Page 39 of Second Chance for a Made Man

“Thank you.” It’s a view of the night sky from Mom’s house. “I used to have insomnia when I was a teen, so Dad got someone to paint my room’s ceiling with this exact night sky, so I won’t be tempted to scroll on my phone if I can’t sleep.” As if anything could have gotten my eyes off the skies. Dad knew that, of course.

“Did it help you sleep better?”

I tilt my head, so I can see him from the corner of my eye. He’s still staring at the ceiling. “It did. I would lull myself to sleep by naming each of the stars as fast as I could, I’d even time myself.” I smile, remembering those days. “And when I moved out of my parents’ place, I had the same thing done to my room here.”

“Your dad sounds like a great father.”

“He was.” My smile drops, and I shake my head before my thoughts spiral into memories of him, which inevitably leads to me feeling sad. I clear my throat. “So, um, I’m going to go wash up in my bathroom. You can have it after me.”

I don’t wait for him to respond before scurrying away. I sigh as I get under the warm spray of the shower, careful not to let the water touch my hair. How am I going to sleep in the same bed asEzra and not touch him? Especially when our kiss from earlier is still fresh on my mind?

When I’m out of the shower, I realize that I hadn’t brought a change of clothes. I’m going to have to go in either the dress I just took off…and that’s not going to happen because gross, it smells like food and Mom’s house…or walk out in just a towel.

My heart is racing as I tighten the towel above my chest and slowly peak into the room. He’s lying on his back on the bed, gazing at the stars. I silently leave the bathroom and carefully tiptoe to my closet.

“What are you doing?” Ezra’s question stops me short.

“Nothing. You can use the bathroom now, if you want to.” I clear my throat and continue my journey to the closet where I blow out a loud breath. I rub a hand over my hammering heart. How can he be so unaffected? Damn it. If I hadn’t seen the lust in his eyes earlier in the car, I might think he’s no longer attracted to me.

I put on shorts and am about to throw on a sweatshirt when I pause to study myself in front of the full-length mirror. Have I gotten bigger? My stomach is definitely protruding. I turn this way and that, studying my body from different angles. My boobs are heavier. Sore too. I run my hands over them gently.

The sound of the water coming on in the bathroom breaks my inspection. I quickly pull the sweatshirt on and rush into the bedroom. I climb under the covers and close my eyes. I’ll just pretend I’m asleep until I actually doze off.

To bore myself I try recalling the modern proper names of the constellations alphabetically starting fromAbsolutno–also known as the lynx or XO-5, a constellation so dim that it got its name because people claimed it can only be seen by someone with the eyes of a Lynx–toAchernar, the brightest star in the Eridanus constellation and the ninth brightest star in the night sky.

I’m only onAlioth, a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major and the 31st brightest star in the sky when the shower stops running, and I lose my train of thought.

I squeeze my eyes tight even though they’re already closed. I try not to imagine Ezra’s naked body dripping wet in my bathroom. It doesn’t help that it’s an easy image to conjure up because I’ve seen it all before and have reminisced on it frequently over the past months. Damn it. Think pure thoughts. Where did I stop? Right.Alnitak!Alphard.Alpheka.Alrakis.

The bathroom door swings open, and I hold my breath, listening for his footsteps as he walks into the room, but I can’t hear anything. My chest is starting to hurt from not breathing for so long. I try to quietly exhale, but it sounds so loud in my ears in the otherwise quiet room. Why can’t I hear his footsteps? Isn’t he walking?

I open one eye as discreetly as I can to see him going through his duffel bag. He has a towel tied around his waist. Damn it. Wait, no, it’s a good thing. He can’t walk around naked. That would be inappropriate. I close my eyes and continue counting the stars. Jumping to B since A is taking too long.Barnard’s star.Beemim.Betelgeuse.

The bed suddenly dips as he gets in beside me, and I freeze. “What are you doing?” Ezra asks in a low voice. Is he talking to me? Is he on the phone with someone? “I can tell you’re still awake, Charlie. Are you trying to avoid me?”

Shit. “How did you know?” I ask, opening my eyes and turning to face him.

“Your breathing is uneven. Does this make you nervous? If you’re not comfortable, I don’t mind taking the floor.”

“No! No. You don’t make me nervous at all.” I swallow, trying to meet his gaze, but his face is hidden in shadows.

“Then is it because of the kiss earlier?”

“What? No, of course not.” My voice is squeaky, so I clear my throat. “No,” I try again. “Besides what happened in the car can’t exactly be qualified as akiss.”

“No?” I can hear the amusement in his voice, and I roll my eyes.

“No. Our lips barely grazed. It was a peck. It doesn’t mean anything. Heck, strangers greet each other like in France.”

“Do they now?”

Damn it, is he laughing at me? “Whatever. Good night.”

“Sleep tight, Charlotte.”

Sleep tight, Charlotte. I mimic silently, rolling my eyes as I turn my back to him. I fully expect not to be able to sleep with him next to me, but barely five minutes later, I’m already nodding off.

Hmm,this is nice. I think, shifting to luxuriate in the cocoon of warmth emanating from my back. I blink my eyes open. I’m lying on my side facing the bathroom door. I’ve somehow shifted away from the edge of the bed to the middle; my back is firmly tucked into Ezra’s hard chest. His head is buried in my neck and his breath fans my flesh, making me hyper aware of his very masculine, very large, hard body.

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