Page 21 of Into the Shadows

I chuckle. “How do you know I'm not faking my poker face?”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You think after all the time I was in the Special Forces, I wouldn't be able to tell when somebody's lying to me?”

I shrug. “I guess we're going to find out.”

He narrows his eyes at me, trying to read my mind. I just grin at him.

The next round of gin rummy passes, and I tighten my muscles to stay still. Oh, I am so going to win this game. Once Teddy takes his turn, I lay down my cards. “Read ‘em and weep, baby.” I cackle.

Teddy scrunches his eyebrows, looking between his cards and mine. “How is that possible?”

I finally wiggle my body around in a happy dance. “It's called a poker face, man.”

Teddy rolls his eyes and throws his cards on the table. “Eh, whatever.”

I gather the cards and work to shuffle them together.

“Looks like this is going to get worse before it gets better,” Teddy says, looking at his phone.

I grimace. It’s almost eleven. Even if the rain lets up soon, I wouldn't want to drive home this late.

“I only have one bedroom, so you can take it. I'll sleep on the couch.”

I look at the couch in suspicion. “You're going to be even more surly in the morning if you sleep on that thing.”

Teddy looks affronted. “I’m not surly just because I don't smile every two seconds like you do.”

I just smirk at him, and he rolls his eyes.

“Fine. We can share the bed. It's a king anyway.”

“We can build a pillow wall between us if it would make you feel better,” I say with condescension.

“You're a pain in my ass.” He stands up from the couch, keeping his hand on the armrest to steady his balance. I tilt my head at the odd movement but don't say anything. With alimp in his gait, he walks toward what I assume is his bedroom. He looks over his shoulder. “You coming?”

Nerves flutter in my belly. It was easy to tease him about his sensibilities, but now this is happening. I leave the card deck on the table and follow him down the hallway. His bedroom is even more sparse than the living room.

His bed sits on a frame but doesn’t have a headboard, and the tall dresser sits opposite it. Two doors line the other side of the room; I'm assuming one goes to a closet and the other to a bathroom.

“There's a clean toothbrush in the drawer.”

“Thanks,” I say, making my way into the bathroom he just walked out of. I quickly brush my teeth and borrow Teddy’s comb to detangle my now-dry hair. I’d love to wash my face, but I’m not about to use a mysterious bar of soap in a man’s bathroom.

When I’m done, Teddy's already under the covers. I hit the lights and then make my way to the other side of the bed.

My limbs are awkward as I get in and attempt to get comfortable. I don’t typically sleep in pants, but I highly doubt Teddy would appreciate it if I took them off. He also adjusts several times before finally lying still.

“Why is this so weird?” I whisper.

Teddy grunts out a laugh. “Because we're basically strangers.”

I tilt my head in agreement, even though he can't see it. While he’s not wrong, he doesn’t feel like a stranger to me.

A question plagues me, and in the darkness, I finally find the courage to ask. “Why didn’t you email me back?”

Chapter 13

Teddy

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