He ended up ordering some pizza, grabbing a couple slices for himself and putting the rest in the fridge, then lost himself in Peyton’s second book. He was done with those slices and devouring a few more, halfway through the book, before she came downstairs. It was dark outside, and a quick glance at his watch told him it was after eight already. He wasn’t sure how she could write for that long, but judging by the number of books on the shelf, she definitely could.
“There’s more pizza in the fridge,” he said, glancing up as she headed into the kitchen.
She came out a few moments later with a slice of microwaved cheese and pepperoni in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other.
“Hope you don’t mind that I grabbed one of your books to read,” he said as she sat down on the other side of the sectional.
“Not at all.” Her lips curved into a smile. “I didn’t peg you for a romance reader, though.”
He chuckled. “I never thought I was. But yours are good. Not too much of the mushy stuff.”
“Thank you…I think.” Laughing, Peyton took a bite of her pizza, holding the plate under her like she was afraid she might make a mess. “Mmm, this is delicious.”
“Can’t go wrong with pizza,” he said. “In fact, I damn near live on the stuff. I could eat it every night of the week.”
“Better not tell your significant other that.” She eyed him, pizza poised in hand for another bite. “She’d probably want you to slip in something different now and then, like fruits and veggies.”
Noah wasn’t sure how they’d gone from talking about pizza to his relationship status. But he knew when a woman was fishing for personal info and why she might be doing it. Hell, he’d done it himself a few hours ago. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t stoked knowing Peyton was interested in him that way.
“I’m sure she would if there was a significant other,” he said. “But there isn’t, so I get to eat pizza any time I want.”
Peyton’s expression didn’t change, but Noah thought he detected the slightest trace of satisfaction there now. But it disappeared as she went back to eating and he had to question if maybe she was a much better player than he’d assumed. That only made him more intrigued than he’d already been.
“I have a bunch of other take-out menus in the top drawer to the left of the oven.” She gave him a smile. “If you decide you need to break up the pizza routine, I mean.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He set down the book to pick up his plate and the half-eaten slice still on it. “How’d the writing go? It certainly seemed like you were in the groove if the clicking of the keys is any indication.”
“Actually, it went much better than I thought it would.” She sipped her iced tea. “With everything that happened last night, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to focus, but I got on a roll and knocked out about five thousand words.”
He shook his head. “Damn, that sounds like a lot. Does that mean you’re done for the night?”
Peyton yawned, then let out another laugh. “Oh, I’m definitely done. I’m going to eat another slice of pizza, take a quick shower, then try to catch up on all the sleep I missed last night.”
Noah had an image of a naked Peyton standing underneath a spray of warm water with soap suds running down her body. The thought was enough to make him want to groan, but fortunately she chose that moment to stand and head into the kitchen for that next slice of pizza, giving him a few seconds of privacy to get his perverted thoughts back together.
“The bed in the guest room upstairs is already made up,” Peyton said from the kitchen as she hit the button on the microwave. “Laurissa sleeps over all the time, so I keep it ready with clean sheets and stuff.”
As much as he liked the idea of sleeping in a nice comfy bed a few feet away from Peyton, that wasn’t a good idea. He was here to guard the woman, not lust over her.
“Actually, I’ll be sleeping down here on the couch,” he said.
She walked into the living room, a baffled look on her face. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. If anyone does tries to break in, they’ll have to go through me before reaching the stairs and the second floor,” he said. “That should give you enough time to get out of bed, grab your phone, and bail out the window. I know it looks like a long drop, but the grass is soft, so you’ll handle the fall okay. After that, run to the nearest neighbor and call the cops.”
Peyton stared at him for a few long seconds, fear in her eyes. “Do you really think someone might try and break in during the middle of the night?”
“Do I think it will happen? Probably not,” he said. “But I need to be ready in case it does. So, I’m sleeping down here, okay?”
She studied him for another moment before nodding. “Okay. There are sheets, blankets, and pillows in the linen closet at the top of the stairs and the bathroom down here has its own shower if you need it. Have a good night,” she added as she headed upstairs, carrying her glass and the remainder of her pizza slice.
“You, too.”
Noah’s gaze locked on her spectacular butt as she disappeared up the steps. He knew he shouldn’t be staring, but it was hard not to. He recalled the conversation he had with himself earlier when he wondered if he could have something with a woman he was supposed to be keeping safe.
