himself.
She was dazed, half out of it. Her eyes kept fluttering shut, and she sighed several times. Sated.
His heart swelled as he turned off the water, patted her dry, and then squeezed as much water as he could from her hair. It would have to be damp. Neither of them had the energy to use a blow dryer.
After draping the towels over the rack, he swept her into his arms and carried her to bed. He’d expected it to be difficult to fall asleep with her in his embrace, but instead, he found himself so relaxed and content that he only took the time to notice how their hearts beat in sync before nuzzling her soft neck, inhaling her scent, and drifting off.
Chapter 15
Elena woke to the smell of bacon. She groaned into the pillow as she rolled to her side. And then her eyes shot open when she realized where she was. Not at her apartment in Chicago. Not even at her Aunt Marge’s. She was at Caleb’s house. Apparently, he was making breakfast.
What time was it?
She sat up and looked around his room. As the sheet fell to her waist, she realized she was naked. She’s slept with Caleb. Naked. And he’d been naked. And they still hadn’t had sex.
Damn, that man was obstinate. Elena wasn’t the sort of person to sleep with men on the first date or even the second, but Caleb was different. She would have had sex with him. There was little doubt. If he’d been willing.
Elena had been exhausted when she entered this room last night. She hadn’t taken the time to look around. In fact, Caleb hadn’t turned on any more lights than necessary. She pulled the sheet up over her chest and took in her surroundings.
It immediately became apparent that this room was decorated no more than his living room. The walls were painted in the original builder beige. The floor was carpeted in the same beige carpet that ran throughout most of the house she suspected. His bed, dresser, and night stands were a matched set in mahogany wood. The comforter and sheets were also beige. This man needed some color. And some artwork. He didn’t even have pictures of people on the walls or on the furniture surfaces.
She could hear noises down the hallway and assumed he was in the kitchen. Her stomach growled, so she slid from his bed and glanced around for her clothes.
They were probably in the bathroom where he’d stripped her last night. She headed there first. Used the toilet. Washed her hands and splashed water on her face. Her hair was a tangled mess—a disaster after going to bed with it wet and not even combing it—but she didn’t care right now.
Her clothes were nowhere in sight. She had no desire to put them back on anyway. Instead, she padded back into his room and over to his chest of drawers. It only took two tries to find his T-shirts, and she grabbed one and pulled it over her head. It reached halfway down her thighs. Good enough.
She padded down the hallway, and Caleb spun around the second she entered the kitchen. A smile spread on his face. “Morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears as she approached. “The smell of bacon might have contributed, but I’m not sorry. I’m starving.”
He reached out a hand, and she went to him, letting him pull her into his side. Any nervous energy she had from waking up in his home vanished the moment he touched her. When would she get used to that eerie sensation that all was right in the world as long as they maintained contact?
“Did you sleep?” she asked. She’d been dead to the world and had no knowledge of anything except the fact that he’d held her tightly against him.
“Like a rock.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m not sure when I’ve ever slept that well. I think being surrounded by your scent soothed me. You’re like a drug.”
She wrapped her arms around him and flattened her cheek against his bare chest, loving the scent of him just as much as he claimed to enjoy hers. This moment was surreal. It felt like she’d known him for years instead of hardly more than a day. Like she was playing house with a stranger in a strange home. Except everything about him and his house felt oddly right.
And, she reminded herself, we still haven’t had