Page 46 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t move away anymore either. I stare directly into those brown eyes I could get lost in forever, so she knows how serious I am.

“I want to sleep with you more than pretty much anything else in the world.”

“And by sleeping, you mean?” she asks.

The side of my mouth quirks up. “Either, both…”

A slight blush creeps up her neck, but her face stays composed.

“I just don’t know if I can let myself go there.”

“Because you’re scared?” she asks gently, no hint of mocking in her tone.

Terrified is more like it.I just nod.

“For your own heart and for Evelyn’s.”

Of course she gets it. Why does she have to be so fucking perfect?I can barely swallow, let alone answer her, so again I just nod.

She blinks a few times, clearly thinking something through.Please don’t leave. Please don’t leave.

“Can we just cuddle for a while and talk? That’s it. No expectations of sex or a lifelong commitment.” She grins at me.

Her comment doesn’t hold the humor she expects it to, though, because I’m not afraid of committing to someone for the rest of my life. I’m afraid of them not being able to do the same in return.

“Yeah, we can do that,” I say, glancing down at her jeans. “Do you want something else to wear?”

“Just one of your T-shirts would be great.”

I walk over to my dresser and grab one of my favorite band tees that I’ve had for years. Turning around, I find her leaning against the side of my bed.

“Here.” I hand her the shirt.

I quickly change into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Hadley is standing there in only a pair of gray underwear with lace trim and a simple light pink bra. My brain goes blank because holy hell, she’s stunning.

She grabs the shirt off the bed, then sets it back down. “Are you okay if I take my bra off?” she asks. “I hate sleeping in it.”

Do I mind?No. Hell no. Take it off… please.

“Go ahead. I’ll turn around.” I spin around, facing the closet.

I close my eyes and try to think of anything other than what she looks like without her bra on—and I try my darndest not to get hard in my sweatpants with hardly any way to conceal it.

“Done,” she says from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I take in the sight of her in my shirt.

I thought seeing her in my flannel when we were leaving the bar was a turn-on. This is something else entirely.

This is the sight I want to wake up to every morning. Her messy hair falling around her face, toned tan legs on display under the shirt.Mmmm…

I internally groan, moving to the side of the bed I usually sleep on because my mind and my heart are not on the same page at all right now.

I slide under the covers, turning on my side to face her as she does the same thing. We lie far enough apart that we aren’t touching at all, but I can still feel her body heat under the blanket.

“I understand why you’re scared,” she says, diving right in. “If I’m being honest, I think it makes me even more attracted to you, the way you’re so protective of yourself and of Evelyn.”

My eyebrows scrunch together as I stare at her.She can’t be serious.

“I mean it. I love that you would do anything to protect her.”