Our eyes meet, and for a moment, I forget all the reasons I should keep my distance. It’s not just because he’s gorgeous; he’s also generous and kind and doesn’t deserve to be alone when he’s in pain like this.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, studying me in that intense way that makes my stomach flip.
“The pain meds are definitely affecting your head,” I say as I tuck the blankets over his shoulders. My hair is in a messy bun and I’m wearing aFalling for Bookst-shirt and flannel pajama pants—definitely not pretty, at least by most people’s standards.
“I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.” I head toward the door and turn off his lights.
“Neesha?” he murmurs in the darkness.
“Yeah?”
“Everything hurts right now,” he murmurs, his voice ragged. “So I was wondering…if you could stay until I fall asleep?”
I freeze, my heart in my throat. “Stay?” Being this close to him will certainly not help the attraction I’m already desperately fighting.
“Sit next to me…till I’m asleep,” he pleads. “I need something to distract me.”
I know I shouldn’t do this but I’d rather break my own heart than watch him fall apart. I ease onto the bed, my palm resting lightly on his arm, just to let him know I’m here. But when I start to pull away, his hand closes over mine—as if to saystay, right here, with me.
“I meant what I said,” he whispers. “You really are beautiful.”
I quietly absorb his words. After Nate cheated on me, I felt so unlovable, like there was something wrong with me.
And now here I am with Lucian, who’s making me feel like I’m whole again, like there’s nothing wrong with me after all.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
I sit there, listening to the rain tapping against the window, and realize how easy it would be to fall for him.
I’m literally in a bed with the one type of person I swore not to fall for. Emmy would be laughing her head off right now if she knew.
The house is quiet except for the occasional rustle of the wind outside and the soft sound of Lucian’s breathing as he falls asleep. I stare at the ceiling, wondering how my life got so complicated so quickly. One minute, I was swearing off all hockey players forever; the next, I’m patching up Lucian, worrying about him like we’re more than neighbors, more than whatever this practice dating thing is supposed to be.
Because this doesn’t feel like pretend anymore—not when he asked me to stay and make him feel better.
The irony isn’t lost on me: The man who prides himself on fixing things is the one who’s broken right now. And despite my best efforts to keep my walls intact, I can’t ignore the desire to fix him in return.
Just for tonight. Until I know he’s okay.
Then we can go back tojustneighbors.
CHAPTER 15
LUCIAN
Iwake up to the soft, gray light of morning filtering through the blinds. For a moment, I’m disoriented—this is my bed, but something’s distinctly different—and then I feel Neesha’s warmth next to me and my mind replays last night when I asked her to stay. She must have fallen asleep too, despite insisting she was going to sleep on the couch.
She shifts against my arm, her body curving into mine in a way that’s so perfect, I don’t want to mess it up. Her head rests on my shoulder, her dark hair spilling across my chest. Sometime during the night, we shifted from her intentionally measured distance tothis—tangled together like we’ve been sleeping this way for years.
Henry is sprawled across our feet, snoring softly like we’re one big happy family.
This is bad.She’s going to panic when she realizes where she is…andwho she’s with.
I should move before she wakes up and realizes we’ve been snuggling all morning, because this will definitely scare her—the intimacy, the vulnerability of sleeping next to a hockey player. If she realizes I’ve been holding her like she’s mine, she’ll bolt faster than someone ghosting me after awe need to talktext.
But when I move, every muscle in my body protests in pain. Last night’s hit has left me aching in places I didn’t even know could hurt. I don’t need a mirror to know I look like I’m a real live example of why parents everywhere tell their kids to stick to board games.
I breathe her in, the scent of vanilla buttercream always lingering on her skin, and then, very slowly, I attempt to disentangle my arm from beneath her. Henry immediately lifts his head, shooting me a look that says,Must you disturb my sleep, human?
