Out Of The Blue (The Wrong Bed #12)(12)

"Okay!" At this point, he was willing to agree to anything if she'd either flip off the light or keep her eyes closed. "The bed then, fine. Just close your eyes!"

"Yes! Right!"

Grabbing his towel, he covered himself as best he could, took his duffel and headed toward her bedroom.

The damn woman followed.

"I can find the bed all by myself," he told her.

"I just want to make sure…"

He peered over his shoulder and found her studying his butt. "What are you doing!"

Her gaze jerked up to meet his. Her cheeks reddened. "Nothing!" Guiltily, she scooted back, but remained in the doorway.

He sat on the bed. "You know, I really think I can take it from here."

Nodding, she proceeded to … stay right where she was.

He might have just ignored her, rolling over and falling back into oblivion, but since he'd never in his life taken the easy way, and since she was looking at him with a whole host of things in her eyes, the least of which was a yearning and loneliness that stoked his own, he sighed. "I've got to tell you, the way you're looking at me is going to make sleep impossible."

She swallowed, hard. "You're looking back at me in the same way."

Yeah, he probably was. "Well, how about we both stop. Because if you keep looking at me like that…"

"What?" she whispered. "What will happen?"

"Just stop, okay?" When she only blinked, he rubbed his tired eyes. "It's been a long time since I felt I was in the real world. Back with friends. Back with a woman," he clarified when she just stared at him blankly.

It was a moment before she spoke. "How long is a long time?"

"I can't even remember."

"Well, it couldn't have been longer than it's been for me," she said.

Dangerous conversation. He'd been celibate too long, and now she was admitting the same. After this week, he probably wouldn't get back up here for another couple of years at least, and Hannah meant far too much to him to take advantage of her like that. "Good night," he said softly.

He was both relieved and oddly disappointed when she turned off the light and left him alone.

*

"Candles and music didn't work! I need something else, quick!"

Michael let out a long, slow, suffering sigh and yawned loudly in the face of Hannah's hushed panic. "Hannah—"

"Give me just one more tip. Please? I came close," she said quickly before he could hang up. "So close that it should be easier this next time."

"Do I want to know this? No!"

"Please."

"Dammit. Okay." He sighed again. "The music and candles failed? Did you combine it with the skin flash and a kiss?"

"Um … not quite. Isn't there some other way?"

"Hannah, this is really awkward—"

"No, it isn't. Pretend I'm … one of the guys. Tell me about your latest conquest. Just do it quick." She didn't have much time, she was close to losing both her nerve and perspective on this whole thing.

Glaring at her closed bathroom door, she huddled on the edge of the tub and sighed. Honestly, she thought she'd had a good shot there for a moment, especially when Zach's eyes had unmistakably glazed over at the sight of her panties.

But she'd lost momentum. Probably when she'd become stupid with lust. Well, no more. She needed to stop wanting to eat him up on the spot and get down to business.

"First of all, it's the middle of the damn night," her bother told her.

As if she didn't know!

"And second of all," he continued. "It's not like I … get a 'conquest' every night of the week."

"So it's difficult for you, too. Maybe it runs in the family?"

He swore again, more colorfully now. "Listen, just tell him. Say, 'I want you'. Have you tried that?"

Well … no, actually. She hadn't.

But she would.

*

Zach suddenly came awake. He lay there, unsure how much time had passed or what had awakened him. Then came a rustling, the sound of a drawer opening. Blinking his still bleary eyes open into the moonlit room, he saw the slight shadow of Hannah rifling through a drawer.

It was two in the morning.

"Hannah?"

"Oh!" She nearly jerked right out of her skin. Whirling, she put a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry! Did I wake you?"

"What's the matter?"

"L-looking for sweats," she said, her teeth chattering. "I'm frozen."

She wore only a white T-shirt that fell to mid-thigh. Her feet were bare, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She looked small and vulnerable. Defenseless. All of which had every protective urge in him out in force.

Damn.

"Come here," he said, and lifted the edge of his covers.

She came, but then hesitated, looking down at him.

"I'm warm," he said gently, thankful she couldn't see how "warm".

"But you told me not to look at you in … that way, and if I come in there, I'm going to do exactly that."

Thank God for the dark. "I'll try not to notice. Come on, it's okay."