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“Fuck.” I rub my hand over my face to wake up a little. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was more comfortable here than I have been anywhere else in a long time.” Nolan’s expression is so open that I know without a doubt he’s telling the truth.
Cody is curled up on his side, his head cradled in Nolan’s lap. “I should get him to bed.” I reach out a hand to wake him up, but Nolan stops me.
“I can carry him if you lead the way.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise. “Thanks. It’s just the first door on the right.”
Nolan carefully slips out from underneath Cody. He turns to slide his arms under Cody’s knees and back, lifting him as if he weighs nothing. I usually have to wake him up to get him into bed. He’s much too heavy for me to lift on my own anymore.
I walk in front of Nolan, leading him to Cody’s room. I turn to watch him step through the doorway, my son safely tucked against Nolan’s chest. Something inside me clenches at the sight of them together.
Nolan gently lays Cody on his bed. “I’ll let you get him comfortable,” he whispers.
I’m not able to speak through the lump in my throat, so I nod instead. Nolan kisses my temple and then leaves. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This shouldn’t make me as emotional as it is. I’m being ridiculous.
I grab some pj’s out of Cody’s dresser and quickly get him changed, grinning at how he doesn’t even stir as I go. It’s only after I get him tucked under the covers that his eyes start to flicker open.
“Mommy?”
“Go back to sleep, my love.”
“Tell Nolan I had fun tonight,” he murmurs with sleep in his voice.
“I will, baby. Good night.” I press a kiss to his forehead and walk out of his room, leaving the door open a crack. I head back to the living room to find Nolan standing in front of my built-in bookshelves.
He turns to look at me over his shoulder. “Do you have a favorite?”
My face heats. I don’t want to tell him that I read about girls getting railed by monsters. Then again, even the non-monster smut would still be embarrassing to share with the guy I’m starting to have feelings for.
“I have multiple favorites.” Avoidance at its best.
“Oh, you have Tilly’s book. Did you like it?” He pulls it off the shelf, and I squeak. My hand shoots out to stop him from opening it, but it’s too late.
Nolan’s eyes widen and shoot to mine. “Well, well, well. Who knew Tilly Areneto was such a dirty bird?”
“Stop it!” I snatch the postcard out of his hands. Ellie drew some character art for Tilly’s book, and a couple of them are… let’s just say they are not suitable for work. This one in particular depicts the hero eating his woman out as if it’s his last meal on Earth.
“So that’s why your face got all red when I asked if you had a favorite. Now you have to tell me.”
“Why?”
“Then I can read it and know what you like most.”
Warmth flows through me at the idea of Nolan reading my favorite book, purely because I like it best. I bite my bottom lip, waffling between being honest or making something up. The look in his eyes gives me the courage I need.
“This one is my favorite.” I grab a shifter romance that kept me up all night wanting to finish. Not only is the story addicting, but the way the man loves his mate is something I’ve always dreamed of experiencing. Granted, I’m a realist and know no man would ever come close to loving me the way a fictional character loves his woman.
“Can I borrow it, then, or shall I take a picture?”
“You can take a picture. No way am I letting you take one of my precious books from my shelf.”
Nolan grins. “Fair enough.” He pulls out his phone and takes a picture of the book. Then he carefully slides it back from where I grabbed it. He turns toward me, his palms sliding down my arms to grab my hands. He lifts them to his mouth and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “Thank you for a fun night.”
I raise an eyebrow. “It’s not exactly what you’d planned.”
“No, but I still had a great time.”
