Page 71 of Ellie Hayes and the Himbos
He brings his hands from under my clothing, resuming his hold at my waist. He presses a kiss to my neck, then meets my eyes. “I think it’s time for a nap.”
26
I’M FAIRLY CERTAIN I’M HAVINGan out-of-body experience, because a moment later, I’m in the stairwell to Ian’s apartment. He opens the door ahead of me and steps back to let me pass.
I stay where I am, seized by the sudden awareness that this is actually happening. “Are you sure? Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to alphabetize your books?” I waggle my fingers at him with cartoonish menace. “Rearrange your closet by color?”
“With those nails, that’s actually kind of threatening.” He tips his head, encouraging me forward. “Generous of you to assume I have books, though.”
I laugh but stay put.
Ian must realize that I’m incapacitated, because he smiles, coming down a few steps on the stairs. He stands two below me, so that I’m slightly above him. “You okay?”
“I have… concerns.”
He leans against the railing. “Let’s hear ’em.”
“I’m afraid that if I go in there and it’s anything like theDawghouse was when I moved it, it will totally smother the crush I have on you.”
His face lights up so completely at this, I can’t be embarrassed at the overshare. “You have a crush on me?”
“Obviously.And whatever. You’re crushing on me, too.”
“True.” He leans closer, his face distractingly close. “Full disclosure? There’s a drawer open in my dresser,” he stage-whispers. “I was just trying to figure out how to get in there and close it without you noticing. But Ididmake the bed—”
“That’s my other concern! If you’re secretly a pillar of organization, I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop from throwing myself onto this meticulously made bed of yours in surrender.” I press out my lower lip, beseeching. “I’m only human.”
“Hmm.” The thoughtful sounds rumbles the space between us. He studies my lips, then seems to remember that we’ve broken the seal on kissing, because he smiles, half shy, half wicked, and plants one on me.
His lips a fraction of an inch from mine, he says, “Tell you what.” Another brush of lips. “We’re going to go inside.”
“Mm-hmm,” I say, eyes closed.
He kisses the corner of my mouth. “You’re going to look around, take it in.” His lips trail along my jaw, and I fumble for the railing with one hand, fingernails digging into the wood as I shiver. “Probably judge me for my books.”
“Nonfiction?” I say, breathless.
“With the exception of Tolkien?” He nuzzles the hollow of my throat. “Almost exclusively.”
My hands make their way to his chest, sliding to his shoulders.“Shame.” I flutter my eyelids open to find him smiling up at me. “At least you’re pretty.”
He laughs. “And then we’re going to nap.”
I knead the muscle of his shoulders, grounding myself in the heat of him. “You really think we’ll get in a bed andnap?”
“Onthe bed. I’m not making it a second time today. And you were the one yawning in my face earlier,” he reminds me. “We’ll nap, and then, if we have the time, since we’ve been standing here forever, we will explore one another’s bodies until I have to go down and coach.”
Holy shit, that was decisive. So much so that it completely derails my anxiety. I nod.
“Excellent. Now, ladies first.”
I turn and ascend the last few steps, Ian behind me. Inside, I find a bright studio apartment.Verybright; the windows and skylights let in so much sunshine that he doesn’t even have to turn on a light as we move through the room that I am already committing to memory. To the left of the door, there’s an L-shaped kitchenette with a farmhouse-style sink—unexpected—and a metal prep table. The fridge is a smaller version of the one downstairs, with a sliding door, like in a convenience store. The whole thing is just discordant enough to work.
I point at the fridge, which has a different energy drink logo emblazoned across the top than the lobby’s. “Were you two-timing a sponsor?”
“They tried to get me, but this one tastes like someone ground a multivitamin into a La Croix. I couldn’t have my name associated with something I couldn’t bring myself to consume.”
Hot.“You kept the fridge?”
