I grab one of the spare toothbrushes from the vanity drawer and a cloth to wash the makeup off my face. When I’m ready for bed, I take my clothes and quietly slip out the door, only to find Ford waiting, leaning against the wall. I open my mouth, but it shuts quickly when his eyes slowly peruse my body. Glancing down, I take in the oversized shirt and shorts and my bare legs. Thank God, I shaved this morning. I mean, not that he’s going to feel them or anything, but at least I don’t look like Sasquatch standing in my aunt and uncle’s hallway, right in front of a gorgeous guy.
“That T-shirt’s never looked so good,” he whispers softly, his eyes burning with intensity as he finally draws them up to meet my gaze.
“Uh, thanks?”
He chuckles low at my weird comment turned question.
“Well, good night,” I murmur, slipping by him and heading for Cassie’s bedroom.
“Shayne?”
I stop and turn around, anticipation washing over me like a warm summer rain.
“I’ll never forget the image of you wearing my shirt. Good night,” he croons, his words as smooth as honey.
I bolt for the safety of my cousin’s bedroom and quietly shut the door, cutting off the hottie and his charming words. The last time someone said all the right things to me, I wound up in a whole mess of trouble and was labeled the town whore.
Don’t think about him right now, Shayne.
Instead, I slip into the safety of the bed, pulling the homemade quilt all the way up to my chin. Warmth spreads through my body, but it’s not because of the blanket. No, it has everything to do with the softness wrapped around my abdomen. Ford’s shirt. I can practically feel his body pulling me close and holding me tight.
I turn on my side, trying to get comfortable, but all I can think about is Ford. Maybe I should have invited him to sleep on the other half of the bed. It would be a hell of a lot more comfortable than the couch downstairs. But something tells me, if I did, it would be trouble. Trouble because I’d never have been able to keep my hands to myself, and I’d be praying his control was nonexistent, like mine.
I hear the door in the bathroom open and can picture him walking toward my doorway to head down to the living room. I glance at the crack at the bottom of the door just as the shadow falls on the hardwood floor and stops. Holding my breath, I wait to see what he does, my body humming with hope.
But as quickly as that shadow falls, it disappears, followed by the sound of Ford’s heavy footfalls descending the stairs. A mix of sadness and relief sweeps in. Ford climbing into this bed has bad idea written all over it. I know it. It would never work, not past a handful of days.
I know that too.
Yet, he’s the only one I think about as I slowly drift off to sleep.
Chapter 5
Ford
Pulling open the bathroom door, I take a few steps and stop. I want to reach for the handle to see if it’s locked, but I know I can’t do that. Quickly, I force myself to keep moving as my feet carry me downstairs to the couch. Plopping down, I lean my head back and close my eyes. What is it about Shayne that has me all twisted in knots? She’s beautiful, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, but that still doesn’t explain this…need I have to be around her. I was thinking about barging in on her while she was sleeping, for fuck’s sake.
I wouldn’t have done it. I would never invade a woman’s privacy like that, but it took willpower to descend those stairs, knowing she was behind that closed door. It’s not just the fact that she was in that room all alone. She’s wearing my clothes. My. Clothes.
I will never, as long as I live, forget that image. It’s burned into my mind, a memory to cherish.
Knowing I need to try and get some sleep, I stretch out on the couch. It’s not uncomfortable, although I do wish it was a foot or so longer. Doesn’t matter, though. It beats the cots and the sand I’m used to. Pulling the blanket over me, I shut my eyes, and all I see is her.
Shayne.
Damn. I’ve known her a matter of hours, and she’s already causing me to lose sleep. Pushing her to the back of my mind, I let myself go into deployment mode. I frequently have trouble sleeping when deployed. I have to think about home, my parents, my sister, Faith, and the reason I’m there fighting, fighting for the freedoms of my family. My country. Thankfully, it works when on American soil as well, as I quickly drift off to sleep, dreaming of beautiful blue-green eyes.