Page 62 of Away With You
She does as she’s told, nibbling on a large chocolate chip biscuit like a cute little chipmunk.Does she do anything that isn’t adorable?
“Listen,” I say when she’s finished one biscuit and is on to the next (She loves sweet things, I make a mental note). “It’s no big deal. Knowing Victoria as I do, she won’t want to share that bit of information with anyone. She would die before admitting she wasn’t someone’s number one and only choice. My guess is that conversation will fester inside her but will go no further.”
Katie’s shoulders relax down from around her ears. “I also called her Vicky,” she admits with a sheepish smile.
My heart swells. This woman is so composed, so elegant and measured, and yet she went into bat for me. When push came to shove, she stood up for me against people who have no reason toattack me, and yet they still do. She cares for me more than any of them.
“She would have hated that. It’s amazing!”
Her face lights with a small but genuine smile, and I sense I’ve talked her off the edge. Meanwhile, her words are still playing havoc with my mind.Always been mine.I take a second to stare at her now, sitting on our small couch with the star-studded night sky as her background, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe her words are true.
?·?·?
“The bathroom’s free.”
I turn from where I’ve been pacing our outside deck. After our welcome dinner debrief session, Katie had been swaying on her feet. Even though there is only a three-hour time difference between here and home, it’s enough to sneak up on a person and knock them over. Add that to the long day of travel and the emotional punch that was meeting my family, and she needs her sleep. And so, I’d offered her first use of the bathroom and had taken myself as far away from the sounds of the rainfall shower and the idea of that woman in there under it. Far away from the temptation, that is Katie.
“Thanks.”
My gaze takes a trip over her slight form. She’s backlit by the bright lights inside the bungalow, so I can’t see much more than her silhouette. Wearing a demure pyjama set—a pair of pale pink silk shorts and matching silk shirt—she’s perfect. The material caresses her curves, while her hair flows down over her shoulders, framing her face. I swallow hard and look up, down, and then anywhere but her.
“I’ll just jump in the shower, then,” I tell her, my voice gruff, my words strangled.How am I going to sleep in a bed next to her? Looking like that?
“Okay.”
I march past her, inhaling her delicate scent, and continue on like a man with a mission. Once inside the bathroom, I close the door with an emphatic thump and bang my head against it.
“Pull it together, man,” I mutter under my breath. “She’s doing you a favour. She doesn’t need you salivating at the sight of her.”
I nod at my reflection and rush to take a cold, cold shower. Once my body and my mind are back on the same page—the page written by a gentleman and not the caveman who wants to devour that woman out there—I pull on a pair of shorts and, at the last minute, a t-shirt as well. At home, I sleep in my boxers, but here with only one bed for the two of us, that is absolutely not appropriate.
“All good?” Katie asks as I leave the bathroom in a cloud of good intentions.
She’s tucked into bed with the thin white duvet pulled up under her chin, so only her face is visible. Even her neck is covered.
“Kitty Kat.” I take one step towards her and stop. “If you’re not comfortable sleeping in the same bed, I can sleep over there.”
She looks over at the tiny, one-point-five-seater couch and back at me. “That thing isn’t big enough to fit your head.”
A chuckle escapes me, and I step in closer. “Did you just say I have a big head?”
Her cheeks heat, and yet her smile is cheeky. “I mean, in the egotistical sense? Then, perhaps? But anatomically speaking?” Her whiskey eyes sparkle as they trace over me. “It’s just right.”
My chest puffs under her praise. “Thank you. But the offer is still there. If you aren’t comfortable sharing a bed with me and my perfectly proportioned head, I’ll sleep there. No worries.”
She bites down on her bottom lip, and I stifle a groan. I want to bite that lip.
Wow, didn’t take long for that cold shower to wear off.
“It’s fine, Nathan.” She pats the bed next to her. “I trust you.”
My heart pinches. She trusts me. I need to get my body, and my thoughts, and all these feelings under control. Katie is here as a favour to me. I cannot take advantage of that. No matter how much I want her.
“Right. Good.” I settle in next to her, hugging the edge of the bed to get away from her scent. “Well then, I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nods and rolls to face away from me. I blow out a breath, running my hand over my face, before turning off the light and closing my eyes. A sigh escapes me; there’s no way I’m going to fall asleep in this bed with her in it. It’s going to be a long night.
Several minutes (hours?) later, my mind floats into consciousness.Huh. I fell asleep.I blink awake and see it. Feel it. Her. Katie. All over me. Every inch of her body is pressed against mine. At some point during the night, she must have migrated over to me and is now lying on her side, her leg hooked over mine, her arm wrapped around my waist and her head resting against my chest. She’s so close, I’m wearing her hair—all her lovely hair—as a blanket, and it's the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. Holding Katie here in my arms is incredible.
