“Yeah.” He nodded. “That scared me. I didn’t ever want to feel like that again. Letting go felt like I’d regret it immensely.”
“I can see how that could scar a person. Letting go doesn’t always have to be scary like that, though.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
She drank more of the hangover concoction purely to avoid that look in his eyes. It was…soft. She didn’t know how else to describe it. He had looked at her in a myriad of ways—frustration, disbelief, lust—but never like this. Her stomach acted up again. Jesus, maybe she needed a purge or something.
“You should get to the grocery soon. I’ll nap while you’re gone, so we can get cracking when you’re back.”
“Try to eat something too. It helps. If you haven’t eaten breakfast, you can have what your mother packed for me.”
“Okay.” There wasn’t anything else for her to say.
The crackle between them this time felt different. Not the burning sexual tension that had been sparking before and after they’d had sex. This was something else, something sweeter, gentler, scarier because where the hell had this come from?
He cleared his throat. “I’ll go.”
“Yeah, go do that.”
“You can use the guest bed if you want.”
“What about your bed?” She might be feeling ready to pass out, but she could still push his buttons, given that he had caught her unawares with all this “care.” She needed to balance things out again.
He nudged the glass in her hand, urging her to drink more. “You’ve already been there, so it’s not a problem. Just no eating or drinking in the bed, please.”
Damn, he wasn’t even going to get a little ruffled about it? Fine. She liked his bed. It was comfy. She might as well take advantage of all this attention he was giving her. Even if it intensified that damn thing battering away at her insides.
He took up his wallet and keys and left her on the couch, contemplating what the hell was really going on. She wanted to take that nap but needed someone to run all of this by. As much as Trina was going to give her hell for this, she wouldn’t mince her words, and she would be brutally honest. Besides, it was time to collect her winnings, wasn’t it?
She drank the rest of the green juice, ate some of the food off of Devon’s plate, then made her way to his bed to message Trina.
Reba: can I call you?
Trina: oh so she’s alive???? And wanting to call me? What’s going on with you??
Reba: just tell me if I can call you before I pass out in this comfy ass bed.
Trina: who’s bed?
Reba didn’t bother to reply to that. It was easier to call, even though she usually resisted that.
“Now tell me that man kidnapped you and kept you in his bed, and that’s why you ignored all my messages. It’s the only reason I’ll accept,” Trina said as soon as the call connected.
“Well, I’m in his bed now, but that wasn’t it.”
“Explain.”
“I left my phone at his house after the party. I only got it back a little while ago. When he brought it to my house.”
“Hmm, okay. Doesn’t explain why you’re in his bed now. Hold on, you not calling me while he’s sexing you up, are you? Because that’s wild even for you.”
Reba laughed. “Negative. He’s not here. Went to get some stuff for baking.”
“So what? You just playing Goldilocks and sleeping in the man bed just so?”
“He’s…” She wrinkled her nose. “Taking care of me, apparently. I’m hungover as shit, so he made some green thing for me to drink. It’s a little weird.”
“Just tell me this. You won that damn bet, didn’t you? You’re not slick at all.”