Page 148 of From Best Friend to Bride
I glanced at Deli. She was asleep again, although I couldn’t decide if she was actually sleeping or had merely given in to the alcohol.
One thing I knew was that I was going to have to make sure there was painkillers in the bedside table.
She was going to have a stonker of a headache in the morning.
I drove back to Hawthorne House and carried her inside. It took a bit more juggling than it had the last time I’d done this since I was alone, but I just about managed to get her up to our room without hitting her head on anything.
I lay her on the bed and took off my shoes, then ran my eyes over her body. Did I really have to undress her again?
I didn’t sign up for this.
My cock twitched at the thought of her naked, and I pressed my fingers against my temples.
No.
This wasn’t going to happen.
I was going to put her to sleep here, just like this, then go into her room next door to sleep myself.
“Fred,” Deli muttered, blindly reaching for me. “Help me get changed.”
I groaned. “I think you should—”
She caught my hand and opened her eyes. “Am I that horrible that you don’t even want to see me in my underwear?”
“No.” I perched on the edge of the bed and pushed her hair from her face. “Far from it, Deli.”
“Then why… Why don’t you touch me?” she murmured, her eyes full of sadness. “I kissed you. You froze.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” I laid my hand against the side of her cheek. “You’re too precious to me.”
“But what if I want to?”
“Delilah, you’re drunk. We’re not having this conversation right now.” I unzipped her jumper. “Your face is all red. Get changed.”
“Help me.” She made a horrible attempt at getting her arms out of her jumper, and I had no choice but to step in.
If she were anyone else, I’d think she was faking it.
However, I’d seen her drunk before.
She had the co-ordination of a spider wearing roller-skates. On ice.
I helped her out of her jumper and pulled her shoes off. “I’ll get you some pyjamas.”
“Some sexy ones to help me seduce you.”
She’s going to kill me.
I swallowed and grabbed a decidedly unsexy Care Bears set. “These will work just fine.”
She rolled up to an unstable sitting position and eyed the items in my hand. “Aw, the bear cares aren’t sexy at all.”
“That’s the point.” I wasn’t even going to bother to correct her little ‘bear cares’ slip. She’d just tell me she hadn’t said that, and she was hard enough work right now without me giving her more argument ammunition.
“Silly,” she murmured, pulling her t-shirt over her head. “Ooh, it’s cold.”
I closed my eyes as she unclipped her bra. That was the last thing I needed to see right now—it was taking everything I had to hold myself together.
