The Roommate Pact(28)
He took his phone back, unsure what to say now. How was he supposed to ask?
His heartbeat sped up and he ran a hand through his hair, dropping his gaze to his legs and the bulky outline of the cast underneath the blanket. It shouldn’t be this hard. Just tell her you’d feel more comfortable having someone with you. Just for tonight.
Graham lifted his eyes once more and found her assessing his face, her expression unreadable.
Words couldn’t explain how badly he wished he could speak right now. He’d be able to spin it into some sort of inappropriate, innuendo-laden comment, which would get the point across but distract her from reading too much into the request.
Just Graham being Graham, trying to get a woman into his bed.
Then, she spoke. “Will your devil dog bite me if I pick her up?”
He wasn’t sure, actually. Other than verbal abuse in the form of growls and trash talk, the two seemed to steer clear of each other.
Graham frowned, then shrugged. Maybe.
“I just thought maybe it would be best if I slept in here tonight,” Claire said in her no-nonsense tone, walking around to the other side of the bed. She paused. “If that’s okay. Just...in case you need something.”
That same warm sensation he’d felt when she told him about his friends coming to the hospital circulated once more. He swallowed, then nodded. Quickly, he tapped out a message.
Five bucks says she leaves and pouts in the corner when you get in bed.
Claire put one hand on the mattress and leaned over to read it, then laughed. “That, or she goes for my jugular.”
With a final challenging glance at Gertrude, Claire pulled back the covers and slipped under. Gertrude barked once, stood, and barked again, then looked at Graham as if to say, Are we allowing this?
He wanted to smile so badly, but his face hurt.
She leaped off the bed and trotted to the dog bed in the corner.
“Wow. I’d have expected her to fight a little more for you, Graham.”
Women are fickle.
Another soft laugh, and Claire settled in beside him. The warmth of her body beside him immediately brought his anxiety down several notches.
He had no idea how, but someday he’d have to thank her for this.
9
Claire often struggled with insomnia and tonight was no different. Graham seemed restless but she couldn’t blame him. The only option was to sleep on his back, and as a side sleeper herself, she could imagine how hard it would be to get comfortable. She gave him a dose of pain medication around three, which knocked him out for several hours, and Claire followed him under.
When she opened her eyes, dim sunlight streamed through the blinds and Gertrude sat like a creepy canine statue on Claire’s side, staring at her.
Claire shot her a smug look. “I won this round, G,” she whispered.
A hand tapped her back and she spun around to face Graham. The swelling around his jaw looked better today, and a slight upward tilt to his lips accompanied the humor dancing in his eyes. He held out his phone.
Don’t heckle my dog. She’s sweet if you get to know her.
“Right. The death glare she’s giving me is very sweet.”
Don’t be so hard on her. She’s jealous you got to sleep next to me, a feeling shared by all single women in the greater Denver area.
While she was glad he felt well enough to crack a joke, she couldn’t just let it go. “Yeah, that heavy snoring rocked my world.”
His shoulders fell and he looked away.
Claire laughed and sat up, looking over at him. His thick, dark hair was even more disheveled than yesterday but even with that and the dark bruise encompassing the entire right side of his face, he still looked handsome. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure it’s just the swelling.”
She stood and Gertrude was up like a shot, rushing across the blankets to Graham’s side. He rubbed her ears fondly.
“I’m gonna go make coffee. Does a smoothie sound good? You need to take your antibiotics this morning and it’s best to have something in your stomach.”
He gave her a thumbs-up and pushed himself to a sitting position, the long, lean muscles in his arms flexing as he got up. He thumped across the floor on his crutches to the bathroom, slightly more efficiently than yesterday.
She heard him go back to his room while she prepared the coffee maker, then heard Reagan’s voice speaking to him. Reagan soon joined Claire in the kitchen, pulling two suitcases behind her.
“You’re sure you don’t need a ride to the airport?” Claire asked. “Graham would be fine for an hour.”
“Nah, Uber’s almost here.” Reagan pushed her bags to the door and faced Claire, waving a hand in the direction of Graham’s room. “I’m sorry I’m leaving with everything going on. You sure you can handle it?”
Claire smiled. “I’m used to taking care of four or five patients at once, so I think I can handle one, no matter how difficult he might be. You’ve been dying to visit your family. Go, have fun, and don’t worry about us.”
“Keep me updated on how he’s doing, okay?”
“You got it. Send me pictures of the beach. I’ll show them to Graham so he knows what he’s missing.”
“You two are ridiculous.” Reagan’s phone beeped and she peeked out the window. “Ride’s here. See you soon!”