Page 72 of Alive At Night

Julian lowered his hand, and with my attention entirely on him for the first time since leaving the bathroom, I suddenly realized that all his muscles were on display, along with his golden, slightly freckled skin.

“You’re not wearing a shirt.”

Julian had been in the middle of appraising my pajamas—a cute, striped set of pants and a short-sleeved top—when his gaze flicked up to mine. “I never wear a shirt to bed.”

“But we’re…eating.” I gestured to the pile of trays on the bed that must have arrived while I was in the shower. And now that I could smell it,fuck, I was hungry.

“And then going to bed.” He raised a brow. “Didn’t realize you were afraid of a little bare skin, Rosie.”

Damn him for using words from that night in the garage. Bristling, I walked around to my side of the bed and sat on the edge of it. “I’m not.”

“Then why are you perched on the bed like you were the other day on your desk?” I could hear the slight humor in his voice. “I don’t bite, remember?”

Wordlessly, I scooted closer to Julian so my whole body was on the bed. But there was still a good distance between us as I crossed my legs and tucked my feet under my body.

“Feeling better after your shower?” Julian asked as though he wasn’t the exact reason why I’d disappeared into the bathroom, why I’d stayed there so long, and why I already wanted to go back. He busied himself with uncovering each plate of food while he waited for my response.

“Yeah, I am.”

Or at least I had felt better until I realized Julian was half-naked.

He put my dinner in front of me—a pasta dish with grilled chicken that made my mouth water. “You sure were in there a long time,” he said.

I shrugged. “Well, I had to ensure I washed all my perfume off so it doesn’t suffocate you tonight.”

He laughed, but it was humorless. “Your perfume is the least of my worries at the moment.”

“What are you worried about?”

“That you eat.” He shoved a fork into my hand. “Eat, Daisy.”

I ate.

But only because my hunger was finally showing.

Not because of Bossy Julian.

He turned on the TV while we ate, but we weren’t really paying attention to the sitcom reruns that cycled through. It was just background noise filling the silence that hung between us. Julian must have been trying his best to ignore me because when he finally glanced my way and said something, he sounded surprised. “You ate your whole plate.”

I nodded, suddenly a little embarrassed that I’d wolfed my food down.

Julian’s lips pressed into a small smile as he reached to clear my empty plate for me. “Good girl.”

Something warm unfurled inside me as I slipped under the covers. This was ridiculous. I shouldn’t need encouragement and praise just to eat a goddamn meal. I shouldn’t have needed anyone to come with me this weekend at all.

But I was relieved not to be alone. And as bummed as I was when Noah had texted me that he couldn’t make it, I was shockingly glad Julian was here with me instead. Even though he did it in a bossy and overbearing way, he was good at ensuring people were taken care of. He’d been doing it his whole life—as a brother, son, captain.

Julian cleared the rest of the plates before disappearing into the bathroom. When he returned, he got beneath the covers—the same covers I was beneath—and turned off the lights.

My heartbeat immediately tripled. The darkness of the room closed in around me, pulsing. I couldfeelJulian’s heat radiating toward me beneath the sheets and comforter.

The likelihood that I’d sleep tonight was slim to none. The memories of waking up in Julian’s arms a few weeks ago, combined with our current scenario, paralyzed me with emotions I didn’t dare unpack.

I didn’t know how many minutes—or even hours—had gone by while I lay awake before Julian exhaled loudly. The covers rustled as he readjusted himself.

“Come here, Juniper.”

I winced, wondering if my tossing and turning had been louder than I realized. “I’m sorry if I’m keeping you up, but—”

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