make it back to his place without a quick kick of something black and strong.
“Come on,” she prompted.
He gave her a questioning look as she reached over to turn off the car, claiming his keys.
“There’s no way you’ll make it home without dozing off. Sleep here for a little while.”
Yesterday morning that invitation would have had a much different impact on him. Today, all he could muster was relief.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he offered when they walked inside.
“I spilled lemonade on it Sunday. The cushions are sticky as hell. Just come upstairs with me. I trust you to be a gentleman.” The last was said with a sleepy grin.
She wasn’t wrong. Sex was the last thing on his mind.
Sara pulled down the covers, and they crawled in. He lay on his back, careful not to touch her.
Apparently, she didn’t appreciate his efforts. Instead, she placed her arm around his waist and her head on his shoulder. There was something very comforting about holding her, being with her.
“Your dad’s going to be okay.”
She couldn’t know that any more than he could, but somehow, hearing the words from her helped him believe it.
After so many hours spent teetering on the edge of a cliff, it felt as if he’d finally been rescued. He was safe here.
Sara fell asleep within seconds, and it occurred to him he’d never simply slept with a woman. When he took a lover to bed, it was for sex. Sleep was just the end result of that.
Right now, he just wanted to hold her. To be with her because he couldn’t stand the idea of going home to his cold bed alone.
She had accused him of using her for sex. Somehow that seemed better than what he was using her for now.
His father thought Sara was in love with him. What if he was right? How could Kellan continue this cat and mouse game, trying to seduce her, when they both knew what the end result would be?
He couldn’t hurt her that way. She didn’t deserve to be used like this, but there was no way he could offer her anything more.
It was time to let her go, time to put an end to…whatever this was. Right now, it felt like he was stringing Sara along. Which was especially low now that there was a nice guy waiting in the wings, ready to give her exactly what she wanted.
Kellan’s jaw clenched at the thought of Gabriel and Sara together, but he forced the annoyance away. No matter how much the saintly doctor annoyed the shit out of him, the fact remained he was perfect for Sara in ways Kellan could never be.
He’d talk to her about it. Tomorrow.
Or maybe the day after. Considering how touch and go things were with his dad, he wasn’t sure he could get through the next few days without her.
He sighed and chastised himself for being an asshole. Sara was his friend. She had been there for him his entire life. She wouldn’t desert him while his dad was in the hospital, fighting for his life, no matter what. He’d promise to back away, give her and Gabriel his blessing, and then things could go back to normal. For both of them.
Kellan rested his cheek against the top of her head, catching a whiff of the coconut-scented shampoo she used. He loved the way she always smelled like sunshine and the beach.
Then he found himself envying her ability to sleep. While his body might be weary, his mind was racing, replaying the last twenty-four hours over and over.
He needed to sleep. So he tried to match his own breathing to her slow, peaceful inhalations.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
His eyes grew heavy, the lids drifting closed. Sara shifted slightly, her hand moving to rest flat on his chest.
As he lingered in that dreamlike world between sleep and consciousness, he let himself pretend that Sara was his. That he had the rest of his life to hold her just like this.
It was that fantasy that finally allowed him to close down all the fears and sadness, and granted him peace.
Chapter Nine
Sara buttered the toast she’d just made. She had left Kellan sleeping in her bed. It was late afternoon, but their days and nights had gotten mixed up after his father’s accident. She had called the hospital to check on Mr. James. His condition had stabilized and improved enough that they were already talking about moving him out of ICU.
“Good morning. Or…”
She turned