I slept so hard that I considered becoming one with my bed. I hadn’t slept so well in forever. Between the hockey game, dinner, dancing, and going to bed later than usual it was no wonder I was down for the count.

Or maybe it was the hot guy currently rubbing my head and lulling me back to sleep for the third time this morning.

Definitely never leaving.

“Good morning,” he whispered.

I ignored him.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek.

I refused to sigh.

He massaged my neck.

I groaned.

“I knew you were awake,” he laughed, sliding down so that we were nose to nose. “Good morning, beautiful.”

He looked exhausted but happy and I wondered if he slept. “I don’t want to move.”

His eyes lit up and almost erased the exhaustion. “I don’t either but I have a game tonight and I need to start moving.”

“Did you sleep at all?”

He seemed surprised by my question. “A little.”

“How little?” It didn’t seem wise to play a game on no sleep.

“I’m going to take a nap when I get home. I’ll be okay. Promise.” He ran his thumb over my lower lip. “But thank you for caring.”

“Was the bed uncomfortable? Did I snore?” Oh no. What if he was up all night because I was snoring and weird and he didn’t have the heart to sneak out? But then again, he didn’t have a car, so if he snuck out he’d also have to call for a ride.

“You are the quietest sleeper. I actually checked once to make sure you were alive.” He ran his fingers over my arm then threaded them between mine. “I just couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t turn off.”

“Weird place.”

“No, I sleep in hotel rooms half the year. I’m used to sleeping in new places and don’t usually have any trouble falling asleep when I’m tired. But I never have a gorgeous woman beside me. Last night was different.”

Based on the way his eyes seemed to focus and unfocus it wasn’t just sleeping beside me that threw him off.

“So what does a day look like for you?” Did I need to rush him home so he’d have enough time to nap?

“Game tonight is at seven. For night games I usually sleep in as late as I can stand it, go for a run, eat a light breakfast, shower, and relax. I eat dinner before I head to the stadium. After the game I’m usually wired so I eat a big meal, watch some television and chill until I nod off.”

“So today you’ll skip the run and relaxing for a nap?”

“Yep. Totally worth it.” He glanced around my room, landing on my desk. “And what does the day of a writer look like?”

“Pajamas and snack food.” I rolled to my back, my brain jumping to where I was at on my schedule. “It’s Friday so I usually write all morning then shower and change for my weekly sushi lunch.”

“Hey, I know about that.”

“Yes you do.” And it was going on record as my most embarrassing and favorite Friday lunch ever. “Then I take my booty shopping or to run errands or whatever else I need doing out in the real world before heading home, back into pajamas, and spend a wild evening writing with takeout and the occasional movie break.”

“That sounds nice, actually.”

“Takeout and movies or the pajamas and writing?”

“All of it.” He pulled up my shirt and placed his hand on the bare skin of my stomach. “Would you consider doing pajamas, takeout, and writing at my place tonight?”

My heart beat a little faster. “What do you mean?” I rolled onto my side again so I could see his eyes.

“Instead of coming back here with your takeout, maybe you come to my place for dinner.” His hand cupped my hip. “I’ll go to my game and you can write in my bed in your pajamas. I have a very nice television for movie watching.”

“What about Seth?”

He shrugged. “He doesn’t usually sleep at our place when we have a long home game streak. And even if he does come home tonight I’ll make sure he understands.”

Erik’s condo was much closer to the stadium than our house. I also hadn’t written much in the last few days and it wasn’t just because I was distracted. The creative energy in my space wasn’t working for me. Sometimes a change of scenery was all it took to get the words flowing again.

Why not give Erik’s bed a shot?

“What time?”

He grinned. “Is four too early?”

“No, that’s perfect.”

He kissed me. “Then it’s a date. A second date, not that I’m counting.”

As much as I wanted to stay just like this, I also wanted to get him home so he could sleep. “I guess we better face the music. June and Roman will have so many questions.” I dreaded stepping into the kitchen. I just wasn’t in the mood to explain what I barely understood.

“I think we’re actually in the clear. I’m pretty sure they ate breakfast and left already.”

I cheered inside. “That’s right! They’re at AAR today.” Roman ran a rehabilitation clinic for elite athletes and June helped with the training staff. Today was one of their full days at the clinic.

