“You didn’t have to do that.” I break the silence.
Megan straightens up and whirls around with a startled squeal at the sound of my voice. I immediately regret not letting her know I’d come into the room. Opening my mouth to apologize, the words die on my tongue as Megan’s eyes roam down my body, lingering on where the towel is hanging low on my naked hips.
Her eyes move quickly, taking me all in, before darting back up to my face. Her cheeks are stained a dark red, and she gulps and averts her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get out of your way so you can dress.”
Anyone else, and I might have dropped the towel, but not with Meg. I clutch the fabric in front of my junk because the way she is looking at me is doing things to my head. The wrong head.
I step aside as she hurries out of the room. She tries to surreptitiously get another eyeful, but I’m on to her.
When she rushes down the hallway like her ass is on fire, any heat I felt at the way she was looking at me deflates.
Scrubbing a hand over my head, I walk to the bedside and reach for my phone. There are a few messages, but I’m shocked at what time it is. How the hell did I not notice it’s after eleven PM?
“Jesus,” I mutter. She’s been here the whole day?
I hear her noises out in the living space and know what she is doing. Fuck that. Tossing the towel, I grab the first pair of shorts I can get my hands on, stepping into them quickly and moving down the hall. I feel a little lightheaded, but I’ll be damned if I let her leave now.
I’m right, she’s got her sneakers on and is slipping into her coat as she moves towards the front door.
“Megan.” I hold up my hands because Jesus fuck I made her jump again. “You can’t leave.”
Her brow furrows and her hands clasp together. Right in front of me though, she shakes off whatever thoughts my words elicited. I’m fucking up all over the place here.
“I mean, it’s late, Meg. Like really late, I’d prefer you didn’t try to get back to Manhattan now.”
“I’ll be fine,” she says softly. “You still need rest.”
“How are you planning on getting home?” I cross my arms.
Her eyes are everywhere but on me. I should have grabbed a t-shirt, but how I look right now is the least of my worries. Is she going to just walk out of here and grab a cab, or worse, take the subway?
I’m suddenly furious at her.
How can she put herself at risk like that, just because she saw me in a towel?
“I’ll Uber,” she waves her phone in my direction, still not looking at me.
“You are not taking a cab home.”
“Well, you’re in no state to drive me,” she fidgets with her earlobe, staring at a point on the floor in front of where I’m standing.
“Megan.”
I move closer to her, but still keep some distance between us. She’s like a terrified rabbit, ready to dart away at the slightest movement. It breaks my damn heart.
“Did you miss work today?”
She chews on her bottom lip again as her eyes meet mine. “I didn’t want to leave you alone,” she says eventually, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands are twisting in the sleeves of her jacket.
I hate she feels this nervous around me.
“Please, don’t go?”
“It’s late.”
“And I have two guest rooms you can choose from. I can’t drive you home. I don’t want you taking a cab this late. Please just stay,I’ll only worry about you and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to spend my entire night worrying,” I cough to emphasize the point.