But if she was honest with herself, she knew that wasn’t true. Even if they didn’t have sex, something significant was about to happen. Susanne was used to having her own space, and sharing it with someone had never come easy for her, maybe because it left her with a strange feeling of vulnerability. The first time a new girlfriend had slept over had always been a natural progression of sex, never this very conscious decision of inviting her to stay because she didn’t want their time together to end.

The door opened, and Anja stepped into the bedroom.

The T-shirt Susanne had given her was a perfect fit on her own taller body, but on Anja’s short, slim frame, it appeared more like a mini-dress, almost reaching her knees.

A grin curled up the corners of Susanne’s mouth. God. I think that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. There was also something very intimate about seeing Anja wear her clothes.

Anja tugged on the hem of the shirt with a self-conscious smile. She crossed the room, and Susanne lifted up the covers for her to climb in.

The mattress dipped, and Susanne suddenly became aware of the fact that her bed was just a queen, which forced them to lie pretty close to each other.

Anja’s arm brushed hers as they both settled down on their backs.

A tingle ran through Susanne’s body, which was obviously expecting an activity other than sleeping to follow. Settle down, she firmly told her libido.

Anja turned on her side, slid her arm beneath her pillow, and regarded Susanne intently.

“What?” Susanne asked.

“I like this.” Anja waved the hand that wasn’t beneath her pillow back and forth. “Sleeping with you. In the same bed, I mean.”

“What can I say? I’m good in bed, even if all I’m doing is breathing.” Then Susanne sobered, knowing that Anja’s confession deserved more than a joking answer. God, for a relationship that was supposed to be the let’s-take-it-easy-and-see-where-this-is-going type, this was getting pretty intense, intimacy-wise. “I really like it too. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s nice. Really nice.”

Anja nodded. “Although…”

Tension seeped into Susanne’s muscles. “Although?”

“I’d like it even better if we could…” Anja fell silent and nibbled her lip.

Ah. Susanne’s tension was replaced by a warm feeling spreading through her like sunshine on a Sunday morning. She slid to the middle of the bed and pulled Anja into her arms. “This?”

Anja exhaled. “Yes.” She placed her head on Susanne’s upper chest and wrapped one arm around her hips above the covers. “Is this okay?”

Susanne took her arm, pulled it beneath the duvet, and put it back where it had been. She wrapped her own arm around Anja and spread her fingers across her back, holding Anja safely against her. “Now it’s okay.”