Page 401 of Dark Love

More like a little… or a lot of both!

Did I really just invite him to stay for a while? I should go change. Just the thought of changing makes my entire body spasm with pain. That’s out of the question. I could brush my hair.

Wait. What are we going to do?

Ideally, I’d binge a cheesy rom-com and then read a few books off my TBR list. But I can’t exactly offer him one of my books to read. Does Vex even read?

He’s got to be able to read. The club doesn’t just run itself.

A business that complex requires some reading, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys reading. The half-dozen books scattered around my nightstand give away my love of reading.

Will that bother him?

I’m overthinking this. You overthink everything, which is why you’re always working to the last minute of your deadline.

Ugh. I flop back against the pillows.

The pillows!

Vex is going to be lying on my bed in a few minutes.

I spring up.

What do I do?

Should I recommend we sit on the couch downstairs?

That seems silly. I literally laid in his bed with him for days.

But Vex doesn’t have any jammies.

He needs a blanket to lie on.

Something soft. He likes a weighted blanket. I don’t have any of those. Maybe I could order one.

Before he gets upstairs with a glass of milk?

This shouldn’t be that hard. I climb out of bed. All I need is a blanket. Something that doesn’t scream a girl lives here. Even though that’s exactly what I am.

On my way over to the chest, I shrug out of my robe. It’s fine to walk around in, but way too hot to wear in bed.

There has to be something.

“What are you doing up?” Vex walks in seemingly seconds later, but really it has been ten minutes according to the bedside clock.

Uh oh. I poke my head above the chest lid. “Um. I’m… Um.” I yank the first non-crocheted blanket out and shut the lid. “Getting you a blanket.”

“Dahl, it’s hot in your house. I don’t need a blanket.”

Hot! “I keep the temperature at a chilly 66.”

“Still don’t need a blanket, Dahl.”

“But you don’t have jammies on. I. um… I… um… didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I... you wear those clothes outside… and it’s my, um… bed. And in bed, people wear jammies.” I just said jammies… twice. I should have called in sick from the airport. Or a hotel. Anywhere that he couldn’t have found me.

“I can grab a chair or sit on the floor.”

“NO!” And now I’m yelling at him. “There’s no need. I’ll just put this on the bed. The way we can cu—” I slap a hand across my mouth and drop the blanket to the floor.