We quietly make our way back to her bedroom, my palms sweating the entire walk. I’m relieved this isn’t a booty call. How strange is that? Most guys would kill to be invited into a beautiful woman’s home at random, but nope, not me. Unlike most guys, I don’t leave my self-respect at the door just to get into a woman’s underwear.
I bring it with me to get into her heart.
Not that Iwantto get into Haley’s heart. Just an observation.
The door clicks shut behind us and Haley twists the lock. It’s loud, final. I watch as she moves toward the bed in the darkened room, and I’m frozen. Do I take off my shoes? Follow her? Let her make the first move?
She grabs at the comforter on her neatly made bed, pulling down a side and sliding under the blanket. She looks up at me and shivers.
It’s not cold. The shiver came from the stare.
“How come you’re already dressed for bed?”
I lick my lips again because they’re dry, again. “I was actuallyinbed before I came here.”
Her brows scrunch together. “I thought you said you were off at 9:30.”
“I did.”
It clicks. “You weren’t going to come.”
“I didn’t know if I should.”
“Why?”
“Because I had no idea what this was.”
She sighs, hanging her head, afraid to look at me. “I don’t even know what this is, Gaige.”
“I need more.”
This time she huffs. “All I know is I felt good last night. Having someone there during the night felt good. I don’t know if it was you specifically or what, but I know I slept like I haven’t slept in a really long time. I want that again. Ineedthat again. This, whatever it is, is just that. Nothing more. I just need someone to sleep with.”
I smirk at her words. She rolls her eyes.
“You know what I mean,” she mutters, crossing her arms over her chest in a puff. She folds into herself, her arms dropping from across her chest to around her stomach, like she’s hugging herself. “I also feel like I can trust you, and it seems like it’s been a long time since I could trust anyone, including myself.”
I hear nothing other than theI can trust youpart of her sentence. The last time someone told me that, I ended up being the biggest disappointment they’d ever had. I slam my eyes closed against the images running through my mind. I watch in a flashback as the social worker hands my baby brother over to my aunt who then turns to me, a sad smile on her face.I can trust you, Gaige. I know I can.Her words were so sincere then, but the first time I screwed up, she took them all back in a fit of anger, and just like before, I walked away.Years.I walked away foryears.
No.I willnotthink about. Iwill nottaint this evening with that.
“Will you sleep with me, Gaige?Justsleep?” She barges into my thoughts like a tank, pulling me away from clips of the past running through my mind.
“Of course.” No hesitation, only honesty.
I toe my shoes off, making sure they’re out of the way. As I reach for the hemline of my shirt, I falter just like last night, unsure if I should strip my shirt off or not. Haley notices.
“You can, if that’s what makes you more comfortable.”
It would, but it’s also a step I’m not ready to take. So, I settle on a cocky grin and flirtatious words, my go-to move for feigning happiness. “Are you trying to get me naked, Nikki?”
Even from here I can see her ears turn bright red at the tips. “I can’t believe I told you to call me Nikki. I haven’t been called that in years.”
“Wait, that wasn’t random?”
She shakes her head as I stalk closer to the bed, stopping right at the edge. “No. Nicole is my middle name. When I was in fifth grade, I decided I hated my name after a classmate said her dog’s name was Haley. So, I chose to go by middle name, only there was already a Nicole in my class. I settled on Nikki.”
“How long did that last?”
