An Act of Persuasion(42)

How humbling. “It’s only four in the afternoon. We’re pathetic.”

“We’re a pair of wimps. Deal with it.”

He would. Because the prospect of getting to spend more time with her after he woke up was enticing. They could eat dinner together. He liked eating dinner with her. It felt right to him, and since she’d been gone, nothing he’d eaten had tasted as good as when he was with her. The Reuben sandwich he’d had while he watched her eat her grilled cheese sandwich...delicious.

Decision made, he moved past her into her tidy apartment. The purple couch was going to be a problem.

He pointed to it. “It’s too small for me.”

“You can take the bed. I’ll take the couch. It’s where I usually nap anyway.”

Her bed. Her sheets, her pillows, her scent. The thought made him groan inwardly. He would smell her again. He hadn’t really gotten to smell her since that night. Maybe a little when he’d hugged her after she broke down sobbing, but that hadn’t been enough. Not nearly enough. And when he’d been kissing her, all he’d paid attention to was the feel of her. This would be different.

Lying in her bed would be like she was surrounding him and he wondered if he would be able to sleep at all or if he would suffer endless memories of their bodies intermingled.

“Let’s be clear. This is not a nap.”

Her lips curled as she clearly struggled to keep from laughing at him. “Sorry, I forgot. Big bad Ben Tyler doesn’t nap. The bedroom is over there. There is a blanket on the bed you can use. With the AC on high you’ll need it.”

Ben walked to the room and stepped inside what was decidedly her territory. He considered it a positive sign that she trusted him with this space. The queen-size bed was neatly made, and on the end of it was an old-fashioned-looking throw blanket that appeared to have been hand knitted. Something a grandmother might make her, if she had a grandmother.

“Make sure you take off your shoes,” she called to him.

Ben eyed the bed again. Her bed and he knew suddenly that he didn’t want to sleep in it alone. “Come in here. Please.”

His words weren’t loud but his message carried. She leaned against the door, her shoes already removed. The sight of her painted toes made her seem vulnerable to him and he had this vague image of what she would look like with her belly swollen and full.

Barefoot and pregnant and beautiful, he mused. He chose not to share that thought with her.

“Did you need something?”

You. “The bed is plenty big enough. We should both sleep here. It will be more comfortable for both of us.”

She gave him that look he was coming to know too well. The hell-no face.

“Anna, as you already pointed out, we’re both exhausted. Nothing sexual is going to happen and this makes more sense. Besides, if this does work between us, we will be sharing a bed in the future. We should get used to sleeping together.”

She said nothing, but he could see she was at least considering his suggestion. Hoping to convince her without words, he kicked off his loafers and placed them at the foot of the bed. He’d worn khakis and a polo shirt for their date. Not the most inspiring outfit, but he’d thought jeans would be too informal. He’d wanted her to know that he considered their date a very serious occasion. Lying down, he unfolded the blanket and then made room for her beside him.

“I sleep on the right.”

Instantly he moved over to the left side. She wore only a loose cotton dress that fell to her knees. Moving to her side of the bed cautiously, as if he might try to pounce, she awkwardly lowered herself as he tossed the blanket around her shoulders.

There was approximately two feet of space and a mile of unresolved stuff between them. But Ben still thought it was progress.

After a few minutes of stillness, Ben finally conceded maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea. They both needed to sleep, but their tense bodies wouldn’t let them.

“This is weird,” she mumbled.

“I sense that. I’m not sure why.”

“It’s really...intimate. I mean, we’re sleeping in the same bed.”

“Anna, I’ve been inside your body. We’ve made a child together. I’m not sure that sleeping together while fully clothed should be considered more intimate.”

“Probably not. But it is.”

He sighed then moved closer to her. Wrapping his hand around her waist he pulled her back against his chest and tucked her into the curve of his body. She resisted at first, but when he settled on the pillow next to her, he could feel her starting to relax.