Poppy let out a sigh as she watched Ridge close his door. Just being near him set her libido into overdrive. She couldn’t deny it any longer, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted him, and her soaked panties proved that. But she also couldn’t say to hell with consequences. Sleeping with him was a bad idea because he was a client. But it was also a bad idea because she wanted much more than a one-night stand with him. It was hard for her to understand, but being older and more experienced in dating, she knew she was falling hard and fast for Ridge. And she figured some distance would help her figure out why she was being so reckless with her heart.
The only problem with the plan was that there wasn’t much distance between them since Ridge was just across the hall. She let out a sigh as she slid into the tee-shirt he laid out for her and curled up under the covers.
“God, I want him so much, and I can’t figure out why.”
Poppy glanced at her phone to check the time.
“11. Great. I’ve never gone to bed this early in my entire adulthood.”
She frowned and sighed once more before she buried her head into her pillow and shut her eyes.
Sleep came after a full half an hour of heavy tossing and turning. But then images of Ridge flooded her mind, keeping her consciousness fully aware of her dream state. She was dancing with him, and this time it was inside one of the Titanic’s staterooms she’d seen in a documentary once.
Why am I dreaming of a stateroom on the Titanic?
Poppy often questioned herself as she dreamed. It was something she’d done in childhood to help herself get through nightmares, and now that she was an adult, it had become a habit. A loud bang rang throughout the ship, and it lunged enough to knock them off their feet. They both went to investigate, and soon she saw herself being ripped from Ridge’s hand and plummeting into the cold water.
Poppy screamed Ridge’s name and bolted from her bed in a cold sweat. Within seconds, Ridge appeared in the doorway and raced to her bedside.
“Poppy, what’s wrong?”
Poppy clutched her chest as she tried to fill her lungs with air to calm her shaking body and racing heart.
“I had a horrible nightmare about drowning on the Titanic.”
She gasped out the words as the still fresh visions replayed in her mind. Her mouth was bone dry, and she swallowed to get some moister back in her mouth to continue talking about what she’d seen. Every fiber of her being wanted to remember all the details because, for some reason, she knew they were important.
Ridge sat on the edge of the bed next to her.
“It seemed so real! I mean, it’s like I lived it all before and with you because you were there, too. We danced and had the time of our lives for one minute. And then the next. I’m ripped from your hands and plummeting into the sea. I just don’t understand why it all seemed so real.”
Ridge stroked her hair while drawing circles on her upper back.
“It’s okay, my darling. I’m here.”
She gazed at him, trying to search for answers he couldn’t give her. After all, it wasn’t like they actually shared a previous life together. Her overactive mind must have been transfixed on the Facebook group. And probably because she felt guilty about not logging in tonight to moderate the comments and accept people into the group.
“I just can’t believe how real it seemed. Ridge, it was so frightening. I’m not sure if I can fall back to sleep. Can you hold me?” She screwed her eyes shut, embarrassed at asking him something so silly. “I’m sorry. I know I wanted to sleep in separate rooms to set some comfortable boundaries between us, but that was the most intense dream I’ve had in a very long time.”
Ridge got up and held out his hand to her.
“Of course, my sweet, you can sleep with me. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Come with me to my room.”
He led her into his room and untucked the sheets on the opposite side he slept in.
His bed is enormous, and he only sleeps on one side. There’s only one reason a man would do that. He must be a widow. But that can’t be because he’s so young!
“Why do you only sleep on the left side of the bed?”
The question escaped her lips before she squelched the curious notion. Ridge’s frame tightened, but he’d given her the answer before she could apologize.
“I lost someone long ago, and it still doesn’t seem right to take up the entire bed.”
“I’m sorry. That’s awful.”
Ridge shrugged his shoulders before continuing. “Each day, it gets a little easier. I’ll always miss my Chelsea, but the pain of losing her subsides a little more with each new day. But? I think you have a little to do with my pain subsiding, too.” He said. “Come here.”
He drew her into his arms as he got into the bed on his side.
“That’s sweet of you to say. Honestly, you have helped me get over a few things in my life, too. Specifically, homesickness.” Poppy said. “I don’t know what it is, but being with you makes me feel like I’m home.”
She palmed his bare chest and snuggled up to the length of his body. Ridge kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to his chest.
“I think that is the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me, Poppy.”
She positioned her head on his shoulder, and they quickly fell asleep entangled in each other’s arms.