you back here then crashed on the sofa. We’ll have to finish the movie another night,” he added.
“Did you hear me just now?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, I heard you yell and came running in. Did you have a nightmare?”
“I’ve been having them sometimes,” she admitted. “I dream that I’m trapped inside the building as it burns down, and I can’t get out.”
Tears smarted her eyes, and she blinked them away.
“Hailey,” he said softly, reaching a hand out to her as he sank down onto the bed once more. His hand landed on her bare leg and was meant to be comforting rather than sexual. She couldn’t help the shivers that raced up her spine though. She was literally in Grayson’s bed with him. His muscular hand was on her bare thigh. He was merely sitting there, being a perfect gentleman, and she felt like crap, but damn.
He had on a tee shirt and boxers, and despite how awful she felt, he still looked tempting as hell. Her gaze briefly slid over him, and she realized his legs were just as muscled as the rest of him. Not wanting to keep staring, she looked around the rest of his room, pretending she hadn’t just been checking him out.
“Do you want anything else to drink?” he asked.
“The water is fine.” She took another few gulps for good measure. Goodness. It was a little embarrassing that she’d fallen asleep during the movie. She’d fallen asleep on the sofa earlier, too, right after they’d gotten here. And now she’d woken him up with her cries.
She eased back and lay down in his bed again, looking up at him. It was intimate, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable. She felt safe when she was with Grayson. She didn’t need to worry about anything, because she knew he’d take care of it. It was a heady feeling. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about her the way he seemed to, her own family and best friends notwithstanding. But even so, the way he looked at her wasn’t the same. Not even close.
“You’re tired,” he said softly.
She nodded, and he reached out, running a hand lightly through her hair. It had dried sometime since she’d fallen asleep and was probably a mess, but the way he was looking at her right now let her know he didn’t care about any of that.
“Sorry I woke you up.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad that you’re okay,” he said huskily. “I like having you here, sweetheart. I love having you in my bed, even though I know nothing is going to happen between us anytime soon. It’s sexy as hell knowing you’re sleeping here in my space.”
She flushed as she looked up at him, surprised by the intensity in his gaze.
“I like being here,” she admitted. “And I can’t wait until I’m feeling better and settled into my apartment, and we can actually go places together instead of just talking on the phone every night or having you take care of me while I’m sick.”
“Me either. I’ve waited a hell of a long time to find you, Hailey. I’m thirty-one years old and have dated my share of women over the years. I’ve never felt the way I do about you with any of them though. It’s intense, and it happened fast, but damn. I’d do just about anything for you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I think rushing into a burning building to save me got that point across,” she said, trying to lighten the mood between them. “It’s weird, but with talking to you so much, I feel like I know you better than men I dated for months in the past.”
He nodded, gently taking her hand. “While I don’t like hearing about other men while you’re in my bed, I love that you feel the same way I do.”
She squeezed his hand, looking up at him.
“Get some sleep,” he said. “I’ll be right down the hall if you need me or have any other nightmares.”
She nodded, hating to see him go, but knowing it was too soon for anything more. She wouldn’t mind curling up in his arms to fall asleep again, but that didn’t seem fair to him. Not when she knew she wasn’t ready for anything else to happen. Plus, she didn’t want him to catch whatever flu or virus she had. Grayson probably already had a decent chance of getting it with her staying at his place, but there was no reason