telling now if he'd ever see that fifty thousand. After his conversation with her family, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with Babs. It was too bad he didn't know how to get hold of Emmet. From what he'd seen so far, Emmet might be the only sane member of the Malone family.
The pizza was devoured, the box stuffed in the trash can, leaving them with nothing to do but go to bed. Sam stretched, swallowing a yawn. A bed had never looked better. Glancing at his companion, he saw the doubtful look in her eyes as she looked from him to the room's one bed.
"I'm not going to offer to sleep on the floor," he told her bluntly.
"I didn't ask you to. I'll sleep in the chair."
"Well, you can suit yourself but I think you'd be more comfortable in the bed. You can sleep under the sheet and I'll sleep on top of it. Quite frankly, I'm too beat to care where you sleep. The offer of a shirt still stands. It would be more comfortable than sleeping in your jeans."
Babs looked at him, then at the chair and then at the bed. Sam was ignoring her, apparently uninterested in her decision. She glanced away as he tugged the snug black turtleneck off, revealing a lot of tanned skin and rippling muscles. The sight brought a funny little quiver to the pit of her stomach.
Too much pizza. That's what it was. She'd simply eaten too much and her stomach was feeling a bit out of sorts as a result. It didn't have anything to do with the mat of black hair that covered his chest then tapered down to a narrow line trailing across his flat stomach before disappearing into the waist of his jeans.
He unbuckled his belt and then reached for the snap on his jeans before glancing at her. Babs looked away quickly. Not that she'd really been looking at him. She couldn't care less what he did.
"Have you made up your mind? If you're going to use my shirt, why don't you change in the bathroom? By the time you're done, I'll be in bed."
"I don't care if you strip naked in front of me. I'm not a prude." Did that sound nonchalant enough?
"Maybe I am. Are you going to sleep in the bed or are you going to sit up all night protecting your maidenly virtue?"
She shrugged. "I think I'm safe enough with you. Like you said, I'll be more comfortable in the bed. I always sleep on the left side."
"Tough. Tonight you can sleep on the right." He lifted a hand, stopping her furious protest. "I want to be closest to the door. On the off chance that someone tries to sneak in during the night, I think it would be a good idea if they ran into me first."
Babs swallowed her protest, throwing him an irritated look. Did the man have to be so damn reasonable? "Guarding your reward?"
"You got it. Not to mention my professional pride. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if they kidnapped you back after I went to all the trouble of rescuing you. Now, are you going to go change or not?" He reached for his zipper and looked at her, one brow raised.
Babs snatched up the shirt he'd offered her earlier and stalked into the bathroom, wishing she were five foot nine so that she could stalk properly. At five foot nothing, a stalk was inclined to look more like a stomp.
When she cautiously opened the bathroom door a few minutes later, it was to find the room in darkness. She peered around the edge of the door, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark.
"It's safe. I'm modestly covered."
"It doesn't matter to me. I just didn't want to trip over anything in the dark."
She snapped off the bathroom light and cautiously made her way across the room, bumping her knees into the foot of the bed. Trailing one hand on the bedspread, she walked around it until she reached the pillows. Crawling beneath the sheet, she held her breath, overwhelmingly aware of Sam's long body only inches away. True to his word, he was on top of the sheet but the thin cotton didn't prove much of a barrier.
If he decided he wanted to change the rules there would be little she could do to stop him, but she wasn't afraid.
The pizza was devoured, the box stuffed in the trash can, leaving them with nothing to do but go to bed. Sam stretched, swallowing a yawn. A bed had never looked better. Glancing at his companion, he saw the doubtful look in her eyes as she looked from him to the room's one bed.
"I'm not going to offer to sleep on the floor," he told her bluntly.
"I didn't ask you to. I'll sleep in the chair."
"Well, you can suit yourself but I think you'd be more comfortable in the bed. You can sleep under the sheet and I'll sleep on top of it. Quite frankly, I'm too beat to care where you sleep. The offer of a shirt still stands. It would be more comfortable than sleeping in your jeans."
Babs looked at him, then at the chair and then at the bed. Sam was ignoring her, apparently uninterested in her decision. She glanced away as he tugged the snug black turtleneck off, revealing a lot of tanned skin and rippling muscles. The sight brought a funny little quiver to the pit of her stomach.
Too much pizza. That's what it was. She'd simply eaten too much and her stomach was feeling a bit out of sorts as a result. It didn't have anything to do with the mat of black hair that covered his chest then tapered down to a narrow line trailing across his flat stomach before disappearing into the waist of his jeans.
He unbuckled his belt and then reached for the snap on his jeans before glancing at her. Babs looked away quickly. Not that she'd really been looking at him. She couldn't care less what he did.
"Have you made up your mind? If you're going to use my shirt, why don't you change in the bathroom? By the time you're done, I'll be in bed."
"I don't care if you strip naked in front of me. I'm not a prude." Did that sound nonchalant enough?
"Maybe I am. Are you going to sleep in the bed or are you going to sit up all night protecting your maidenly virtue?"
She shrugged. "I think I'm safe enough with you. Like you said, I'll be more comfortable in the bed. I always sleep on the left side."
"Tough. Tonight you can sleep on the right." He lifted a hand, stopping her furious protest. "I want to be closest to the door. On the off chance that someone tries to sneak in during the night, I think it would be a good idea if they ran into me first."
Babs swallowed her protest, throwing him an irritated look. Did the man have to be so damn reasonable? "Guarding your reward?"
"You got it. Not to mention my professional pride. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if they kidnapped you back after I went to all the trouble of rescuing you. Now, are you going to go change or not?" He reached for his zipper and looked at her, one brow raised.
Babs snatched up the shirt he'd offered her earlier and stalked into the bathroom, wishing she were five foot nine so that she could stalk properly. At five foot nothing, a stalk was inclined to look more like a stomp.
When she cautiously opened the bathroom door a few minutes later, it was to find the room in darkness. She peered around the edge of the door, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark.
"It's safe. I'm modestly covered."
"It doesn't matter to me. I just didn't want to trip over anything in the dark."
She snapped off the bathroom light and cautiously made her way across the room, bumping her knees into the foot of the bed. Trailing one hand on the bedspread, she walked around it until she reached the pillows. Crawling beneath the sheet, she held her breath, overwhelmingly aware of Sam's long body only inches away. True to his word, he was on top of the sheet but the thin cotton didn't prove much of a barrier.
If he decided he wanted to change the rules there would be little she could do to stop him, but she wasn't afraid.
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