Blind Date(54)

"It's going to be okay, Hartley," he murmurs into my hair. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

I hiccup again.

"I know you're afraid, I know you're carrying around something nobody can understand, but I need you to trust me."

A nod. Then another hiccup.

"You have to be strong. You have to keep it together. This is what he wants. This is him trying to break you. Do not let him break you. You've been through what is, without a doubt, the hardest thing any person can endure in life-losing someone you love. You got through that, and you carried on with your life. Don't let him win now." 

Don't let him win now.

Don't let him win.

I nod and mindlessly press my lips to Ace's chest. The cotton of his shirt meets them, making me realize what I just did. I jerk back and look up at him. He's studying me, and the look on his face is one I can't read. It's soft, yet it holds the same broodiness it always has, but it's what's behind his eyes that captures me. Affection. I can see it, so very clearly. A deep affection. A deep affection aimed at me.

"I won't let him win," I croak.

He nods, but those eyes stay locked on mine. "Good girl."

He lifts me off his lap, and I want to whine and cling to him, but I don't. I let him carefully move me and place me down onto the soft mattress we're sitting on. I tuck the towel around me, and only now realize he just saw me naked. My cheeks burn at the thought, and I stand on shaky legs and move to my closet, grabbing a pair of cotton shorts and a tank.

I duck into the bathroom, get changed, brush my hair and teeth, and then slip back out. Ace is still sitting on my bed, and he's studying the note I dropped in the hall when I had my little meltdown. I join him back on the bed, staring at the letter in his hands. "That handwriting is identical to Raymond's."

Ace nods. "It isn't hard for people to learn how to copy someone's handwriting, it's how people forge signatures. Now come on, you need to take your mind off it."

"I'm sorry, about all of this. I've had a really bad night. There is a girl at work and she just made my night miserable."

"Did you put her name on the list of people for me to check out?"

I nod. "Yes. She did say something about me being entitled because I lost my husband. Do you think she might have something to do with this?"

Ace shrugs. "It could be anyone, or it could be a perfect stranger. Either way, I'll look into her."

I nod, tucking my legs up to my chest. A long, drawn-out yawn escapes my throat. I'm so tired. I'm starting to wonder when the last time I had a decent sleep was.

"You need to get some sleep," Ace says, studying me, tucking the note into his pocket.

"I can't," I whisper. "I try and try, but I just can't sleep. Even if you're in my house, even if Taylor is  …  I just can't sleep."

He nods and then stands, pulling his shirt from the top of his pants. I watch, my mouth slightly agape, as he pulls it over his head and tosses it on the floor. Then he makes light work of his pants, stripping down until he's wearing only his boxer briefs. "Which is your side?"

I blink.

He stares at me expectantly. "Which is your side, Hartley?"

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

"I'm getting into this bed, so I can get some sleep. I could sleep for a year with the shifts I've been working, and you're afraid, so it's a win-win. Now which side is yours?"

"You're going to  …  sleep  …  with me?"

He gives me that impatient look. "I'm not going to touch you, or try anything, I'm just going to be in here, because I know you'll sleep if I am."

I swallow.

Ace. In my bed.

In my bed.

Oh God.

"Isn't that against the rules or something?"

He raises his brows. "Since when do you care about the rules, and I'm off duty. Right now, we're just friends."

"We're friends?"

He makes an impatient sound and looks to the ceiling. Only after a few seconds of deep breathing, does he glance back down at me. "Are you going to ask questions all night, or are you going to let me get some sleep?"


      ///
       
         
       
        

"Right," I whisper. "I sleep on the left."

He nods, moving around to the right side of the bed, tossing the covers back, and sliding in. I stand at the end of the bed, lamely, just glancing down at him. He tucks his hands up behind his head, and then looks at me. "Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to get in?"

I swallow.