But I was torn. I was just as afraid of not being able to behave as he was, but there was no way I could let him sleep on the sofa. It was way too short for his six-foot something frame, and he’d paid a gazillion dollars for this suite.
Yes, I’d checked to see what exactly my prize was worth when I considered if I could ditch it or not. So the man was not paying five-figures to sleep on anything but a bed.
“Use that bedding to make a Great Wall of China in the center of the mattress. You’re not sleeping on the couch.” I pivoted toward the bathroom. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”
“Emerson…”
“Full disclosure two,” I said, digging out what I needed to change into and hoping my nightshirt wasn’t too ratty or revealing. “Don’t make me mad. You wouldn’t like me when I’m mad.”
“Okay, Hulk.”
“Glad to see you like old TV shows as much as I do.”
“Likemight not be the term I’d use. Stuck at my grandparents’ cabin with no cable and a bunch of old VCR tapes is more like it.”
I laughed. “Not even DVDs? The inhumanity.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Build the wall, McGuiver,” I instructed, nodding toward the bed.
“I liked him,” he called after me as I shut the bathroom door.
When I returned a few minutes later, Fray stood beside the bed. “I didn’t know which side you’d want.”
“Doesn’t matter. I doubt I’ll sleep much.”
“Look, I can still—”
“It’s the water. We’ve made it out to open sea, a bit away from the shoreline. Can’t you feel the difference?” Seriously, we’d gone from a gentle almost imperceptible rocking I could ignore to a genuine sway that felt as if we were making up and down figure eights through the water.
“Are you okay?” he asked urgently.
“I took Dramamine, earlier,” I assured him. Motion sickness wasn’t my problem. It was the insidious reminder we were on the water. Deep, deep water.
“I’ll just take this side,” I said quickly as I surged toward the nearest edge. My legs were beginning to feel like rubber because I was so unaccustomed to the sensation of being on the ocean.
Quickly, I burrowed beneath the covers, my back to the beautiful temptation sharing the bed with me. I heard him sigh then felt him climb into the bed, the blankets shifting a little despite the “wall” between us. My hand fisted in my pillow. More than anything, I wanted him to toss the barrier to the ground and pull me into his arms. Somehow, I knew his embrace would make me feel safe instead of completely at sea.
* * * *
Mmm…my pillow felt nice beneath my cheek. Warm, soft…yet firm…and it smelled so—
Holy crap! My eyes flew open then widened even more at the sight of the hard pec right in front of my face.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. How did I…? What did I…? Oh my God!
Fray’s arms tightened around me. My first thought wasWow, his armsdofeel good.The second wasFray’s arms are around me! Help!
I did need assistance because right now, I never wanted to move. And that could be a problem.
“Good morning,” he murmured into my hair then kissed the top of my head.
“Um, okay. How did I end up here? Where’s the other bedding?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Not complaining.”
He rolled me onto my back, coming partially over me, then pressed his lips to mine, devouring my mouth while I melted. My arms circled his shoulders while I kissed him back with equal fervor. When I turned, throwing a leg over him in an attempt to get closer, he pulled back. Damn, his gentlemanly ways. I knew he wanted to let loose. I felt it almost as strongly as I felt my own need. And it should scare me since I’d never gone that far with someone I barely knew, but it didn’t. With Fray, my fear molecule just didn’t seem to exist.