Page 65 of Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad World

“We could close both doors,” she offered, knowing she was pushing her luck.

“Get into bed, Bella,” he rumbled as he ducked back into the spare room.

She didn’t have to be told twice.

Annabelle climbed into bed on the side furthest from the guest room, careful not to take up too much space. Once she’d settled, Noah appeared again and got into the other side of the bed. The mattress dipped and the covers moved as he made himself comfortable. At last, they were both in bed—with a chasm between them.

Which was fine.

She’d just wanted him closer so she’d feel safe. So she could sleep. It wasn’t like she’d expected him to snuggle. Still, the situation was a whole lot more awkward than she’d expected.

“You don’t need to stay here,” she said softly, because it was night, and they were in bed, and you were supposed to speak softly. Somewhere, she was sure, there were rules about proper bed etiquette, and whispering in the dark would definitely be one of them. “I’m worried I forced you to do this, and now it’s awkward. You can go back to your room. I promise I’ll stop getting up to check for smoke.”

He let out a sigh. “No, you won’t, and we both need to sleep. This is fine.”

“It’s not fine. I can’t relax. It’s weird. I’m afraid to move in case I touch you, which means I can’t sleep because this bed isn’t big enough to ensure I won’t accidentally roll into you while I’m out cold. Maybe we should get some cushions and build a little wall down the middle of the bed?”

Noah muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a prayer for patience. Next thing she knew, he reached out, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and rolled her into his side. There was nothing she could do but put herarm around his waist and rest her cheek on his chest. Honestly, it would have been rude to do otherwise.

“Better?” he demanded.

She considered her answer before giving it. “You’re still tense, and it’s contagious. Are you sure you can relax lying like this? There’s always the cushion-wall idea. We could try that.”

“The tension will pass. It’s just …” Noah paused for a beat before shaking his head. “I haven’t slept beside a woman since my wife died.”

“Oh no!” Annabelle tried to push away from him, but he held her tight. “I’msosorry. I shouldn’t have forced you into this just because I’m a walking, talking ball of anxiety. This is awful. I feel awful.”

“Stop talking, Bella.” He tugged her back down to his side. “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t. It’s just… another first.”

He didn’t have to explain. There had to have been many firsts in the years since his wife died—first birthdays without her, first Christmas, first vacation, first everything.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, and even though Annabelle’s mind raced with a myriad of different concerns, she soon relaxed against him. He was so warm. So solid. So safe. Being close to him chased away the fears that plagued her. All she wanted was to sink into him and be at peace forever. His heartbeat was a steady rhythm in her ear, better than any white noise machine she’d ever used. Cocooned and protected, she lay there in the darkness, breathing him in.

“I’m glad I’m your first,” she whispered.

“Go to sleep, Bella.” His voice sounded gruff, but she thought she detected a hint of a smile.

And then she did exactly as he’d ordered and fell asleep.

Noah was instantly awake the second he heard movement at the panic room door. He reached down to the floor beside the bed, where he’d stashed his gun.

“Don’t shoot,” Abasi whispered. “It’s go time.”

“I get it now,” Rodrigo whispered. “This must be another one of those ‘professional cuddles’ Violet was worried about.”

Noah was too busy extricating himself from the bed without waking Annabelle to flip the smart-ass off. Instead, he shooed them into the guest room and tucked Annabelle in.

Violet was sitting on the end of his bed. “Don’t ask. Don’t tell,” she said solemnly. “I’m just here to guard her. I don’t care about anything else.”

“She was too scared to fall asleep,” Noah explained, unable to stop himself.

Rodrigo nodded. “Me? I’d have given her a sleeping pill. But, hey, you do you. I’m sure climbing into bed with her worked too.”

Noah glared at him and gestured toward the panic room and the sleeping woman they didn’t want to disturb. Rodrigo prodded Abasi, and they both headed out of the guest room and into the loft. Noah grabbed a change of clothes, his boots, wallet, phone, and weapon before leaning down to whisper to Violet, “Don’t let anything happen to her.”

She just stared at him as though he’d said something incredibly dumb.

Noah took that as an agreement and went out to meet Abasi and Rodrigo—after getting changed in the small bathroom between the guest rooms.