Page 102 of Off Limits

“It is, but that’s not a bad thing.” His smile was soft and affectionate. “I like it. And the indoor/outdoor face thing makes total sense.”

“You want me to sleep in your room?” I asked tentatively. Had I already messed this up with my reaction and tangent?

“Yeah.” He licked his lower lip nervously. “I just…this might sound weird, but I want to sleep with you tonight. Not sex,” he said in a rush. “I don’t mean sleep together like have sex. I mean actually sleep together.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I’ve never shared a bed with anyone, never wanted to. But I want to, with you. Tonight.”

“Okay.” I wanted to slap myself. Okay? That was all I could think of saying. “I mean, yeah, I’d like to.”

He blew out a breath. “That was way harder to talk about than it should have been.”

I chuckled. “So much harder.”

“Do you want to meet me in my room when you’re ready?”

“Yeah. Sure.” I tried not to grin like an idiot and show off just how happy his offer made me.

I’d never even considered sharing a bed with someone, but after the show and what we’d just talked about, I didn’t want to be alone tonight. But it wasn’t just having a body beside me that was so appealing; it was sharing this last level of intimacy with him.

Sex had never been an issue with us, and we were getting better at talking. The real obstacle for us, and especially me, was sharing or showing any sort of physical or emotional intimacy that didn’t have to do with sex or talking.

The only time we were able to share any sort of casual affection was when we watched TV or movies together, and he was always the one who initiated it.

I’d wanted to touch him or cuddle up to him so many times when we were just hanging out together, but I held back because I was too afraid of crossing a line and not only getting rejected, but fucking things up between us. We were finally in a good place, and it was true. He was my best friend, and the last thing I wanted was to mess that up because I couldn’t keep things platonic between us.

I could feel a big smile stretching my lips, and Dex grinned back at me. We sat there for a few beats, smiling at each other like morons, then Dex put his hands on his knees in a telltale sign that he was about to stand up.

“See you in a few?” he asked.

I nodded, not trusting that my voice wouldn’t come out weird.

I waited until he was out of the room, then stood too.

It didn’t take me long to get ready, and Dex was already in bed when I paused in his open door.

“Can you hit the light on your way over?” He pulled the covers back in a clear invitation.

“Yeah, sure.” I flipped the switch and crossed the room.

The room wasn’t completely dark, thanks to the light filtering in through the curtains on his window, and I was able to get to his bed without tripping on anything.

“I have an alarm set for six thirty. Is that enough time for you?” he asked as casually as could be while I felt like my heart was about to gallop out of my chest.

“That’s good.” I put my phone on his nightstand and got into bed with him.

I used to get up around seven for work but switched to getting up at the same time as him since it was impossibleto sleep while he was moving around the apartment in the mornings. I’d gotten used to it, and I actually preferred having the extra time to wake up and not have to worry about traffic like before.

He threw the blankets over me and propped himself up on one elbow. A sexy-as-hell smirk curved his lips as he looked down at me.

I was lying on my back, my arms at my sides, and so tense I probably resembled a two-by-four, or whatever those long pieces of wood for building were called.

“We don’t have to touch if you don’t want to. It’s a big enough bed?—”

“It’s not that,” I cut him off. “I just have no idea what to do. I’ve never done this either.”

He lay back down. “How about you come over here and tell me more about birds being dinosaurs.”

“Really? You want to hear about that?”

“Definitely. I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid, and I feel like what you’re about to tell me is going to shatter everything I thought I knew about them.” He slid one arm over my waist and gave me a little tug. “I’m ready to question everything if you’re ready to share some knowledge.”

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