Pieces Of Us (Angel Sands 6)

“He’s worried about you,” Griff said. “We all are.”

“Don’t tell me Josh is here, too.”

He gave a little laugh. “I think he knew better. Or your dad did. Whatever. He’s leaving first thing for New York.”

Autumn felt the tears welling again. Where the hell were they all coming from? She didn’t cry. She hadn’t even shed a single tear when her divorce came through. Yet here she was, a snivelling mess.

If she wasn’t so exhausted, she’d be embarrassed.

“You probably think this is payback for me buying the pier when I was drunk.”

“I don’t,” he murmured. “I think it’s crap and it never should’ve happened to you. You’ve been through enough.” He looked at his hands. “There’s so much I want to tell you, but it’s about an hour until dawn and you should get some sleep. We have a hell of a lot to do once the sun is up.”

She raised her eyebrow at his use of ‘we’, but didn’t comment. Now wasn’t the time. There was one thing she wanted to know, though. “These clothes. How did I get into them?”

“You want to know if I stripped you and took advantage?” Griff raised an eyebrow. He sat back on the chair and she missed the warmth of his hand against her hip.

“I’m sorry. I was just wondering…”

He smiled. “It’s okay. Lydia helped you get into the shower. Those leggings are hers. I gave her the t-shirt so you’d have some modesty when you were in bed. I figured you wouldn’t want to wake up in here naked.”

She remembered the way she’d woken up naked yesterday morning, his lip

s dragging against her skin. Before any of this happened. The thought made her heart ache a little more. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen, but it wasn’t enough to stop another shiver wrack down her spine.

“You’re cold. Get back under the covers and get some sleep.” He nodded at the door. “I’ll let your family know you’re okay.”

“But you’re coming back, right?”

“I got nowhere else to go.” He shrugged as he headed out. “Lydia called the sofa, and your dad’s made his home on the love seat.

She could have pointed out that he had a spare room, one that still had Lydia’s things lined up neatly next to the bed. But she didn’t want to, because the thought of being alone made her breath catch in her throat.

He was back within a minute. “They’re both half asleep. I told them you’re okay, but going to try to get some more rest.”

“Thank you.”

He flashed her a half-smile. “No worries.” He sat back down on the dining chair. His body made it look like a piece of dollhouse furniture.

“That looks uncomfortable.”

“I’ve slept in worse.”

She licked her dry lips, trying to find the right words. “You could sleep in here if you like? The bed’s big enough.”

His wary eyes met hers. “It’s okay.”

No, it wasn’t. It felt far from okay. “I want you to sleep here,” she admitted. “Please.”

His brows lifted. “You sure?”

She nodded. “I want you for your body warmth.”

This time his smile was full on. “Why didn’t you say so?” he asked, climbing into bed beside her. She felt the mattress dip under his weight, then his arms slid around her as his chest pressed against her back.

“This okay?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” she breathed. It was more than okay. She opened her mouth to say more, but a combination of his warmth and his protection made her feel tired again, and she felt exhaustion over take her.