AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I will.”
I look up to see Grayson give Murphy a pat on the head before leaving.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
The weight of the day settles onto my shoulders as he leads me to the master bedroom. My eyelids start to feel heavy, but all the while my mind is racing. I’m staying inhisbedroom.
“You don’t have a guest bedroom?” I ask as I sit down on his large bed.
The bed frame is a dark wood that reminds me of a whiskey barrel, strong and masculine yet not modern. All of his pillows and blankets are a crisp white, but the kind that reminds you more of a cloud than a hotel bed. I instantly fall in love with the space and its cozy essence.
“No, I converted my spare bedroom into a home gym. Are you okay to stay here or do you want to go back to your house?”
“Here is okay.”
I’m suddenly too tired to consider going anywhere else. I slide my shoes off and burrow into the covers. The large, downy comforter smells like him–fresh and clean with a touch of spice. There’s a chance I hum after taking a deep breath in. If I do, it’s because of the concussion, not because I’m trying to commit this feeling to memory.
“I’ll wake you in two hours,” Adrian murmurs. As I’m drifting off, I think I feel a brush of lips against my forehead, but I can’t be sure.
Chapter twenty-seven
Adrian Carter
Julietteissleepinginmy bed.I rake a hand through my hair before checking the time on my watch again. It’s almost ten at night now. She’s been in and out of sleep since we got back from the hospital. I’ve been waking her up every two hours to ask her questions, but a while ago she padded into my living room with bedhead and a sleepy smile that had my stomach in knots.
I made her a grilled cheese sandwich while she sat on my couch. When I sat down beside her to eat it was as if my world stopped and began to rearrange itself. The images of my future shifted to fit her. At first, it was just picturing us eating together like this often. But suddenly, when I thought of Christmas, she was there, twinkling lights shining in her green eyes. When I thought of one of my brothers getting married, she was the one I spun around the dance floor at their reception.
For the first time, I had hope for a future that wouldn’t be spent by myself. It made panic claw at my chest for a moment, but after hearing Juliette giggle when Murphy nudged my plate–all my fear dissipated. It made me want to grab the letter off my dining room table and drop it in her hands. But it didn’t seem fair to give it to her after all she went through today. I don’t want her to feel like I’m taking advantage of the state she’s in.
Which brings me to my current predicament. Standing outside of my bedroom door. I’m exhausted, and my couch is far from long enough for me to comfortably sleep on. So that leaves me with the floor … or the other side of my king bed. I’m being idiotic. We’re both adults. We can sleep on opposite sides of the bed without it being awkward. I’ll be more comfortable and it’ll be easier to check on her when my alarm goes off.
I take a deep breath and push open my bedroom door. Juliette is sleeping soundly in a puddle of moonlight, her head peeking out of the top of my comforter. I kneel beside the bed, gazing at her peaceful expression. Each time I’ve had to wake her today I’ve been struck by her beauty as if I’m seeing it for the first time.
My fingertips brush back her hair as I whisper, “Jules.” Her lips part and a wave of desire rises deep in my abdomen. “Jules, wake up.” I nudge her shoulder gently and she stirs, her face scrunching up before she blinks her eyes open. Her irises are dark in the shadows of my room, the green turning inky black in the low light.
“I’m awake,” she croaks.
“How are you feeling?” I push up off the floor to stand and help her sit up in the bed. This has been our routine since we got back. Wake her, sit up, check in, then let her go back to sleep if she wants.
“I’m okay, my throat is dry,” she rasps and I reach for the water on my nightstand. Her fingers brush mine as she takes it from me. The darkness of the room adds to every touch and sends tingles rushing from my fingertips up my arm.
“Thank you,” she says after she takes a sip.
“Do you have a headache? Are you nauseous?”
“No, I’m alright, besides being annoyed at this whole every two hours stuff.” She rolls her eyes, then cringes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t complain. You’re waking up too.”
“Well, I haven’t gone to sleep yet.” I clear my throat. “The couch is too small for me to sleep on, so I was thinking I’d sleep in here. If that makes you uncomfortable though, I can make a pallet on the floor.”
“Oh.” She bites her lip and looks down at the comforter bunched around her legs. “Of course that’s okay. There’s plenty of space for …” she trails off, swallowing before speaking again. “Both of us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes?” Her answer comes out like a question. She tries again. “Yes. I’m sure.”
“Okay, good.”
I walk around the bed and slide under the covers. There’s ample space between us, but when I turn on my side to face Juliette it feels as though we’re centimeters apart. Her eyes shine in the low light and when I focus on her I can make out the curve of her lips and line of her neck. An urge to trace that line with more than my eyes burns hot and fast through me.
