Page 108 of Off Limits

“Do you want to go home early?”

I shook my head. “I need to stay busy and be around people so I don’t get lost in my head.”

“I’ll make sure Cass doesn’t schedule you for anything too involved for the rest of your shift.”

“Thanks.”

Dev understood I processed things better when I didn’t actively think about them and let the thoughts percolate in the back of my mind while I focused on other things. He also knewI’d never put myself, or anyone else, in danger by working if I was too distracted to do it safely.

“How about you take a minute and go out whenever you’re ready?” he suggested. “I’ve got some paperwork to do, but I’m right here if you need to talk more.”

I huffed out a laugh. “Thanks, but I’m pretty sure I’m all talked out. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

“Take your time.” He tapped on the touchpad of his laptop to wake it up.

I settled in the chair and listened to the rhythmic click of his laptop keys as he went back to work.

I had no idea what the fuck I was going to do about my inconvenient feelings, but now that I’d had a chance to sit with them, they didn’t freak me out as much as when I first realized the truth.

22

DEX

“Better?”I asked, wrapping a towel around Asa’s shoulders.

He nodded. “Is it just me, or is it getting colder in the apartment? I was freezing last night.”

“It’s not you.” I grabbed a towel for myself and started to dry off.

“Hopefully this cold snap passes.”

“We should do our next show in front of the fireplace.”

“Like in there with it on for warmth, or with the fireplace behind us?” He shot me a questioning look as he pulled the towel from around his shoulders and started to dry off.

“Either one. But it might be nice to have it in the background. Change things up and make sure you don’t freeze your ass off when I’m not on top of you.”

He snorted out a little laugh and hung his towel up next to mine. “My frozen ass appreciates that.”

“Was your room really that cold last night?” I asked as we pulled on our clothes. “Mine was cool, but I’m not the best judge, considering I’m a human heat source when I sleep.”

“And I’m the opposite.” He shot me a wry grin and pulled on a hoodie. “I’m always cold.”

“Was it bad last night?” I asked again. I didn’t like the idea of him being cold.

“Yeah, but not unbearable. I think it’s because I don’t have a door. It keeps the air circulating so none of the heat gets trapped in my room like it does in yours.”

“Sleeping on that cot probably isn’t helping. It’s closer to the floor.”

I ordered him a cot from a furniture store that catered to students and minimalists a few weeks ago because I hated that he was sleeping on an inflatable mattress. It was an improvement, but it wasn’t ideal. The room was too small to put a real bed in it without having to take out either the bookshelf or the dresser, and the lack of a door was becoming more of an issue.

“It’s better than the camping mattress. I’ll just put on more layers.”

“Do you want to sleep in my room?” I asked impulsively.

He froze while pulling his socks on but recovered quickly. “You want me to?”

We hadn’t slept together since that night a few weeks ago, and that was entirely because I was afraid to, not because I didn’t want to. Sleeping in the same bed had shaken something loose inside me, and my crush had turned into a full-blown infatuation.

---