Page 71 of Gluttony
He lifted his head, grinning. “You said boyfriend.”
“I did.” She bit her lip, still smiling.
Her reaction prompted another series of butterfly kisses all over her body. He started with her chin, then her neck, collarbone, between her breasts and lower. His hair tickled and his lashes fluttered against her skin causing the most delicious build up of warmth low in her stomach. Goosebumps erupted over her flesh and he smiled against her skin.
“I love it when I make that happen.”
She scoffed. “Cocky much?”
“Come with me to my movie premiere. Be my date.” More kisses getting lower.
“You want to go official?” Her breathing got heavy, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.
“I think you already did that when you kissed me in front of those cameras and stole me away like some heathenous woman.”
“Heathenous is not a word.” Oh, God. Why were they still talking?
“It is now.”
* * *
Sometime later,only interrupted by their growling stomachs, Tony went to shower, and although it was a tough decision, Bailey declined to follow him in favor of cooking breakfast. She only needed to mention the magic waffle word, and he acquiesced, leaving her to do her thing on her own.
Bailey swiped a T-shirt from Tony’s drawer, put it over her naked body, and went to investigate the contents of his fridge. She found it stocked with groceries and decided to squeeze some fresh juice while she cooked.
She’d fried up an entire batch of waffles but was still trying to figure out his million-dollar price tag juicer when he came out, wet-haired and dressed in only a pair of low-slung jeans. He came up behind her, slid his hands around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder. The warmth he gave along her spine spread to her entire body. She smiled inwardly. She could get used to this.
“You need some help?” he asked.
“I can’t work out how to turn this damn thing on.” She touched a button, and it beeped back at her angrily. She hit it again, and it did the same thing.
“Baby, you have to give it a little loving attention and she’ll be putty in your hands.” He caressed the juicer as though it had feelings. “Plus, I just ask AIMI to do it. She’s got my back.” He lifted his chin at a speaker sitting over his fridge. “AIMI, can you please make me some juice?”
“Sure thing, Tony,” came the feminine intonation.
The juicer whizzed on, filling the air with its horrendous noise. Tony grinned and shouted over the din. “She likes me.”
“Of course she does.” Even a computer liked Tony.
“What?” He frowned and pointed at his ear.
“Never mind.” With a huff of frustration, she turned and focused on finding some glasses. There were so many cupboards. She began with the doors beside the cooker. The loud whiz cut off suddenly.
“Top left,” Tony‘s gruff voice came from behind. He reached by her to open the cupboard.
Wringing her hands, she stared. Lined in neat rows was a plethora of glassware suited to all sorts of alcoholic drinks. Champagne, highball, wine, cocktail, martini. She scowled at the martini glasses. She’d not mixed her usual amount of Cosmos lately, which meant she’d not reminded herself to stay away from the urges she used to have. It hadn’t even occurred to her until now. Testing herself, she removed a martini glass and twirled it in her fingers. It was made from crystal and probably cost a week’s worth of her salary, but it was still an empty glass.
“You’re staring awfully hard at that glass,” Tony noted.
“It reminds me of something,” she replied.
His silence had her turning around. The expectant look on his face told her he knew. He saw into her heart and knew the truth, or if he didn’t, he wanted to. If this was to work between them, and she wanted it to, she had to be just as honest as he. Trust was a two-way street, and if built properly, it forged a path toward an unbreakable bond. She wanted that. It was her reason for leaving the CIA. She wanted a life, a family, someone to wake up next to.
She took a deep breath and decided to share.
“I got into trouble as a teen,” she started. “I got in with a bad crowd. Alcohol was this big cool thing back then, and I knew my parents loved it. I wanted their approval. Their attention. So when my friend pressured me into stealing something from their liquor cabinet, and asked me to drive, I caved. I wanted to do something reckless. I ended up taking their car for a joyride and... there was an accident. My friend died.”
“I’m sorry.” A line between his eyebrows formed. “I didn’t know.”
