He rolled onto his back, and within seconds, I could hear the even breathing that told me he’d fallen back to sleep.

My foolish traitorous brain couldn’t help but wonder what he was wearing to sleep in. Boxers? Pajama pants? Nothing?

God above, if he slept in the nude…

Surely he wouldn’t sleep in the nude with me next to him. Not on our first night as roommates, right? As much as I was trying to block out every thought about Holden’s big, tempting body and the fact that I was a couple feet away from him, my body wasn’t getting the memo. My brain was on full what-would-it-be-like-to-be-in-his-arms mode.

There was an ache beginning deep in my core, and my breasts tingled with need. No matter how much I lied to myself during the day, there was no hiding from what I really wanted here in the middle of the night, in the dark, in Holden’s bed.

I wanted him. I wanted him so much it literally hurt.

What if I just rolled over toward him and seduced him?

I had to stifle a laugh at myself because that would be the dumbest move I could make.

Holden was, first and foremost, my friend. One my best friends. Our friendship was real. Unlike the engagement and the marriage, the friendship was the thing that needed to last longer than a year. Crossing that line into naked times with him would be short-sighted and a mistake that would be impossible to come back from. No-brainer.

Feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders and the needy ache in my womb, I rolled to my side away from Holden and squeezed my eyes shut.

Somehow, I was going to have to figure out how to sleep next to this man.

Chapter 9

Chloe

The past twenty-four hours had been… not the average day in the life of Chloe Abrams.

After spending my first restless night in Holden’s bed, I’d had my first day in charge of a stunning under-construction hotel. I mean, the contractor was in charge of the details, but I was in charge of everything including the contractor. What it came down to was a very stressful day, where several major problems had occurred, all while I sorted through the dozens of applications that had come in for the general manager position.

As it turned out, I thrived on all of it.

It was just after seven p.m. when I left my trailer office, thinking how ironic it was that the top-tier job I’d always wanted had me back in a trailer after all these years. For so long, I’d wanted nothing more than to get out of the one I’d grown up in.

I climbed into the passenger seat of Holden’s car, exhaled, and wilted.