“I’ll go.” He reached for the blanket. She caught him. The warmth of her touch sent a wave of emotion to his chest.
She studied his face then glanced at the bedside clock. “You look beat again. You don’t sleep but a couple of hours a night.”
“Thanks to you,” he said.
“How do I stop you from sleeping?” She moved her hand from his arm.
“You don’t stop me. You help me.” He wished he hadn’t said that, because he could tell from her look that he would have to explain. “Since Keith’s death I haven’t slept worth a damn. I’d doze, but never really sleep until that night in your hotel.”
“I put you to sleep.” Humor laced her voice. “Just what every woman wants to hear.”
He grinned. “You do a hell of a lot more than put me to sleep.” Damn, even draped in Mickey Mouse flannel, she brought erotic images to his mind. More than that, she looked…right in his bed.
She must have noticed him eyeing the pajamas. “Your sister loaned them to me.”
He grinned. “You wore Mickey Mouse the first time I saw you.”
“And I didn’t think men noticed a woman’s wardrobe,” she said.
He grinned guiltily. “It was the ears.”
“The ears?”
“They jiggled.” He chuckled.
“The ears?” Her eyes got wide. “Oh, you are terrible.” She gave his chest a thump and he caught her hand and held it against him.
They just stared at each other. She finally spoke. “I accidently knocked over the files on your dresser. I noticed Stan’s name on it, and I leafed through it. I saw the photos of the band members.” She slipped her soft palm from under his.
There were no secrets in the file, so he didn’t mind her seeing it. “Not exactly bedtime reading.”
“It was awful. Did you actually see the bodies?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, but wanted the subject closed.
She let go of a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That you would have to look at that. No one should have to see that.”
He stared into her beautiful eyes and realized for all the evil existing in this world, in her eyes was just the opposite. “Somebody has to deal with it.”
“I guess.” Her words whispered over him, followed by the sweet brush of her fingers as she pushed his hair from his forehead. He closed his eyes and thought about those gentle fingers moving over other places. His body grew hard, then her hand pulled away, and he wanted to beg her to touch him again.
“Anyone ever told you that you look like Burt Reynolds?”
He looked at her. “Yeah. I’ve heard that once or twice.”
She grinned and her smile was the most precious thing he’d ever seen. Innocent like a child’s, yet sexy like a woman’s. And tonight it was the woman he needed.
“My mom had a serious crush on Burt Reynolds.” Her voice came out wispy.
“What about you? Does he do it for you?”
Her smile quivered, her eyelids lowered. When they fluttered back up, he saw the answer in the warmth of her gaze. Brit knew he was a goner. And he’d never been happier.
“He’s okay,” she teased.
“Just okay?” He reached across and tucked a lock of blond hair behind her ear. Then he traced his finger down her neck. “You don’t find him just a little irresistible?”
She moistened her lips. “I should let you sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep.” He slid closer until his jeans-covered knee brushed up against flannel. If she’d flinched, given him one sign that she didn’t want this, he’d have backed off. “What do you want?” Her voice rang soft and willing.
He moistened his lips. “This.”
He tasted her mouth, ran his tongue across her bottom lip, telling himself he would stop after a kiss. It was the biggest bold-faced lie he’d ever told himself. But damn it, he wanted her. No, it went deeper than want. He needed her. Her touches, her smiles, her pleases, and thank yous.
She suddenly jerked back and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Toothpaste!”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“You taste like toothpaste.” She spit out the words from behind her hand, when she really wanted to spit. Then the humor of it hit.
“You don’t like the taste of toothpaste?”
She giggled and looked sexy as hell doing it.
She moved her hand. “Please tell me you didn’t brush your teeth. I thought I hid it.”
“Why?”
“You don’t have a garbage can in your bathroom, so I hid it in the back of a drawer.”
“Why would you hide my toothbrush?”
She bit down on her lip. “Because you shouldn’t use that toothbrush. Ever. Never again.”
He studied her. “Why?”
“It…had a little accident and it went into the toilet.”
“In the toilet?” He chuckled. “Well, lucky for you, I couldn’t find my toothbrush, but I had an extra one under the cabinet.” He paused and saw the devilish grin brightening her eyes. “How did my toothbrush end up in the toilet?”
She made a funny face. “It was an accident and. . .” She made another funny face and bit down on her lip.
“And what?” He leaned in again.