He shakes his head. “No, it’s not a bedroom. I just store my shit in there and it’s a mess.”
“Oh. I can’t take your bed, Storm. You’ve been scrunched up in a truck for two days. You deserve to stretch out.”
“It’s fine. The couch is huge. Niko and I sleep there a lot. No worries, okay?” He ruffles my hair. God, I hate that. It goes back to being cute. “There’s a bathroom right there if you need it.”
“Okay. Thanks. I feel bad taking your bed, though.” I’m not just saying that, I truly do feel bad. It feels unfair. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”
He starts to walk toward the door. “Absolutely not.” He turns to face me again. “In the morning, I’ll take you to town so we can figure out what’s up with your car, and you can call Michael and get yourself home.”
“Sounds good.”
With that, he leaves. I don’t know why a room always feels strangely empty after he walks out. I undress, leaving just my panties on and climb into the huge bed. This must be a king size bed. It’s bigger than any bed I’ve ever been in. I sink back into the soft pillows and pull the comforter over me. It’s down and just heavenly soft. Being able to stretch out and having the softness of the sheets surround me is incredible. I feel like I’m lying in a cloud.
My eyes are getting heavy as sleep attempts to pull me under. My body and mind are exhausted from the last few days. I want to close my eyes and slip away from it all, but I can’t. My mind keeps wandering back to Storm... in the other room... on the couch with his dog. His ability to annoy me is huge and his so-called orgasm assistance is by far the worst thing I have ever done. I know it’s cheating no matter how he tries to spin it. But there is definitely something else there, hiding under the surface—something pulling us to each other like a magnet.
I crawl out of the bed and find my sweatshirt, pulling it over my head. I don’t bother putting my pants back on. I quietly tiptoe out into the hallway and down into the living room. He’s just sitting on the couch. His back is to me so he doesn’t know I’m there. He’s sitting there in total silence, just staring out the windows into the black nothingness of the night. I quietly step closer to him.
“Storm?”
His head snaps to look at me. “What’s wrong?”
I’ve lost my voice. It’s hiding behind my thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings I can’t even begin to explain or understand right now.
“I-I just...” I look down, away from his intense stare. What am I doing? “Nothing,” I say softly. “Goodnight.”
I walk back down the dimly lit hallway and find my way back to the huge bed, snuggling back under the covers. I wonder why he’s just sitting there and what he’s thinking. Probably plotting my next unwanted orgasm.
I begin to drift off, but I feel a weight on the bed. I open my eyes, and it’s Niko lying at the foot of the bed, curled up against my feet. I smile. Halo sleeps on the bed with me, too. “Goodnight, Niko,” I whisper. That’s when I notice Storm in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. My heart literally stops. The fuck is he doing?
I don’t say anything as he slowly walks toward the bed. He stops when he gets right next to the side of the bed where I’m lying. He is only inches away, but I can hardly see him in the darkness. I can feel him, though. I can feel the heat radiating off his body. I can hear his steady breathing. I find his hand in the dark and I gently pull him onto the bed. He is massive in the bed next to me—all legs, muscle, and hair. I’m trembling all over and I’m not sure if it’s from fear or the new unknown excitement that he forces onto my body. He rolls onto his side and pulls me against him, cocooning me against his chest.
“I can feel your heart pounding, Evie.” His voice is so low I can barely hear him.
“I can feel yours, too.”
“You’re shaking.”