Finally...My Forever - Kristi Pelton Page 0,24

had probably been the worst thing I could have done since initiating this whole “wedding date” arrangement. The smell of her hair, the weight of her body against mine, the longing in her stubborn eyes when she pushed away. She was hell bent on keeping this all business.

“Fair warning, I only have one rule about sharing a room together,” I said.

She wheeled her suitcase to a stop at the foot of one of the beds. “What’s that?”

“I like to sleep with it cool in the room. Cold actually.”

My Oregon Duck sweatshirt hadn’t come off the rest of the day, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to sleep in it.

“I think we can manage that,” she said, her bright smile letting me know that I’d probably give in and do whatever she needed, including burn in hell. “I’m gonna change into my comfies.”

“Comfies?” I questioned.

“A really sexy outfit. I hope you don’t mind.”

She disappeared into the bathroom; my lower half came to almost complete attention. Almost. Getting comfy myself on the sofa, I flipped on the TV, hoping to get interested in something before she came out of the bathroom. The creepy voiced Dateline guy was talking when she opened the bathroom door and struck a hand on hip pose.

“See. Sexy!”

I chuckled, giving her a quick once over and then shifted my attention back to the murdered twenty-six-year-old girl left in the woods. Even though my eyes were seeing the poor girl’s body on the TV, my body responded to Phoebe’s perfectly shaped legs extending from the short shorts and the curve of her breasts under the loose T-shirt. Hopping onto the bed like a five-year-old, she buried herself beneath the covers. The loose red curls spilled out across the white pillow. I’d never seen anything so sexy in my life. She had been joking about being sexy, but the girl was clueless as to what sexy was because she fit the bill. Perfectly.

Sleep had evaded Phoebe last night, so I turned off the TV to allow her to try and get some rest. I laid my khaki shorts on the bed next to me and tossed my shirt in the direction of my suitcase. Following my night awake with her and the long drive, there was no doubt my body was tired too. I just had to coerce my mind into believing that. The five feet between our beds seemed like the Royal fucking Gorge.

My phone went off. Once I had it in my hands, I silenced it and then I saw Freebie on the screen. I grinned from ear to ear, which I imagined she could see from the light of the screen.

Thank you for letting me sleep in here with you. I feel safe.

I wish I would have known it last night—I hated that you felt the way you did.

My phone vibrated. It’s ok. You know now.

I sent back, We learn as we go. I heard her phone vibrate, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to text back. She did.

Sweet dreams, Austin.

Sweet dreams to you.

I didn’t think I snored, but I turned onto my side to make every effort not to.

Until I woke up, I never realized I’d fallen asleep. The drone of the fan on the air conditioner muted the silence. The other bed and its contents remained still. I wasn’t sure what woke me, but her soft whimper made me think it was that. Sitting upright, I shivered. This damn room felt like a deep freeze. The thermostat read 64, and I clicked it up to 68. The compressor kicked off immediately, but the fan continued to blow a soft hum.

The space between the beds seemed smaller as I stood for a short moment looking down at her. Her parted lips made me think of the tongue comment in the car. I swallowed with thoughts of her tongue. Phoebe’s body shifted as I quickly jumped backed onto my bed. The room was no warmer, so I pulled the covers up, watching her to see if she’d wakened. Situating myself in the bed, I lay quietly, listening to her soft whimpers, her legs beneath the blanket often jerking. Her beautiful mind and body seemed stressed enough during the daytime hours. To be this stressed during sleep too, I didn’t like it. My goal was to alleviate her stress in any way possible. The phone helped. She talked to and saw their little faces every day. That made her feel