I Only Have Eyes for You (The Sullivans #4)(29)

He looked up at her from where he was kneeling by her now bare feet, his eyes an unfathomable near-black. “Then I’ll stay with you.”

She swallowed hard, suddenly realizing his intent—and just what she’d signed herself up for.

Not just seven days, but seven nights.

Oh God.

He got up and went to the bathroom, but was back in seconds. “There’s a new toothbrush beside the sink. I’ll be back soon.”

Sophie knew she could put her shoes back on and leave, that she didn’t have to go into his bathroom and brush her teeth before slipping into his bed. But she also knew Jake well enough to know that if she did that, he’d just follow her.

He wouldn’t care about pounding on her apartment door loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood before she let him in. Not when he was so incredibly possessive, clearly wanting to take over her life by doing things like forcing her to eat dinner. It didn’t matter that she’d been hungry enough to eat a horse. She didn’t want anyone telling her what to do.

Especially not him.

But the craziest thing of all was that, instead of only being mad about his domineering behavior, she was aroused by it at the same time. So much so that she couldn’t stop her old favorite daydream from playing in her head, the one where Jake’s hard muscles were pinning her to the bed and he was looking down at her telling her exactly what he was going to do to her. And she was dying for it.

She shoved herself off the bed and went into the bathroom. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She ranted at herself the entire way across the carpet to the tiled floor.

Her stupidity had already gotten her into this mess. She didn’t need to compound it further by actually falling for his seven-day “let me convince you I can be there for you and the baby” game. Especially since any guy who kept extra toothbrushes on hand clearly needed them for a parade of women.

Furious at herself, she brushed her teeth hard enough to take off the top layer of enamel, then washed her face. He hadn’t offered her any pajamas and she definitely wasn’t going to get into his bed naked.

Wouldn’t he just love that?

At least, she thought with a small measure of comfort, he didn’t keep women’s pajamas in his house to go with the toothbrushes. She’d never gone through someone else’s things before—Lori was the snoop in their family—but Sophie didn’t feel at all bad about opening his closet to look for a T-shirt. She hated sleeping in her bra, but she needed something to cover her in lieu of the white cotton she had on.

She found a black shirt and as she quickly pulled off her skirt, sweater, and bra, she tried not to appreciate the fact that the shirt smelled like Jake. A clean, masculine smell that went straight to her head.

Hearing footsteps, she all but threw herself onto his bed and beneath the thick covers, only to find his mattress deliciously comfortable. Clearly, from what she’d seen of his house so far, he bought the best for himself. She could only imagine how much a bed like this must have cost.

Oh, but it was worth every single penny.

She hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep a wink in his bed. But it was so comfortable...and she was so tired.

Before she knew it, Sophie’s brain turned off and she was down for the count.

* * *

Jake stood in the doorway, so struck by the picture of Sophie asleep in his bed that he couldn’t actually make his feet move forward. Yet again, he couldn’t do anything but stare at her, watch as her chest rose and fell slowly, her hair spread out across his pillow, her expression so serene.

His chest clenched tighter as he finally moved into the room. Her scent was already everywhere, wrapping around him, winding through him, drawing him closer.

Sixty seconds later he’d stripped his clothes off. All of them.

He wanted her. Badly. He hadn’t just wanted her since the moment he’d found her standing outside his front door, hadn’t just needed her for two and a half months, ever since they’d made love in the rental house in Napa. No, the truth was he’d wanted her so much longer than that.

He pulled back the covers, slid in next to her, and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her into him, her soft curves fitting perfectly against him, her hips a soft, warm cradle for the erection that wouldn’t go away. Jake slid one hand into her long hair, breathing in her sweet scent.

It shouldn’t feel right to have Sophie Sullivan in his bed. But nothing had ever felt quite so right before.

“Good night, princess.” He whispered the words against the top of her head, pressing a soft kiss there. Sleep claimed Jake long before he thought it would, with the one woman he’d never thought he could have safe and warm in his arms.

Chapter Twelve

Sophie felt so safe, so warm, as she floated in that in-between space between sleep and coming completely awake. She knew exactly where she was, knew precisely why she felt so good. Jake was holding her, his arms curled protectively around her shoulders, with one of his hands splayed flat over her stomach beneath the T-shirt as if he were trying to protect more than just her.

And he was completely naked.

She could feel the rigid flesh of his erection against the small of her back, the hairs on his thighs against the smooth skin of her legs, and as desire swiftly stole through her, she couldn’t stop her half-asleep body from wanting to get even closer.

She’d assumed night would be her enemy, those dark hours during the seven days she’d promised. But now she knew it didn’t matter whether it was day or night, light or dark.