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was a struggle. Mmm, sleep. It had been so long since she’d had enough of that. Jake had to be tired too, but he hid it well.
    “You caught a plane here today. Why aren’t you jet-lagged?”
    “I’m used to traveling, but I lost out on sleep last night because someone I met recently inspired me to write a song.”
    He couldn’t mean her, it wasn’t possible.
    “I haven’t slept worth mentioning in more than sixty hours.”
    “I can relate. I think I’m closer to sixty days without proper sleep.”
    She made a show of grumbling when he pulled her into his arms, but she was more than happy to snuggle against his chest.
    “Want your jacket?”
    “Nope. No more clothes.”
    He eased her away from him, steadying her when she swayed.
    “Can you walk?”
    His question cut through the fog. Being close to someone, even Jake who’d already picked on her PJs, beat being alone, hands down. “If I say no, will you tuck me in after you walk me to bed?”
    He set her farther away from him. “No. I’ll bring you a blanket and let you sleep here.”
    She leaned closer, wishing he wasn’t so full of himself, wishing they could simply sink to the floor. Despite his occasional rock-god attitude, he was like a sun-warmed rock on a winter’s day.
    Hot. Solid. And steady.
    “I don’t need a blanket. I’d much rather sleep on the floor here with you than all by myself down at the other end of the hall.”
    “You’re too tired to know what you’re saying.” 
    If there was anything guaranteed to give her a shot of adrenaline at the crack of dawn it was being talked down to. “I know I can’t bear to be alone tonight. I know Brad and Skyla would stay close to me if they were here.” Her voice wobbled but she’d gone too far to stop now. “I know I wanted the text I sent to Brad to be true.”
    “You’ll be okay if you just go to sleep.”
    When I’m alone, I miss my mother so much I can’t breathe. Don’t make me go through that. Just sit nearby and let me feel you. Please.
    “You’re right, of course. Sleeping’s usually straightforward.” She turned to go but his voice stopped her.
    “You need to rest and prepare for whatever the day brings.”
    He exhaled long and slow, his frustration so seemingly out of place it made her hands curl into fists. “The media will camp outside your front gates. They’ll wait for me to arrive and when I don’t they’ll begin to wonder if I’m here with you.”
    She faced him and huffed out a sigh. “I don’t care what they conclude. It’s all supposition and it doesn’t matter.”
    “It matters.” His voice held a chill and he assessed her as if she were a particularly heinous bug in his coffee. “If my team aren’t able to get me out of here unseen, then the privacy and solitude you usually take for granted will disappear.” He snapped his fingers. “Like that. You should take care to enjoy every moment, in case that happens.”
    This again! “No need. I’m of no interest to anyone.”
    “Don’t be naive. You’re engaged to a commitment-phobic Alister who considers anything beyond morning a relationship.”
    She almost choked on the irony because morning wasn’t far away. “Is that true?”
    “No, but it’s a well-used headline. Other than music, I’m known for two things: dating once only, and never allowing my lovers the luxury of waking up beside me. If you’re seen as the woman who cured me of those habits, then the whole world’s going to want to know how you did it.” His voice dropped lower and carried a mocking edge she didn’t care for. “What makes you so damn irresistible?”
    “Clearly I don’t have an abundance of brains or beauty, so I guess I must have a killer personality?” She rubbed one temple as a tension headache began to take root. “It’s not going to be enough, is it? What a mess. What will happen when they realize I’m too ordinary to be irresistible?”
    A low growl emanated from his