“Tell me,” I said.

“Tell you what?”

“Confide in me and I’ll give you honest advice. I’m proposing a unique opportunity for two people to be completely open with each other without any judgment or fear of it leaving this room.”

He shook his head, staring at the floor as he paced around. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Tell me your secrets, Wheeler, and I’ll tell you some of mine.”

My voice softened, and I realized what I’d longed for. A sense of intimacy during the lonely nights at home when I wanted to complain about my job, my dark secrets, or even my tired feet. I just wanted to have someone there to listen. Strangely enough, Wheeler was the only person I’d ever felt an inexplicable desire to tell all my secrets to, and maybe that’s because he didn’t come across as someone who would feed me a line of bullshit.

“I’m not a guy who sits around and shares his feelings. This isn’t a daytime talk show.”

I wasn’t about to let Wheeler win this battle. “Switch off the lamp and crawl into bed with me.”

He licked his bottom lip and watched me from behind heavy brows.

“Fine. Just stand there and grow roots then. And wipe the smug look off your face. I’m not offering anything but conversation.”

“In bed.”

“If it makes it easier, I’ll start and you can see how serious I am. You have a wicked tongue, but I can see you’re not the kind of man who spreads gossip. So maybe that’s why I trust you a little more than anyone else. I’m asking you to lie with me because I’m sleepy, and…” My voice softened. “I want to know what it feels like to lie in bed with a man and just talk.”

Wheeler’s mouth opened as if to say something.

“That’s right. Men who come to my bed aren’t there to talk. I choose the men I sleep with carefully, but not one has ever stayed the full night. They always have somewhere important they need to be. Maybe a silly part of me envies Lexi when she talks about how she and Austin sit up at night talking for hours until they doze off in the middle of a conversation.”

Wheeler laughed and turned around. “That sounds about right. I bet I can guess who dozes off first.”

I patted the bed beside me. “Men look at me as a conversation piece, not someone they can hold a conversation with. Indulge a woman who’s feeling a little down.”

When he switched off the lamp, I expected him to leave, so I tucked my legs beneath the covers and stared up at the ceiling. The bed sank down when Wheeler sat on the end. I scooted to the right and turned to face the wall on my right, giving him plenty of room. The light above was dim, almost like a nightlight, but brighter.

He kicked off his shoes and then scooted back. When I peered over my shoulder, he had his fingers laced behind his head, looking up at the ceiling pensively. “I’ve never been in this room until you came,” he said absently.