Irene came to one unchangeable conclusion during her sleepless night, and it was that she didn’t want to want Brenden. And that was the big problem, seeing how everything he did made her want him a thousand times more.
What little sleep she did get felt like nothing at all. She teetered on the edge of consciousness, never able to fully let go of her worries. She woke a little after seven and found herself creeping out of her bedroom, wondering if he was still on the couch.
He was.
The blanket still covered him. He had one leg draped over the edge. His right arm was slung across his eyes to block the incoming light from the window. He had a stubble forming on his jaw and she could see the darker shade against his light skin from several feet away.
She hesitated near the hallway, wonderi
