“I’m sorry about your friend’s accident, but I’m glad he’ll be okay.”
“I’ve been shot at. I’ve rolled a truck so bad it took them an hour to cut me out of it. But I’ve never been so scared as I was giving Pete CPR. His daughter calls me Uncle Matt, you know. She’s five.”
“And he’s going to go home to her in a few days. That’s what you need to focus on.”
His fingertips bit into her skin. “I know that, but...I’m trying to shake it off, but I’m so damn tired.”
Hailey pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. “Let’s go to bed. Bear’s being spoiled rotten at the Northern Star and nobody’s going to expect you to be at work first thing in the morning.”
She slid off his lap and nudged him sideways until she could crouch in front of him to unlace his boots. Once she had the laces loosened all the way down each, he toed them off and she pushed them aside. But when she took his hands to pull him to his feet, he resisted.
“Maybe I should go home.”
“You really should have made that decision before we got your boots off.”
He didn’t smile. “We’re a bad idea.”
She sighed and squeezed his hands. “Yeah. But we’re friends, you need some comfort and, to be honest, I could use some, too. We can go back to being a bad idea tomorrow.”
After only a moment’s hesitation, he stood and let her lead him through the house. When he stumbled slightly on the stairs, she realized just how tired he was and tightened her hand around his. Whatever adrenaline rush had come with the day’s events and kept him going had definitely left his system
When they reached her room, Matt balked again. He took a couple of steps inside and then stopped, though he didn’t let go of her hand. “I’m exhausted, Hailey. I’ve been sweaty all day, I probably smell like hell. I’m grubby.”
Starting at the top, she undid each of the buttons of his uniform shirt, yanking it out of his pants to undo the bottom few. “Take care of your belt.”
Exhaustion made his hands shake a little as he took care of his gun, setting it on her dresser, and then laying the belt with the rest of its accouterments across the armchair in the corner. When he was done, she slid the shirt off his shoulders to reveal the T-shirt underneath.
“Arms up,” she told him.
“Hailey, I—”
“Yeah, I get it. You’re grubby. I’m going to hold you and I’ll be grubby, too. And then we’ll get the sheets grubby.” She lifted his arms up and then pulled off his T-shirt. “In the morning, we can take showers and I’ll throw the sheets in the washer.”
She bent to pull his pants off, offering her shoulder for support as she removed each sock and pant leg in return. Then she turned down the blanket and sheet.
Hailey figured by the time she turned off the lights and stripped down to her underwear, he’d be snoring, but when she slid into bed, he threw his arm over her and pulled her close.
“You have soft sheets,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I’m getting them dirty.”
She nestled against him, so almost every part of their bodies were touching. The feel of him, so warm and strong, crumbled the foundation of the emotional walls she’d been trying to maintain. “I like you more than I like my sheets.”
“I like you, too, Hailey. More than...”
The mumbling faded away and he was out. She waited, holding her breath, but all that came out of him was a long, soft snore.
Hailey closed her eyes, trying to will her muscles to release the stress of the day, but sleep didn’t come right away. He liked her more than what?
*
MATT WOKE SLOWLY, not wanting to open his eyes. For a few seconds, he wondered why Bear hadn’t nuzzled him to unlock the dog door, but then he remembered.
He was in Hailey’s bed, with her soft, sweet-smelling sheets. He was on his back, while she was on her side, her butt pressed against his hip, but he remembered holding her tightly as he drifted off to sleep.
Emotions churned in his gut, and he sighed as he stared at her ceiling. The last couple days had been an emotional rollercoaster and he wanted off the ride. Thursday night had sucked. He’d let what had happened with Ciara screw with his head and he’d treated Hailey like crap.
Yesterday had been one of his worst days on the job and he’d almost lost a good friend, but then he’d seen Hailey. And being with her—taking her into his arms for comfort—had felt so right.
Now that he’d felt that, he couldn’t stand the thought of her walking away from him again. When she woke up, with the emergency over, she’d remember what an asshole he’d been and throw him out. She’d said herself they could go back to being a bad idea in the morning, and now morning had come.