Page 54 of Hideaway Heart

“Thanks.” Tossing the pillow to the floor, I opened the closet and pulled a thick fleece blanket from the shelf. Then I lay down on the rug between the dresser and the foot of the bed, spreading the blanket over my legs and tucking the pillow behind my head. “Night,” I said.

“Night,” she whispered back.

For a few minutes, I just lay there staring at the ceiling, listening to the steady hum of the rain on the roof, punctuated by the occasional rumble of thunder.

“Xander.”

“What?”

“This is silly.” She crawled to the foot of the bed and peeked down at me. “Just come up here.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You can’t be comfortable down there.”

“My comfort isn’t the issue.”

“Come on, we can put all the pillows between us. The Great Wall. The Iron Curtain. Want me to see if there’s some barbed wire lying around?”

“Yes.”

A piercing crack split the air, followed by a roar of thunder that made the floor growl beneath me.

Kelly thumped the mattress. “Get up here, you big lummox. Or I’m coming down there.”

Exhaling, I said a quick prayer asking for strength, then sat up. “Start building the wall.” I grabbed my pillow and walked around to the empty side of the bed.

She placed pillows in a line down the center of the bed, on top of the covers. “There. See? You have your side, I have mine.” She lay back and pulled the sheet up to her chin.

“You decent under there?”

“Define decent.”

“Pajamas. Top and bottom.”

She peeked under the covers. “Then I’m halfway decent.”

I groaned. “What do you have against pants?”

She laughed. “Xander, I’m all the way over here! My leg isn’t going to stray beyond the wall. And you’re all covered up with sweatsanda T-shirt. Just get in.”

Taking the edge of the sheet in my hand, I hesitated before peeling it back. Because I knew—Iknew—that if I got into that bed with her, something was going to happen. A fucking line of pillows wasn’t going to stop me.

I got in anyway.

Laying on my back, I pulled the sheet to my waist and put my arms at my sides, stiff as a mummy. “Happy?”

“Yes.” She rolled onto her side and propped her head in her hand. “Now let’s stay up late and tell each other secrets.”

“I told you, I don’t have secrets.”

“Oh, that’s right. Xander Buckley: no secrets, no fears. Just telling it like it is.”

“That’s me.”

“You should put that on a T-shirt. XB merch.”

“Maybe I will. I could sell it at the bar.” I stuck my hands behind my head.