I chuckled, leaving my hand there because I’d hated that we’d fought earlier. It had been the first night we hadn’t had sex since the day that we’d crossed the line. And I’d missed him, even though I’d just had dinner with him a few hours ago.
We’d definitely entered a gray area. At least I had.
“Why did you take Benadryl?”
“Because I was waiting up for you to get home from your date with Carl, and I used that fucked-up blanket my mom brought over yesterday. That fake gift from hell is actually wool, and you know I have sensitive skin.”
I laughed so hard that a few tears escaped my eyes. “What are you talking about? First of all, I wasn’t on a date with Carl. I was out in the barn with Millie and Han. But why would you care? You seemed thrilled that Carl was single again.”
He looked over at me, his gaze softening now. “You were in the fucking barn the whole night? It’s freezing outside.”
“It’s not cold in the barn, and I had a coat on. I didn’t think you’d notice.”
He looked away for a minute before his beautiful gray eyes found mine. “I noticed, Miney. And I wasn’t thrilled that Carl was single again. I was worried that you were going to, uh, change the plan and bail on me.”
I leaned my head against his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. “I would never bail on you, Chewy. Right now, this is the only place I want to be.”
Had I said too much? Was it going to scare him off?
His arms came around me, and we sat there quietly. “Seeing as you just attacked me in the most violent way and all, I feel like I should be allowed to add a rule to our little arrangement.”
“Anything,” I whispered.
“I want you to sleep in my bed. I don’t sleep well when you leave every night. Then tonight, when I was medicated, I wandered in here. Clearly, my subconscious was looking for you.”
I sucked in a breath at his words.
Don’t make more out of it than it is.
“I hated the way we left things earlier. And I’m sorry for throat-punching you and kicking you in the balls.” My hand moved beneath his hoodie, desperate to feel the warmth of his skin. My fingertips traced along the lines of his chiseled abs. “So yes, I will sleep in your bed for as long as you want me to.”
Forever, if you asked.
“Thank you. And now that Carl is single, we need to be clear on a few things.”
“Okay,” I said, tipping my head back to look at him.
“I won’t share you, Miney. So, for as long as this fake relationship, or friends with benefits, or whatever the fuck you want to call what we have going on lasts, you can’t be crossing any lines with Carl. That’s a hard line for me.”
“Are you being possessive of me, Finn Reynolds? You’ve never even been in a relationship, and now you’re setting down a lot of rules on one that isn’t even real,” I asked with a chuckle as I pushed back to face him. “It might be harder than you expected for you to leave me when this all ends.”
My voice was all tease, but I swear I was holding my breath and waiting for an answer.
A sign that maybe he was feeling confused, just like me.
Not just because he hated Carl and didn’t want his pride to be hurt by me ending things earlier than planned.
His hand moved toward me as his thumb traced along my bottom lip. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
What the hell did that mean?
Why did he have to be so cryptic?
I didn’t know, and he looked exhausted.
“Okay, let’s get you to bed. Can you get up?”
He reached for my hand, and we both pushed to stand. We walked out of the bedroom, his arm wrapped around my shoulder as we made our way to his bedroom.
Once we climbed beneath the sheets, we rolled on our sides to face one another. The room was completely dark, and Finn’s hand found mine, our fingers intertwining.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered, and I moved even closer.
Needing his warmth.
“Me, too.”
And sleep took us both.
I woke up earlier than usual because my mind was still reeling from everything that had happened yesterday. About the fact that the man I had planned to marry had told me he missed me and wanted to get back together.
Yet, I’d hurried home to Finn because I’d missed him in the short time we’d been apart.
And then the way Finn had made it clear that he wouldn’t share me with Carl, at least not during this time that we were pretending to be together.