Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
I barely get through the threshold and try to take in what I’m seeing. The moonlight is peeking in through the window, and there’s a small lamp lit up next to the bed.
The huge bed in the center of the room is made, and Huddy is sitting on that Army-issued sleep pad on the floor next to it.
He stands up, and I grab on to the door to keep from falling. I saw Huddy without a shirt last week when he mowed the grass. Even then, I tried not to drool as I watched him go back and forth in the yard. But I’ve never seen him like this.
He’s in boxers that are tight across his hips, and they don’t hide anything. His thighs are thick, and his legs are long. His abdomen is taut, his arms solid, and when I finally get to his face, he’s watching me, breathing in and out roughly. “I’m sorry…” he starts.
I shake my head, knowing I should be backing out of the room, but instead I stand here on shaky legs, trying to catch my breath. “You shouldn’t be sorry. I’m the one that barged into your room.”
I force my eyes off him and look at the pad on the floor. It’s obvious he’s been sleeping there, and even though it’s not my business, I still ask him, “Is the bed not comfortable?”
He shoves his hand through his hair and walks toward the dresser. I glance down at his butt and force my eyes up only to find his gaze on me in the mirror. Yep, he caught me looking.
I’m so embarrassed I can feel the heat envelop my whole body. “I’m sorry… I heard a noise, but I shouldn’t have—”
“I had a nightmare,” he says as he pulls a pair of shorts on.
When he turns to face me, his hands are on his hips, but this time, my eyes are on his. “A nightmare?”
He shrugs and sits on the end of the bed. “Yeah, I have them every now and then. I’m sorry I woke you up.”
I move toward him and stand in front of him. “I have them sometimes too, but I haven’t had one since I’ve moved in here. Do you want to talk about it?”
He shrugs. “I would, but it’s not a big deal. Sometimes I hear gunfire in my sleep. It doesn’t happen a lot.”
I bite my lip as I think about it. “Did I cause this? The wall… did that bring back—”
He cuts me off and grabs both my arms. “This is not your fault.”
I nod and look between him and the makeshift bed on the floor. “And the bed?”
He winces. “I didn’t want you to know. Sometimes when I lie down in bed, my mind wanders a little too much. I feel guilty—”
His voice trails off, but I understand what he’s saying. “Oh, Huddy!”
He shakes his head. “No, don’t feel sorry for me. It’s fine. This old body sure would like to sleep in a comfortable bed, but…”
Instantly, a thought comes to my head. “Can we try something?”
He tilts his head to the side. “What do you have in mind?”
“Do you trust me?” I ask him.
He rolls his eyes with a laugh. “You have a key to my house, I’ve given you free rein on design here, you probably know me better than anyone… Yeah, Ellie, I trust you.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Okay. We’re going to do this.”
I move to the side of the bed and pull the covers down before patting the bed. “Come on. Get in.”
His eyes go wide, and he looks between the bed and me. “You want me to get in the bed?”
I put my hand on my hip. “Yeah. You told me you trust me. We can try it, and if it doesn’t work, you can go back to the bed on the floor.”
He walks toward me slowly, and the closer he gets, the more my breath comes out in little pants. He smiles at me, and it’s obvious he can tell what being this close to him does to me. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’m good. This was my idea, remember. The question is, are you okay?”
He leans over the bed, and I watch as he takes his hand and smooths it over the sheets. “Soft,” he murmurs.
“You haven’t even tried to sleep in the bed, have you?”
He gets into the bed and scoots to the other side. “On top of the covers, yes. Not under.”
I sit on the bed next to him and roll my hand at him. “Roll over.”
He looks at me curiously. “You want me to roll over?”
I nod emphatically. “Geez, Huddy. Yes, roll over. Lie on your belly.”
He does as I ask, and the muscles of his back are pulled tight. I hope I know what I’m doing. I pull the cover up to his lower back and then lay my hand on his shoulder. He jerks, lifting his upper torso off the bed. “What are you doing?”