Scooting to the edge so I don’t accidentally bother him, I roll to my side and face away from him.
Billy Babcock is in my bed. Sleeping. Sprawled out next to me in his underwear, looking like some kind of beautiful action hero.
“Rox?” His low voice sends chills all over my body.
“Hm?”
“Wanna snuggle?”
My eyebrows lift with surprise before I grin. How I’m smiling after the day I’ve had is a surprise. I don’t consider how it’s probably not a good idea or that we should keep our distance until we figure out what the hell we’re doing. Because the idea of being wrapped in his arms sounds amazing. “I’d like that.”
That gets me a grunt before an enormous arm reaches around me and yanks me to his hard chest. And then he buries his head in my neck and groans. “You smell good.”
I chuckle. “Thanks. You do too.” Like leather and spice and something masculine.
We’re quiet for a while before he sighs. “Don’t be nervous. I don’t have any nefarious plans. I just wanna hold you.”
Who would’ve thought that big, tough, defensive back Billy Babcock would be a snuggler?
“I trust you.” Reaching back, I run my fingers through his hair. “I know we decided to talk after our nap or tomorrow, but I just need to tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me today. No one has ever stood up for me like that before. And no matter what happens down the road or what we decide to do about this crazy situation, I want you to know how much that means to me.”
“I’ll always have your back.” He kisses my neck. “Go to sleep, biscuit.”
This is supposed to be a nap, except we’re both so tired, we’re out for the count.
We fall asleep with only our top halves touching, but sometime during the night, I roll over. I wake up sprawled across his chest with one thigh tossed over his.
My eyes fly open when I realize I’m practically sleeping on top of the man. I start to slide off him, but his arms, which are wrapped around me, tighten. “Where are you going?” His gruff voice makes goosebumps break out on my arms.
“Sorry. I… I don’t mean to maul you.”
“That assumes I don’t like it. Go back to sleep.”
“I’m not invading your space?”
“I like you in my space. Now let me get my beauty sleep.”
Grinning, I lay my head back on his chest and close my eyes with a sigh.
It’s the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time.
17
ROXY
The next morning,Billy holds open the door to the Rise ’N Grind as a gust of wind tries to shove me through it. He grabs my elbow with a chuckle. “Almost got blown away there, Dorothy.”
I let out a laugh that promptly dies on my lips when everyone in the coffee house turns to look at us.
Everyone knows what happened with my dad.
The hottest commodity at this college isn’t football, it’s gossip. I look down and try to walk past Billy, but he tugs me back to him.
Leaning down, he whispers in my ear. “None of that. You have nothing to be ashamed about.”
“People are staring.”
“You’re a beautiful woman. Of course they’re gonna fucking stare. Let them.”
