Page 66 of One Chance to Stay
“I was going to be the big spoon this?—”
“I said what I said.”
No arguments from me. It might be a new experience, but having a burly man wrapped around me? I didn’t mind thesecurity while he held me in place. I rolled over, trying to hide the eagerness. Before I could push back, his arm grabbed me by the waist, pulling me into place. By the stiffness pressed against my back, it seemed as if Seamus liked it, too.
Sex could wait. I wanted to revel in our version ofthis.
He kissed the back of my head before settling into place. The room grew quiet, and I listened to every lung-filling inhale he took. I covered his arm with mine and settled in for the night. We’d deal with the wayward glances from Evelyn in the morning.
He mumbled. “I’m still not writing a reference letter.”
I had almost called him a softy. No, Seamus remained a grump, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The bed moved.
I woke from a dream involving vampires and hunting frogs. I’d need to dissect the meaning later, but right now, I wanted to see what happened to my human furnace. As I opened my eyes, the light had barely started its job of chasing away the night.
When I rolled over, Seamus was in the middle of tying the laces of his boots. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I realized they were much like him, aged, worn, and still filled with purpose. I propped myself up on my elbows.
“I was going to let you sleep in.”
Sleep in? I cleared my throat. I might be functional, but if I closed my eyes, I’d be asleep in seconds.
“It’s still dark. That’s not sleeping in. That’s called sleep.”
He pulled his jacket off the knob and stopped moving. Even through heavy lids, I could see the intensity of the look. The previous times we spent the night together, did he watch as Islept? I couldn’t imagine the sight of me snoring while I drooled on my pillow did anything but make him question his life choices.
“You can stay.”
He shook his head. “I have chores.”
“Chores can wait.” Yes, I pleaded with him.
“The deer say otherwise.”
How could I compete with Bambi? As much as I wanted to drag him back into bed and fall asleep, I found this particular chore endearing.
“We’ll see if they appreciate your gift.”
Knowing that I’d be part of his morning ritual made me smile. It’d be worth getting up early, and putting on sweats and a hoodie, and standing in the cold. Did he have names for them? Did he convince them to eat from his hands by using that stern voice? It changed my opinion of him.
I wouldn’t let him go that easily. “Want to hang out later?”
“Like a date?”
I couldn’t shrug in this position, but tried anyway. The question felt foolish, as if I were in middle school asking out one of the girls on the soccer team. Would he even understand if I asked for a Netflix and Chill night?
“Yeah. A date.”
He nodded. That’s it? Two versions of Seamus existed. Before coffee, I’d be dealing with the silent one.
“What?” he asked.
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Come by the house tomorrow?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like a date?”
