she may not be getting to sleep anytime soon, either.
Earlier, when neither of them could possibly eat another bite, they had decided to watch some TV. As the television program wore on, blue light flickering into the darkened room, Riley began to nod off. Chelle had thought that he must be exhausted, not having gotten any sleep at all the night before.
So, instead of waiting for him to call it a night, she lied and said that she was worn out from their day of sightseeing and wanted to hit the sheets.
Although he had tried to hide it, she could tell he was relieved at the prospect of being able to get some sleep. He asked if it would be okay if he just took a quick shower first, since he hadn’t had one that morning.
For a moment, she hadn’t been able to respond. The mental image that his request inspired left her temporarily mute. Even after a full minute, she could only squeak out a high-pitched, “Yes”.
While he was busy in the shower, she had busied herself with both making up a bed for him on the couch and banishing thoughts of his wet, naked body from her mind. The latter was significantly more challenging than the former!
She had tried to insist on sleeping on the couch herself, since she was barely 5’4” and he was well over 6 feet tall, but he scowled and said that wasn’t up for discussion.
SWOON! Chivalry wasn't dead.
When he had finished showering, they had said an awkward goodnight and she had thanked him again for the day. Then, just as the tension between them began to ratchet up in a serious way, she had practically sprinted into the bedroom.
Holy Roly Poly Moly!
Riley, freshly showered and wearing nothing but baggy sweats, was more temptation than any woman should ever be faced with! Well...more than any woman should ever be faced with and be expected not to give in to, at any rate, she grimaced.
Now, lying restlessly in her bed, she started counting sheep like she had when she was a little girl. She sighed. It didn’t work any better now than it had then.
Ugh! She couldn’t even go watch TV because it was out in the room that was currently being occupied by one half-naked Riley Sloan.
At least...she assumed that he was still only half-naked. Hmm...interesting. Was there a plausible scenario that might result in him being entirely naked right now? The possibility was...
STOP!
Chelle chided herself sternly. Seriously, girl, she thought to herself, get it together! There is more to life than picturing Riley Sloan naked!
However, when pressed to think of what that 'more' might consist of, she found herself drawing a blank.
She did have a book that she had been reading but, it was a romance novel. Last thing she needed, especially if she was trying get off the kick she seemed to be on of picturing Riley naked. And...other stuff. Like the things she would DO to him if she walked in and found him naked...STOP!
Yeah. She clearly did not need to have her mind filled with the images the book inspired. She was obviously having a hard enough time keeping her mind out of the gutter without the additional literary inspiration.
So, after considering all of the non-narcotic sleep inducing techniques at her disposal, she had finally settled on counting backwards from one thousand. At around the six hundred mark, she had finally begun to drift off when she was startled awake by the sound of someone crying out.
It was Riley.
Her heart began to race as she felt adrenaline flood her veins. She flew out of bed and raced into the living room, heart pounding in anticipation of what terrible scene might await her when she got there.
What she saw was Riley, alone on the couch, seemingly engaged in a battle with his blanket. He thrashed back and forth for a few seconds and then cried out again. She saw the anguish on his face and her heart broke in two.
She stood, watching him suffer, torn as to what action she should take next. She knew that there were conflicting theories when it came to whether or
Earlier, when neither of them could possibly eat another bite, they had decided to watch some TV. As the television program wore on, blue light flickering into the darkened room, Riley began to nod off. Chelle had thought that he must be exhausted, not having gotten any sleep at all the night before.
So, instead of waiting for him to call it a night, she lied and said that she was worn out from their day of sightseeing and wanted to hit the sheets.
Although he had tried to hide it, she could tell he was relieved at the prospect of being able to get some sleep. He asked if it would be okay if he just took a quick shower first, since he hadn’t had one that morning.
For a moment, she hadn’t been able to respond. The mental image that his request inspired left her temporarily mute. Even after a full minute, she could only squeak out a high-pitched, “Yes”.
While he was busy in the shower, she had busied herself with both making up a bed for him on the couch and banishing thoughts of his wet, naked body from her mind. The latter was significantly more challenging than the former!
She had tried to insist on sleeping on the couch herself, since she was barely 5’4” and he was well over 6 feet tall, but he scowled and said that wasn’t up for discussion.
SWOON! Chivalry wasn't dead.
When he had finished showering, they had said an awkward goodnight and she had thanked him again for the day. Then, just as the tension between them began to ratchet up in a serious way, she had practically sprinted into the bedroom.
Holy Roly Poly Moly!
Riley, freshly showered and wearing nothing but baggy sweats, was more temptation than any woman should ever be faced with! Well...more than any woman should ever be faced with and be expected not to give in to, at any rate, she grimaced.
Now, lying restlessly in her bed, she started counting sheep like she had when she was a little girl. She sighed. It didn’t work any better now than it had then.
Ugh! She couldn’t even go watch TV because it was out in the room that was currently being occupied by one half-naked Riley Sloan.
At least...she assumed that he was still only half-naked. Hmm...interesting. Was there a plausible scenario that might result in him being entirely naked right now? The possibility was...
STOP!
Chelle chided herself sternly. Seriously, girl, she thought to herself, get it together! There is more to life than picturing Riley Sloan naked!
However, when pressed to think of what that 'more' might consist of, she found herself drawing a blank.
She did have a book that she had been reading but, it was a romance novel. Last thing she needed, especially if she was trying get off the kick she seemed to be on of picturing Riley naked. And...other stuff. Like the things she would DO to him if she walked in and found him naked...STOP!
Yeah. She clearly did not need to have her mind filled with the images the book inspired. She was obviously having a hard enough time keeping her mind out of the gutter without the additional literary inspiration.
So, after considering all of the non-narcotic sleep inducing techniques at her disposal, she had finally settled on counting backwards from one thousand. At around the six hundred mark, she had finally begun to drift off when she was startled awake by the sound of someone crying out.
It was Riley.
Her heart began to race as she felt adrenaline flood her veins. She flew out of bed and raced into the living room, heart pounding in anticipation of what terrible scene might await her when she got there.
What she saw was Riley, alone on the couch, seemingly engaged in a battle with his blanket. He thrashed back and forth for a few seconds and then cried out again. She saw the anguish on his face and her heart broke in two.
She stood, watching him suffer, torn as to what action she should take next. She knew that there were conflicting theories when it came to whether or
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