”

“As are you.”

“So, we’re even then. And anyway, I’m still dressed more than you.”

He gestures to my body. “Yeah, but you can’t?—"

“Why?”

“Because…”

“Because why, Auggie?” A hand on my hip, I tilt my head and scowl. “Is it because I look fucking hot?”

He doesn’t answer.

But he also can’t seem to look away.

“I mean, I don’t see the problem here,” I tell him, smoothing my hand down my side making sure to put on a show for him. I even push my breasts up with my hands causing him to step back. “I mean I know my nipples are poking through the material because you keep it cold as fuck in here but you made it clear just hours ago that these tits don’t turn you on because what did you call me? Oh, that’s right…just Ella.”

“Ella, you know I didn’t?—”

“So, I am absolutely sleeping in this because I look fucking amazing and it makes mefeelgood and you…” I say, poking my finger against his rock-solid chest. “You are not going to say one fucking word.”

Knowing he’s not going to win this battle because I’m in my power clothes, he relents with a sigh. “Fine.”

“Fine. Yeah.” I nod with him. “Okay then.” Without asking what side of the bed he sleeps on I step over to the far side and pull back the comforter freezing in place when I spot something next to his pillow that I recognize.

Is that what I think it is?

He still has it?

In his bed?

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