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“Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’ll lock up and come in and say good night.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Letting go of him was hard but it was made easier by knowing he was actually here. All she had to do was say his name, and he’d be there. Having dreamed of this for years, the reality was more surreal than she’d ever imagined.
She went to the bedroom she’d been using and then winced as she realized something. She had nothing remotely attractive to wear. A few days ago, when she’d packed for her trip, she had thrown in a couple pairs of her oldest, most comfortable pajamas. They were fine when she was alone, but now that they were the only nightwear she owned, she wished she’d packed newer, prettier ones.
Yesterday, at Eve’s urging, she’d gone online and ordered some clothes. The OZ operative had insisted that she use Eve’s name and credit card so the purchases couldn’t be traced back to Aubrey. She needed everything, including the most basic things like underwear and nightwear. She’d found some lovely things, but they weren’t due to be delivered until tomorrow. She had nothing remotely pretty to wear tonight.
Shaking her head at the silliness of her thoughts, Aubrey went about getting ready for bed. In the middle of washing her face, she looked in the mirror and thought about what Liam saw when he looked at her. Did she look like he’d pictured her? Did he think she was pretty? Or was he disappointed?
The thoughts were shallow and not exactly the norm for her, but she couldn’t help herself. Whenever she had pictured Lion, she had thought of him as tall, rugged, and handsome. He had lived up to that fantasy and then some. The arms that had held her were rock hard, and his whole body had felt like solid steel.
A knock on the bathroom door told her she’d been spending way too much time daydreaming.
“Be out in a minute.”
Hurriedly she brushed her teeth and threw on the newest of her pajamas. The light blue color went nicely with her skin tone, but the pattern of pink pigs with wings was a little embarrassing. The pj’s had been a gift from Becca, a nod to one of Aubrey’s favorite sayings, When pigs fly.
Since she could do nothing about them, she shrugged and opened the door. Liam stood in the middle of the bedroom. He had changed into a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, and he had taken his shoes off.
“I thought, unless you object, we could both sleep here.” He added with a charming smile no woman in her right mind could resist, “No monkey business, I promise.”
Gladness soared through her heart. “I would like that.”
They got into bed as if they’d been sleeping together for years. If anyone on the outside had seen them, they’d likely think that this was beyond strange, but this felt as perfect and right as anything she’d ever done.
She settled against him and he pulled her even closer.
“No nightmares tonight.”
She looked up at him. “You have them, too?”
“Oh, yeah. About every night. You?”
“Yes.”
“Those days are over.”
“Yes, they are.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
She snuggled deeper into his arms. “You can ask me anything.”
“Do you need to be in a specific place or use special equipment to work on your film?”
“Just my laptop, for the time being. I have a lot of work to do on the script. Once I start editing, I’ll need some additional equipment. Why?”
“Come home with me?”
She didn’t even have to think about it. Home would be wherever this man was. “Yes.”
He kissed her then. Just a small caress of his mouth on hers but it was wonderful, magical. Perfect.
Settling into his arms, she whispered, “Tell me a story.”