My place was kind of sparse, probably lacking in a woman’s eyes. Interior decoration wasn’t exactly my forte, but I didn’t give enough of a fuck to hire someone to make this place shine.
Eileen and my mom had given me lists of all the crap I’d need when I moved in. I’d handed that to Derek who’d handed it onto someone else and one day, I’d had a hugeass delivery from one of the top end department stores.
Problem solved.
I’d have probably asked my mom for help with the furniture too but, for whatever reason, she refused to leave Florida so I’d strong-armed Eileen into that too.
It had never bothered me before, but now?
I did wonder what Jessica’s reaction would be in the morning. Would she be disappointed? Would she be cutting about the serious lack of a homey-vibe. It wasn’t the first time she’d been in the apartment, but it was the first time she’d been in here.
And over the years, Eileen had bought me stuff to make the place less of a bachelor pad. I had flowers in vases of all things, and I knew she had some secret underhand deal with one of the cleaners to make sure those flowers were changed—even if, some weeks, I barely came home.
But my bedroom was pretty much a blank canvas.
I looked around the space and grimaced as I dumped more of my clothes on the chair, knowing my cleaner, Lena, would pick them up, launder and sort them for me after.
Bland and white.
Sighing, I decided not to worry about it. Then, as that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had been worried about it. A notion that astonished me.
When had I worried over anything but Avalon’s stock prices or the portfolio or an HR issue or… A thousand other things that came hand in hand with running a company of Avalon’s size?
Uncertain about whether I should be concerned or not over this sudden attack of the interior design nerves, I shrugged it off as pointless because it wasn’t like there was a damn thing I could do about it now, was there?
That in mind, I climbed into bed. Then, I laid there, and wondered if she’d fallen into the bath or something because she was still in the bathroom.
Before I could get overly concerned, the door opened.
The fan sounded until she switched off the light, and she shuffled in, only visible through the faint lights from the city through the windows. I saw her eyes were pretty much glued together and had to laughingly ask, “Did you fall asleep on the toilet, baby?”
Her nod was slight and I knew she was still half-asleep. Still shuffling, I grabbed her hand as she neared the bed and carefully guided her onto the mattress, moving over to the other side so she could climb on.
Her long slender legs gleamed like cream silk and my palms itched with the need to caress them, but she was more than half asleep still and I was stifling laughter at the image of her on the porcelain crown, drifting off to the Land of Nod.
She immediately curled up beside me, her nose smushing into my arm and her leg coming to rest on my thigh. Though I tensed at first, surprised by her comfort level with me, I blew out a happy sigh at her proximity.
When I’d thought tonight through, I’d expected a lot more complaining on her behalf, a lot more enticing on mine.
I’d even expected her to end up in my guest room, if I were being honest. Her agreeing, if not entirely, with my plan.
But to have her here? It was heaven.
Though I knew my cock was starting up a hate petition against me, I didn’t care. And if I hadn’t known how head over heels I was for this woman, that was the major clue, because when hadn’t it been about sex with me?
When had it been about having a woman spend the actual night with me?
Asleep.
No sex.
I’d never wanted to share my bed with anyone before. Preferring to spend the night at theirs and then head out to my place afterward. It was easier that way, fewer messy goodbyes.
That wasn’t to say it hadn’t happened in all my thirty-eight years. But their octopus-like legs and clinging vines for arms had only made me feel claustrophobic and more determined than ever to never spend the night here in my own personal space.
With Jessica?
Shit, I felt like she couldn’t get close enough.