Page 61 of Love.V2
That shower this morning was necessary.
“Remind me again why we can’t use the perfectly nice-looking washer and dryer in the corner?” His lips pressed against my neck, setting the baby hairs there on end. I tilted to give him more access.
“Don’t let it fool you. Itlooksnice, but it’s a demon. Turn it on and watch water spray in all directions, soaking the floor and everything you hold dear.”
I added a sad piece of toast to each of our plates. There wasn’t even jelly in the fridge, and the butter had run out yesterday. We needed to go to the store, or at least get some necessities delivered. He grinned like we hadn’t just concocted the world’s most pitiful breakfast.
“Thank you. Why hasn’t your super fixed it? Or replaced it?” He glared at the stacked units while I settled at the coffee table that doubled as the dining room. Yeesh, this place really was tiny. “How long has it been out of commission?”
“Mmm, since I moved in. I’ve never even done a full load in there,” I muttered around a mouthful of dry toast. I watched as he stared the machines down, hands on his hips.
“I’ll call someone. Your landlordshoulddo something, but if he won’t, I can take care of it.”
“I can email them again,” I offered, guiltily remembering I’d only emailed them about it once or twice, and had promptly given up after getting brushed off. Maybe the third time was the charm? I didn’t want Dylan to go out of his way and hire someone to fix a rental washing machine when another email from me might suffice. What did washing machine maintenance cost these days, anyway?
“Don’t worry about it.” He winced as he sat on the low couch. His knees poked up at an awkward angle. When I’d bought it, I hadn’t had six-foot-something men in mind. I opened my mouth to argue, but he handily derailed my train of thought with a kiss. “You deserve to have clean sheets without making the trek down to the creepy basement.”
That, at least, I couldn’t argue with. “Well, you can call someone, but we’ll need to wash sheets tonight, anyway. Do you think you’regoing to want to get drinks with Danny, or something? I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”
Danny Ricci, Worther’s Chief Operating Officer, was technically Dylan’s immediate boss, but back in Nashville, the two of them had acted like one sales automaton with two heads.
Henry called them the Dream Team, and it was easy to see why. Danny had just joined Worther last year, and he was only a few years older than us, with the same magnetically charming personality as Dylan. I’d seen them bring down big deals over the course of a corporate dinner like lions tackled prey. Danny was…fine, even though he suffered from the same issues that had swamped Dylan when he was at Worther, too: workaholic, unshakeable drive to succeed. Business first.
“Nah. I’ll leave work with you like normal. We’ve kept in touch,” Dylan commented, spooning eggs onto his toast. I blinked at him, both because of his breakfast ingenuity and my surprise.
“You’ve 'kept in touch’ with Danny?” When did he have the time? Even before we’d started shacking up in my apartment, he spent his working hours practically glued to my hip, or in meetings with Eric.
My eyes narrowed. “What did you get up to at that hotel after work hours, anyway?” It wasn’t the first time I’d wondered about his life in Chicago. Aside from his book club and new pickup soccer league, most of his energy was spent wooing me with coffee and snacks. What was the routine he’d left behind when he brought his suitcase through my front door last week?
Dylan smiled. “Oh, this and that. Staring out the window, pining for my lost love a few blocks away. I wrote some truly excellent poetry. ‘Roses are red, I love you to bits—‘”
I smashed my hand over his mouth. “If this ends up being an ode to my breasts, I will kick you out,” I warned, actively trying not to laugh.
He licked my fingers before I could pull back, making me yelp.
“What, are you five?” I wiped my hand on my pants. “What will Danny think? A month away from Nashville and you’ve regressed by about two decades.”
Dylan’s crooked, unrepentant smile sent butterflies pinging through my stomach. “He probably won’t recognize me. It feels like it’s been years, not a month.” The edges of his mouth softened, and he leaned forward to brush a kiss across my cheek. “I’m practically a whole new man.”
My hand around his neck stopped him from pulling away. I enjoyed the smooth skin of his face under my lips, knowing that in a few hours, it would feel rough again. “Chicago looks good on you, Morris.”
“Youlook good on me,” he countered, sweeping me into his lap, our dry toast forgotten on the table.
***
“I swear, it felt like Christmas when this guy told me y’all were back together.” Danny sank into an office chair, grinning ear-to-ear as he glanced between me and Dylan. It was surprisingly good to see him.
“Same, trust me.” Dylan’s eyes sparkled, light and happy, as they met mine. “But we’re trying to keep it on the down low around here.We don’t want to give people the wrong impression while I’m still ramping up.”
“Oh, sure!” Danny threw an over-exaggerated wink at us that was so ridiculous, it made me smile. “I’ll keep my mouth closed. I’m just glad to see you two together. He was moping around the office for months.”
“I wasn’t much better, I promise,” I assured him, perching on a chair. The spare office Meery had assigned to him for his visit was small, but the three of us could sit and chat for a while without the rest of the office listening in.
Danny grinned at me. “Better together.” He seemed so…pleased. Another surprise.
Even though he worked closely with Dylan, Danny and I had never interacted outside of work events. It had been easy to relegate him to “one of the evil people corrupting my boyfriend,” and dismiss him out of hand, especially towards the end, when he’d spent more time with Dylan than I had.
Now, though, seeing his genuine happiness for us, I regretted not making an effort to connect with him more. Part of me always thought his over the top charm and endless energy was faked, just a side-effect of wheeling and dealing all the time. But now he had me wondering if he was the real deal.
