Page 48 of Waiting on Life
Gone were the beard and mustache, and in their place was baby-smooth pink skin. Toby still looked beautiful, but that beard had given his face such character, and now it was gone.
He cocked his head and gave me a confused look. “You don’t like it?”
I realized that he’d done it for me, and what was I supposed to say?
“It’s nice. I like it, but I also thought you looked amazing with the beard. You didn’t have to change for me, like you tell me I don’t need to do anything different.” I swept a hand toward the table. “You did all this for me?”
His cheeks flushed. “Well, Tammy said….” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Let’s forget about it.”
“What? Hell no! I’m here—you’re here. We’re doing this thing.”
He gave the barest hint of a smile. “Are you sure?”
I moved in and stood on tiptoes to kiss him. It was totally different without the familiar scratch and tickle of facial hair, but it was still hot as hell. “Yes, I am absolutely certain.”
The more I was around Toby, the more I wanted to be with him. It was like he was designed for me alone.
“I’m sorry, but dinner is only a pizza from Classic Slice. I got out of the bar later than I expected, and—”
“You don’t need to explain. I love pizza, because it’s got all the food groups in one place.”
Toby stepped back, but then put his arms around me again. “One more.”
I inhaled deeply as I was pulled to his body. Toby had a unique, somewhat musky scent that drove me up a wall. It spoke of a man who wasn’t afraid of hard work.
“I should go take a shower,” he said, once more drawing away. “I know I probably reek, and I’m sorry about that. After you left, I found out that the coolers in front broke, so I ended up lugging all the beer and stuff back to the walk-in. It was hot and sweaty work, and—I’m sorry. This wasn’t how I expected tonight to go.”
But I wasn’t sorry. Even though he could have easily called and canceled, he still followed through on our plans.
I put a hand on his chest, kneading is gently. “Don’t be sorry. I appreciate that you didn’t say not to come over. I was looking forward to tonight.”
A big smile split Toby’s face. “Really?”
“Yup. I’ll tell you what. You go take a shower if you want. I’ll pour the wine, and if you haven’t already done it, I’ll feed Waldo. Then we’ll sit down for a movie.”
“I’d like that.” He leaned in and kissed me again. “I’m never going to get tired of that, you know. You’re addicting.”
It was the sweetest thing I’d heard in a long time, and the last one had been from Pete, so it didn’t really count.
“Thank you. Now go.” I fluttered my hand. “Shoo.”
He chuckled, and it sent a shiver through me. I couldn’t stop staring as he moved down the hall. Though he had some padding, there was a strength in that body that could probably be downright dangerous. I couldn’t wait to find out.
Chapter Fourteen
Toby
God, my whole body ached from moving all the liquor out of the coolers. Scott had said he would do it, but from his expression, I knew it was because he still felt as though he had a penance to pay after what happened with Donnie. I explained to him, again, that we were good. He’d more than kept his promise and had been the model employee. Still, doing it by myself—stubborn bastard that I was—left me feeling like I was eighty instead of thirty-two.
The hot water that now cascaded over my body wasn’t doing more than making me tired, but I fought against it, because I’d made a promise to Kyle, and I damn sure intended to keep it. After soaping my body, I rinsed off, and felt marginally better. I turned off the taps, got out and dried myself, then brushed my teeth. A quick check in the mirror startled me, because I hadn’t been without a beard for the last ten years, and I looked… weird. Still, Tammy told me I needed to be presentable and to make this date with Kyle something he’d remember. She told me to do for Kyle what I would have done if I was going on a date with a woman. So that meant flowers to start.
I made my way to the bedroom and went into the closet of freshly laundered clothes. I pulled out a denim-blue shirt and a pair of khaki pants. My body protested getting dressed, wanting instead to get into bed. Still, I could hear Kyle out in the other room, and I needed to get my ass in gear. Dressing nice and even shaving were all done with him in mind. And the look on his face when he’d seen me at the door? It was worth the effort.
My back still ached as I ambled down the hall to the kitchen. When I got there, I found Kyle holding Waldo to his chest, both of them seemingly content to be in each other’s company. His head snapped up when I cleared my throat. He took a moment to gaze at what I was wearing, and then his eyes went back to my face.
“Am I underdressed? I didn’t know we were going to wear nice clothes.”
“No, you look perfectly fine,” I assured him, because he did. It was weird how incredible he looked, whether he dressed up or down. “You know what I like? How Waldo innately knows what a good person you are. He’s always standoffish with other people, preferring to hide instead of coming out. You? He looks for you and wants to be with you.”
