I kiss him out of sheer appreciation, hoping to convey it all through the way my lips meet his, the way I tug him close, the way I need him near me. Finally, he pushes against my shoulder and says, “Okay, let me get changed and get to making breakfast so I can actually enjoy it with you and not have to rush off rightafter.”
He hops to his feet and grabs a pair of pants from the dresser, muttering, “Oh,shit.”
“What’swrong?”
“Forgot to run by my place and grab a shirt for today. Dammit, and I totally made a mental note yesterday before I left. Should’ve put a reminder in my phone. Guess I’ll have to swing by myplace.”
I shouldn’t be this rattled by his discovery, but I sit up, alert, before sliding out of bed and heading over to him. I inspect the inside of the drawer, noticing the quarter of space I pushed aside forhim.
“I’m such a fucking dick,” Isay.
“What are you talking about? Did you wear one of myshirts?”
“No, but I should’ve made more space for you already. Pack a bag and bring whatever you can over tonight. I’ll empty a drawer and make space in the closet.” My jaw tenses as I say the words because I’m mad at myself for not having addressed this problem sooner. “I can’t believe we haven’t discussed thisalready.”
“Having more drawer space?” The way he says it, it’s clear he’s not nearly as disturbed as Iam.
“What? No. You going back to your place. I just… You like being over here, don’tyou?”
“I love being here because it means being with you. We just sort of happen to always gravitate to your place, probably because in the beginning it was easier knowing we could get away with it here instead of at myplace.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t want to move in with me? Because, Jesse, I prefer to have you in my life as much as possible. Or is it just way too soon for thatconversation?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “It’s definitely not too soon, but I also enjoy having my condo. It’s my style, and it’s nice to have something that’s just mine. That I can design to my owntastes.”
“What would you want to do around here if you moved in? You can change anything,Jesse.”
“You could be a little moreadventurous…”
I ball my hands into fists and clench my jaw as I think about how his place would clash with mine if we tried to merge ourstyles.
“See, you would hate that,” he says, having picked up on mydiscomfort.
“It’s an adjustment. I’m used to being the only one who decides what my place should looklike.”
Jesse shakes his head. “We don’t need to figure it all out today, Eric. I’m not going anywhere, and of course I’m going to stay as much as I can, but at least for now, I like having my condo too. That’s fine,right?”
“It is. Of course. I want you to be happy. I guess I’m frustrated by anything that makes me think you’re going to be gone for any amount oftime.”
He takes my hand. “I’ll grab some more things, and we can talk about rearranging all your art and furniture as we go. I was thinking a mural of two naked men kissing in the kitchen, just tostart.”
“We can sort out the mural later, but in the meantime, you grab your clothes, and there’ll be more room for you when you get backlater.”
I dig into the drawer and start pulling outclothes.
“Eric, you don’t have to do it right thissecond.”
“Yes, Ido.”
I can tell by the pleased expression on his face that he’s grateful for my urgency. “While you do that, I’ll get started on thoseomelettes.”
I set the clothes in my hand on top of the dresser before taking his chin between my finger and thumb and pulling him close for a kiss. As his tongue slides into my mouth, I sense his appreciation, his warmth, the affection, and I want it all. To be lost in it, to bask in his total adoration right now. I’m greedy for it. And I can tell by the way his other hand slides down my side toward my ass that he’s greedy for ittoo.
7
Jesse
“Hi, Tricia,”I force out as she walks from the kitchen down the hall to the foyer. In a blouse and skirt, she looks like she’s still wearing her work clothes. Her dirty-blonde hair, the locks so similar to Ty’s, falls into large curls at her shoulders. Her smile, which seems big enough already, expands even more as she makes eye contact withme.
