Be With Me(32)

“I’l be across the hal if you need me,” he said softly as he moved away from the bed.

He paused at the door and flipped the light off.

She burrowed deeper into the cool sheets and embraced the warm glow of the painkil er.

An hour later she was staring at the ceiling wondering why she hadn’t entered the fuzzy, narcotic coma. She was, instead, wide awake. And feeling oddly alone. The ice had melted, and she removed the soggy bag from her wrist.

She turned on her side and stared at her closed door. Were they asleep? Were they even in bed yet?

Or were they downstairs hanging out in the living room?

The distance between them sucked. Before, she wouldn’t have given any thought to joining them, hanging out and enjoying their company. Now she worried that she’d give them the wrong idea, not that she was even sure what that was exactly.

How could she give them the wrong idea when they were already rooted in their expectations?

Despite the presence of the medication, her wrist throbbed. She flexed it experimental y and cradled it in her other hand. She flopped onto her back again and resumed staring at the ceiling.

After counting the dots in the textured paint a dozen times, she gave up on the idea of sleep and glanced over at the bedside clock. Midnight.

With a disgusted sigh, she threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She held her wrist to her chest and put her other hand on the edge to push herself up. Despite her state of wakefulness, when she stood, the room spun.

Careful to keep her footing, she shuffled over to the door and opened it. When she stepped into the hal , it was dark. No light filtered up the stairs from the living room.

She glanced left toward Hutch’s bedroom and then across the hal to Cam’s. Both doors were closed with no light on. Her gaze wandered right to Sawyer’s room, and she saw a faint beam shining underneath the door.

She took a hesitant step forward, putting her hand on the wal to brace herself. Her fingers slid over the surface as she slowly made her way to Sawyer’s door.

She stopped when her hand brushed over the knob. Her teeth grazed her lower lip as she vacil ated about whether to go in or not. Sil y. She was being ridiculous. In the past, she wouldn’t have thought twice about approaching Sawyer. As much as she preached not wanting things to change, it was she who was changing everything.

With a sigh, she squared her shoulders and quietly turned the knob. She eased open the door and peered inside. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Sawyer, naked, rubbing a towel over his head. The muscles rippled in his back, and his arms bulged as he worked them over his head.

He tossed the towel aside and turned slightly. That was when he caught sight of her. He jerked around, and then as if realizing his nudity, he swiveled back just as quickly and yanked up the towel.

“I’m sorry,” she stammered out. “I’l go. I didn’t mean to barge in on you like this.”

“No, Reggie, don’t go.” Sawyer held his hand out while using his other to hold the towel tightly around his hips. “Just give me a second.” He looked rapidly around. “Here, sit down on the bed. I’l be right back.” He walked over and touched her tentatively, curled his fingers around her shoulder and guided her toward the bed. He held up a finger as she sank onto the mattress.

“I’l be just a minute. Stay right there.” He hurried into the adjoining bathroom then came right back out, a grimace on his face. He yanked up a pair of shorts and a T-shirt then returned to the bathroom again.

She sat there in awkward silence until a few minutes later, when he appeared in the doorway, now dressed. He walked toward her and then settled on the bed beside her. He pulled one leg up and angled himself so that he faced her.

“You okay?” he asked.

The concern in his voice made her smile. “I’m fine.

I just couldn’t sleep. I wondered if anyone was stil up.”

“The painkil er not working? Do I need to get you another?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. A little woozy even. I guess I just had a lot on my mind, and I wanted some company.”

“I’m glad you came looking for me then,” he said.

“Want to crawl up in bed and watch a movie? Or we can watch the replay of the last UFC fight.” She frowned. “What kind of movies you got? They aren’t Cam’s or Hutch’s, are they?”

Sawyer laughed then cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “You know better. Al I have are the action flicks where they blow shit up al over the place.”

“Rock on. You choose. I’m gonna go steal your pil ow.”

He grinned. “I’ve missed you, sweetness.” She pulled a face. “Don’t ruin it by cal ing me sweet.”

He brushed a hand across her cheek. “I have an insatiable sweet tooth, but then you know that.” For once she didn’t back away. She didn’t tuck tail and run. She met his gaze and truly looked into his eyes. Breathing was hard when she saw the intensity simmering in his blue eyes.

Then she looked down. Despite her best effort, she couldn’t prevent the guilt from creeping up her spine.

“What is it?” he asked. “What’s going on in your head, Reggie?”

She fiddled with her brace. “Am I supposed to feel guilty for being in here with you while Hutch and Cam are asleep a few doors down?”