“I wish I hated you. I wish I didn’t…” She hesitated.
Me, too, Wren. Me, too. I felt the rest of that statement. There were endless ways to end that sentence.
I wish I didn’t.
I wish I didn’t want to pin you against the wall right now.
I wish I didn’t care so damn much about you.
My phone chimed.
Shannon: Rafe is more than welcome to spend the night here. He can sleep in Mikey’s old room. We have plenty of clothes that will fit him, too. He’s still having a good time gaming. Shall I just bring him back in the morning?
Shit. Rafe coming back home tonight might have been the one thing to keep me out of trouble. I wasn’t going to stop him from having a good time, though, just because I couldn’t trust myself with Wren.
Dax: That would be great. Thank you. I’m glad he’s having a good time. I owe you another one.
Shannon: I won’t ask you what you’ll be doing with the free time.
I sighed. Wasn’t even gonna touch that.
“Is that Keely?” She rolled her eyes.
“No. It’s Shannon. Rafe is going to spend the night there. He’s having a good time gaming.”
Our eyes locked.
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.
“Do I think you should leave? Yes. Do I want you to leave?” I shook my head. “No.”
Her mouth curved into a smile. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yeah.”
“Will you give me tonight?”
My heart raced. “Give you what exactly?”
“An overnight with you. Just to spend time together. Nothing more. Now that I know I’m leaving, time with you is very important to me.”
“Do you really think an overnight is smart?”
“This isn’t about sex. Because believe it or not, and especially now that I’m leaving, I think that would be a bad idea. I don’t want you to feel guilty. You have enough to worry about.” She sighed. “But this is probably the one time Rafe will be away until I’m gone. I don’t want to leave you tonight.”
“Time alone with you in this house sounds very fucking dangerous to me.”
Wren shrugged. “So maybe I want to flirt with danger a little. But I won’t let us cross that line.” She flashed a wicked grin. “Tow the line maybe, but not cross it.”
Her smile lit up her face and warmed my cold soul.
Giving my inhibitions a rest, I reached out and looped her fingers with mine. “I do want you here with me tonight.”
“I’ll stay in the guest room this time. I insist. We’ll have a slumber party first, though.” She laughed. “But I have a strange request.”
I raised my brow. “Okay?”
“I want to see you reading your book in your chair with your old-man glasses.”
I bent my head back in laughter. “Why?”
“Because I’ve imagined it, and I want to see it just once. I want to watch you read.”
“What are you gonna do while I’m reading?”
“Just watch you.” She started to walk away.
“Where are you going?”
“Up to your room to put on something more comfortable.”
While she was upstairs, I leaned against the counter, pulling on my hair. I needed my fucking head checked for agreeing to this little slumber party. Pretty sure I was kidding myself if I actually believed nothing was gonna happen tonight. But I also felt invigorated. I loved having her here.
She came back downstairs wearing one of my blue and orange Syracuse T-shirts that came practically down to her knees. My dick rose to attention at the sight of her breasts pressing against it. Seeing her in my shirt was so goddamn hot.
“I didn’t know you went to Syracuse,” she said.
“I did.” I smiled. “You look better than I ever did in that shirt.”
“Your turn,” she said. “Go get into your comfy night clothes. I’ll make some tea and snacks for us.”
I needed to not overthink tonight and enjoy it for what it was: a night in with one of my favorite people. Self-care and all that shit.
After changing, I came downstairs to find Wren fishing through the cabinets, taking stuff out and making the kind of mess this house was in desperate need of. This was life. She was life. I loved her chaos, and for a brief moment I wished this were my reality, that I could have her here every day like this. That thought was immediately followed by relief that she was fleeing the country so I didn’t have a chance to tarnish her.
“Where are your glasses?” she asked.
“You mean for wine?”
“No. Your eyeglasses, old man.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. They’re in my briefcase over there by the kitchen table.”
She gave me a once-over. “I like your ensemble.”
I looked down at myself. I’d put on a white tee and gray sweatpants. “You said to get comfortable. This is what I lounge around in.”
“See, I would never know that if I weren’t spending the night.” She winked. “I’m making us some junk food. I don’t cook. Have we talked about that?”