LITMIR.BIZ

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to glance around her. “Just tell me where to sleep and I’ll get out of your way.”

      “My room’s through there,” he said, pushing away from the door and pointing to a door on the far side of the long room.

      “Uh-huh. Where’s mine?”

      He smiled. “With me.”

      “Now wait a damn minute,” Debbie said, shaking her head. “I didn’t agree to—”

      “Dial it down, Deb,” he cut her off quickly. “Like I said, it’s been a long day. I’m tired. I’m not arguing with you about this.”

      “Fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

      “Don’t have one.” He started across the room, moonlight playing on his bare skin like a lover’s touch.

      “Don’t have a—” She took a quick look. Chairs. Dozens of chairs sprinkled around the wide room, clustered in conversation groups, but no sofa. “What kind of a person doesn’t have a sofa?”

      “Me. Now come on.”

      “I’m not sharing your bed, Gabe.”

      “To sleep, Deb.” He opened his bedroom door and scowled at her. “And you damn well are. I’m too tired to go chasing you across the island if you should try to escape.”

      “I’m not going to escape.”

      “Damn straight, you’re not. Now come on.”

      Her insides squirmed uneasily. Sharing a bed with Gabe had not been a part of this deal. But she wasn’t sure how to get out of it and, damn it, she was tired, too. After all, he hadn’t been the one trying to sleep on a narrow, lumpy cot in a jail cell for the past several hours.

      She started across the room, keeping her gaze fixed with his. “No false moves.”

      He choked out a short laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, babe. You’re not that hot.”

      “Thanks very much.”

      “No more talking. Sleep now. Talk tomorrow.”

      “Fine.”

      She stepped into his bedroom and almost sighed. The room was huge, with an empty fireplace on one wall, a set of French doors leading to a wide stone terrace on another and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on a third. An open doorway led to what must be the bathroom, and moonlight drifted in through the terrace doors, laying an invitation across a bed as big as a football field.

      Every cell in Debbie’s body groaned in anticipation. But as Gabe walked around the edge of the bed to the left side, she swallowed hard. He pushed those silk pajama bottoms down and off and stood there naked, watching her.

      “Do you mind?” she said quickly, turning her gaze away, but not before her mouth went dry and her stomach did a quick spin and lurch. God, he was still gorgeous.

      “You’ve seen me naked before.”

      “Yeah, but do you have to be naked now?”

      He laughed, got into the bed and pulled the white duvet up over his hips. “Like I said, I’m tired. Now get into bed and go to sleep.”

      “I can’t sleep with you naked.”

      “And I can’t sleep with me in clothes. Guess who I’m more worried about.”

      “No guess required,” she muttered, and walked around to the other side of the immense mattress. Stepping out of her sandals, Debbie thought seriously about sleeping in her clothes, but then decided that would be stupid. It wasn’t as if Gabe was even interested in her. And if he did make a move, she could stop him.

      Would stop him.

      So keeping her eyes averted, she undid the button and zipper on her shorts and slipped out of them, letting them fall to the hardwood floor. Then she sat on the bed and swung her legs up.

      “That’s it?” he asked in a low-pitched grumble. “You’re gonna sleep in your shirt and bra?”

      “I’m very comfortable,” she lied, laying her head down on a feather pillow that felt like heaven.

      “Right. Whatever.” He blew out a breath, rolled to one side and warned, “Don’t try to leave the room, Deb. I’m a light sleeper.”

      “I remember,” she said softly into the silvery darkness. Whether he heard her or not, she couldn’t be sure. And a moment or two later, she didn’t care. She fell into sleep like a rock dropping into a well.

      Three

      Debbie sighed in her sleep, rolled onto her side and cuddled into the warm, hard body beside her. Her head nestled in the curve of a strong shoulder, she kept her eyes closed despite the wash of light she sensed beyond her eyelids.

      Morning, and she wasn’t ready to get up and go to work. Her mind drifted, focused and drifted again. She was just so comfortable she didn’t want to think about moving just yet. She’d much rather—

      “Comfy?”

      She knew that voice.

      Her eyes flew open even as she practically flew back and away from Gabe’s warm, naked body. Amusement colored his features but something deeper flashed in his eyes. Hunger. She recognized it because it was sputtering into dancing flames inside her own body.

      “What were you doing?” she demanded, shoving one hand through her hair while she scooted back to the edge of the mattress.

      “Sleeping. What were you doing?” One corner of his mouth quirked into a half smile that tugged at Debbie’s insides just as it once had.

      God, ten years and he could still make her quiver with a look. What was it about him that she’d never found in anyone else? And how was she going to stay close to him without getting close to him?

      What a mess.

      “Nothing,” she muttered thickly. “I wasn’t doing anything I was just—nothing.” She slipped out of bed, grabbed up the shorts she’d taken off the night before and tugged them up over her white lace panties. She didn’t feel safe until she had those shorts zipped and buttoned.

      For heaven’s sake, she’d been practically laying on top of the man. All cuddled in like she belonged in his arms. He’d felt strong and warm and…safe. But hey, a person couldn’t be held responsible for what they did in their sleep, could they?

      He propped himself up on one elbow and the thick white duvet fell down his body to puddle just at his hips. Debbie closed her eyes tight and prayed he wouldn’t move any more. She just wasn’t up to another peek at a naked Gabe.

      He grinned then, as if he knew just what she was thinking.

      “If you’re interested in a little morning wake-up, all you have to do is say so.”

      “I’m not interested, but thanks for the generous offer,” she quipped, and hoped to heaven her voice didn’t sound as shaky as it felt. “That—” she waved one hand at him “—didn’t mean anything and you don’t have to look so pleased with yourself.” She swung her hair back from her face and tried to look a lot more self-controlled than she felt at the moment. “I was sleeping. Didn’t realize that was you next to me and—”

      “Ah.” He interrupted her again and threw back the duvet in one easy motion.

      Debbie swallowed hard, but refused to close her eyes. She wasn’t going to let him know that his nudity bothered her.

      Man, he looked really good.

      “So what you’re saying,” he continued as he stood and stretched lazily, “is that in your sleep, you’ll snuggle up to whatever warm body’s available?”

      “Yes.” She frowned, distracted by the play of golden sunlight over his bronzed, rippled chest and abdomen and his

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