Page 28 of The Deadbeat DILF
“Alright,” he agreed eventually.
I took my tea to my room, and put the cup down on my nightstand. When I returned to the living room, Robert had folded up the blankets. It wasn’t difficult for us to maneuver the couch down the hallway and into my bedroom, and it fit perfectly near the foot of my bed. Once I closed the door behind us, Brandon and Gemma’s voices were silenced.
I sipped my green tea, my novel in my lap while Robert adjusted the blankets and pillows. While we wouldn’t be sleeping on the same bed, he was rather close. Close enough to hear each other’s breathing, to hear the rustle of blankets as we moved around.
“What are you reading?” Robert asked from the couch.
I looked up from the page I’d been staring at, but not reading. I showed him the cover of the book, which depicted a woman in adress being swept up by a lord on English pastures. “A historical romance,” I said.
“Looks riveting,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No!” he said quickly, then chuckled. “I can’t talk. I don’t think I’ve read a book since high school.”
“Reading before bed helps me relax,” I explained. “It’s better than scrolling on my phone in any case.”
He nodded. “So is that your favorite genre?”
“I’d say so. I like reading about a different time period.”
“But isn’t it hard to relate to the characters?”
“It would be easy for you. You were born in the 1800s, weren’t you?” I asked.
That surprised a bark of laughter out of him. “You’re lucky you’re all the way over there,” he said.
I sucked in a breath. “Why?”
“Because if you were close enough, I’d elbow you for that comment. What happened to respecting your elders?”
My shoulders relaxed, and I laughed. What would it be like if he was sitting right next to me, though? If I teased him, and he nudged my side, and it was the two of us, close, in bed —
I cleared my throat. “The characters are still relatable,” I said, answering his earlier question. “But I like how it’s a different world. There’s no corporate law firms in the stories. It’s a good way to escape from thinking about work.”
“That makes sense.” He didn’t say anything else. He probably wanted to give me the opportunity to read my book.
I read a single page, but all I could think about was him.
Once I finished my tea, I brushed my teeth, then turned all the bedroom lights off, so only the lamp on my nightstand was on. It filled the room with a golden glow. Robert’s face was cast in shadows.
“I’m beat,” he murmured.
“Me too,” I replied, stifling a yawn. I was happy tomorrow was Monday. I’d be at the office instead of here, at home, my family driving me insane.
I slipped off my robe and hung it on my closet door. “Thanks again for helping today,” I said.
He was quiet for a few seconds, and I wasn’t sure if he heard me. “Oh, yeah. No problem.” His voice was a little rough.
I climbed into my bed and pulled my blankets over me. “Good night.”
“Good night, Brooke.”
Just the sound of his deep voice saying my name made my heart skip a beat. I switched off the lamp light, needing to hide myself in darkness.
CHAPTER TEN
The next morning was thankfully quiet.