Which meant we got another day to figure ourselves out before having to answer questions.

Thank goodness.

* * *

I dropped Erik off then headed back home to reset with a nice hot shower before heading to lunch. A lunch I was kind of excited to have alone. I had a lot to think about from reliving the memories of last night to planning for the night to come.

So I should have known this would be the week Eve and Carrie decided to join me.

“We got a table in the back,” Carrie said the minute I walked in the door. It was totally ambush style. No text warning. No hints. Just waiting for me at the door.

This couldn’t be good.

I followed her to the back corner. Eve had her nose buried in a menu. “It’s been a long time since you made it, Eve. It’s nice to see you.”

She set the menu aside. “I know. I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“There’s a game today.”

“I have time for lunch.” She smiled sweetly up at me. Something I knew well. She always did that right before Max or Sam got a lecture.

“You haven’t been a terrible friend,” I said taking the chair opposite her. “We’re still navigating this former boss and nanny relationship.”

“You don’t have that problem with me,” Carrie said, snapping her chopsticks apart. “I just suck at being a friend.”

“True.” I only said things like that to get a rise out of her.

And sure enough, she slammed my soy dish down in front of me while she was much more careful with Eve’s.

Carrie and Eve babbled about the players while we went through the process of ordering, getting our drinks, and then our soup. I barely noticed Carrie’s detailed rundown of a patient since she was speaking in code with Eve.

It wasn’t until I had my first warm spoonful of soup that they turned their conversation my way.

“So Zoe,” Eve drawled. “I happened to be on my way over to the school this morning when I noticed you leave the house.”

Drats.

Double drats. At least it was only Eve. “So? I leave the house occasionally. Look at me now.” I waved at my fabulous hair and makeup. I also wanted to point out that my shoes matched and my shirt was on correctly, but they wouldn’t understand the magnitude of that feat.

“It was just that you weren’t alone and I was fascinated to see your companion leaving your house at that hour of the morning. An hour when I know he is usually still asleep since we have a night game today.”

“Mmmm, yes.” I decided if she was going to be dramatic then I could play along. “You’re right I wasn’t alone.”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. Give us the dirt already. How is Erik Cassidy in the sack?”

“I don’t know.” I said it as simply and honestly as I could with the hope that they’d understand without too much meddling. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what led the man who has been head over heels for you to be in your house at that early hour?” Carrie narrowed her eyes.

“I went to the hockey game yesterday to talk to his sister. They invited me to dinner. We had a really good time so I took him dancing.”

“And then?” Carrie waved her hands for me to cough up the details.

“And then I asked him to come home with me but we didn’t, you know, we just slept together in the same bed.”

“That makes no sense at all,” Carrie sighed.

Eve shook her head at Carrie. “You’re weird, you know that, right?” Then she looked at me. “This is good news though. Dancing? Spending time together?”

I blushed a little thinking about how sweet Erik was this morning when he asked me to spend the night at his place tonight. “Yeah, it’s good.”

She beamed. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“I still don’t get it,” Carrie grumbled.

“Not everyone is as sex-crazed as you and Wes,” Eve said.

“It’s not that, sheesh. I mean, obviously we have a way about us, but that wasn’t what I meant at all. I get it,” she flicked her gaze my way, “you know how all this works. We have a dozen books that prove that. I’m not in any way questioning your choices when it comes to sexy times. You do you, Zoe.”

“Well then what is confusing to you?” I knew way too much about her relationship with Wes so it was only natural that she’d be curious about mine. I was willing to accept that total privacy about my life with Erik wasn’t going to happen.

She fiddled with her napkin. “It’s just after everything I went through, all the ways you pushed me to get real with Wes, I’m surprised you’re not seeing the obvious with Erik. The man is nuts about you.”

“Trust me, after last night I have no more doubts about his sincerity. But that doesn’t make us magically ready to be a couple.” I shot her a very pointed look.

She put up her hands. “No further explanation needed.”

Our sushi arrived and as we set about eating, Eve smiled at me. “So, now that we have the questions out of the way. It’s time for details. What happened?”

And because I really and truly no longer felt confused, I spent the next half hour giving them a rundown on my evening.

Even the sexy parts.