“Kayla,” he asked softly, placing a hand on my shoulder, “Would you sleep better if I stayed on the couch?”
He must have seen the relief wash over me. “Yes. I’m sorry, I know it’s too much to ask–”
“I offered. It’s all good.”
Taking my arm, he guided me to the table and sat me down. “It’s a wide, comfy couch. Do you have extra sheets and blankets?”
“Hall cupboard.”
I smiled to myself as I listened to him making up the couch. He really was naturally domestic.
“Now, Gwen has informed me that I snore gently, like a darling kitten. But if it turns into a grizzly bear and wakes you up, just poke me with something sharp.”
I stood up, and I could sense him turn to grab me. “I’m okay,” I said. “Tooth and hair brushing. Slow but steady.”
“Okay. Holler if you need me.”
When I finished in the washroom, I closed my bedroom door for a second, changing into a light tank top, and the baggy silk boy shorts that I usually slept in. Then I realized that I should have said good night before I changed. I hoped that he realized I was going for comfort, not trying to be saucy.
Carefully stepping back out to the living room, I heard a weird noise from the couch. Was that a sharp inhale? Then Liam cleared his throat. “Ready for a big, fabulous sleep?”
“Sure,” I said. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Yeah. Do you?”
“Yes.” I held out my hand for him and was glad that he stood up, pulling me into his arms. Breathing him in, I snuggled against him, completely crossing every line of our polite flirtation.
His hand clasped my lower back as the other stroked my hair. “Brave little one,” he whispered. “It’s going to go completely smoothly tomorrow. The doctor is going to freak out when he sees how wonderfully you’ve healed.”
Reaching up, I ran my hand along the side of his face. “I can’t wait to see you.”
It felt like a shiver ran through him as his jaw, his back, his elbow all twitched for half a second. “I can’t wait to see your eyes,” he whispered. Then his hand cupped the back of my head, holding me to his chest for a very long moment.
His lips brushed the top of my hair. “Sweet dreams,” he murmured. Then Liam released me, and I nodded, unable to speak.
I left my bedroom door open a few inches so that I could hopefully hear him snoring. I knew it would be comforting if I woke up in the night and heard him there.
I was so terrified about tomorrow that I couldn’t sleep. Everything was too tight. I pulled off my shorts, hating the elastic waist. I switched pillows, needing one that I hadn’t heated up. Even in just a tank top and panties, I threw off the blankets. They were rough, somehow.
After tossing and turning, my fingers needing to tear the stupid bandages off, I finally tiptoed out to the living room. Liam was snoring softly.
Knowing that snuggling beside him wasn’t appropriate, I couldn’t help needing it. Reaching down, I felt his bare leg. I hadn’t even thought that he might take his jeans off to sleep.
“Kayla?” he muttered groggily. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t know how to explain that there didn’t have to be something wrong for me to need him.
“Here,” he said, shifting back and pulling me to sit in the center of the couch so that he was laying around me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
His hand instantly began stroking my back, and I already felt a little better. “If you were fine, you’d be in bed asleep. What is it? Are you too nervous about tomorrow?”
“Yes.” It was a double truth. I was completely nervous about the doctor’s appointment and the results of the surgery. But I was also terrified that once Liam was released from his weird nurse status, I’d never see him again. Even though I’d never seen him to begin with.
Maybe he could see my bottom lip quivering with frustration and indecision in the dim light that usually came in from the condos across the street.
“Shh, don’t cry, baby,” he murmured, pulling me down to wrap me in his arms, spooning me. He felt so perfect wrapped around me. I could finally breathe completely again.