Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. Shock had me shaking my head in disbelief. There’s no way in hell he could mean what I thought he meant… right? “You have got to be joking.”
He shrugged. “You need your tech to sleep. I’m supposed to replace it. Let me do my job.”
I stared at him as if he were from Mars. He didn’t look like he was joking. He looked sincere, as if this were a reasonable offer.
Which.
Was.
Insane.
“You can’t be serious,” I said, drawing out every word. Except he looked pretty damn serious.
“If it makes it easier, I’ll keep my eyes closed the whole time. Hell, I’ll hold two AA batteries in my other hand and make a buzzing noise.” His mouth didn’t twitch, but there was amusement in his gaze.
A small laugh escaped my lips even as my brain stayed locked in no-way mode. Feeling at an uncharacteristic loss for words, I shook my head helplessly.
Which didn’t deter him at all. “You’re my guest here this week. If you can’t sleep, I need to do everything in my power to remedy that.” Brady was somehow able to make a completely bizarre situation sound almost reasonable. “This is one hundred percent about giving you a hand, so to speak. I won’t even enjoy it—I promise.”
The absurd urge to laugh hit me. Was he this good-natured and utterly unflappable in every situation, no matter how crazy?
He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I also promise you’ll enjoy it.”
He placed his hand on my shin, his thumb rubbing my skin over the cover. When I didn’t shake him off, he ran his fingers past my ankle and squeezed my foot.
It was disconcerting to stare into such vivid blue eyes, but I did it anyway, wanting to understand what he was really after. There was interest there. He was a red-blooded male—that much was clear. And I suspected that if I let my gaze fall to his pants, I’d see more evidence of his interest.
But… as much as I hated to give one of these guys any credit, there was sincerity there, too. Maybe he sometimes dealt with nightmares. Maybe he knew just how damn bad they could get.
And maybe he honestly wanted to help.
“All right.” I barely recognized the small voice that had spoken the two syllables as my own, but I didn’t take back my answer. In fact, I patted the mattress next to me.
Brady squeezed my foot again and gave me a slow, sexy smile.
My heart rate quickened, and this time, I smiled back.
16
LILA
Time stood still as Brady held my gaze. Part of me wanted to take back the invitation. After all, a few days ago I hated this man.
But that was before. Before I’d taken a hike with him, and we’d prepared a meal together. Well, not that I’d done much of the work, but I’d gotten to know him a little.
And somehow, trust had come with it.
Brady toed off his shoes and then walked to the other side of the bed, lifting the covers and sliding over to the valley in the middle.
I was actually trembling, waiting to see what he’d do next.
“This mattress needs to be replaced,” he said, which was not what I was expecting at all.
A surprised laugh escaped me. “Yeah, it does.”
“But there’s something else I need to do first,” he said, and the smile he gave me made my thighs clinch.
“Should I turn off the light?” The hesitant voice didn’t seem like it belonged to me. I wasn’t a virgin, so I shouldn’t act like one. Thanks to my toys and the occasional naughty story, I had amazing orgasms on a regular basis. But it had been a hell of a long time since a man had given me one.
“Do whatever you like. This is all about you. This is your turndown service.”
He made me laugh, and that made me relax. I flipped off the light and then turned toward him, settling on my side. He did the same, and I could hear his soft breathing in the dark.
It was too dark to see him, but that also made this feel kind of anonymous.
“Can I touch you?” Brady asked.
“Where?” I mean, I knew where he’d touch me eventually, but I wasn’t sure where he’d start.
“How about here?” His hand settled on the side of my head, and his fingers sank into my hair. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.” He stroked my hair away from my face. “There’s just so much of it.”
“Everybody has a lot of hair compared to you.”
“True. But not everyone has hair this soft and silky.”
My eyes closed, more out of pleasure than from the fact that I couldn’t see. Goosebumps covered my bare arms, and I gave a soft sigh as I relaxed into his touch.