Passing him, I switched off the light and pulled back the covers. I crawled into bed, watching his bulky frame fill the doorway. He eyed me as I settled against the mattress, and then he crossed the room, standing next to the bed while he kicked off his Nikes and pulled his T-shirt over his head. His muscles stretched and strained while he unbuckled his brown leather belt and unbuttoned his jeans, and then he pushed them down over his backside and thighs, letting them drop to the floor.

As hard as I tried to seem unimpressed, Taylor was fully aware of the masterpiece that was his body. After all, he was the one who would spend hours in the gym each week to perfect it. Regardless, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of staring. My facial expressions, my breathing, and my every movement were all at the forefront of my mind. I was wary of the rising level of lust I felt for the mostly naked man in front of me.

The tattoos on his arms extended over the hard slopes of his pec muscles, displaying thick black tribal art, flames, and a skull, all amazingly detailed with beautiful shading.

Not that I was looking.

Stop staring, Falyn.

Down to his gray boxer briefs, Taylor crawled into bed next to me. I turned away from him, feeling my cheeks heat to a bright pink. Without apology, he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me closer to him, my back warming instantly against his skin.

“I wish I could have gone with you to Don’s funeral. I know it sucked.”

“It was awful,” I whispered. “I haven’t cried that hard in a long time. I can’t imagine how his family must have felt.”

“You were family, too. You were the highlight of his day. You seem to be that for a lot of people.”

“I’m glad you weren’t there. I went through at least one box of tissues. It wasn’t pretty.”

He hugged me to him. “It gets easier, but it never goes away. It changes you forever.”

“You’ve lost someone?” I asked.

“Let’s go to sleep. I don’t want to get into it tonight.” He relaxed his grip, bent his arm under his head for extra support, and kept his other arm draped over my middle.

I rested my arm on his, lacing my fingers between his. He squeezed and then took a deep breath.

“Falyn?” he whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I know this weekend is important for you. But when we get back, I just want you to know that I don’t want to be friends anymore.”

My muscles tensed. “Like, you don’t ever want to see me again? Or you want to be more than friends?”

“Considering I nearly went crazy from being away from you for less than a week … I think you know what I mean.”