“Have you put on more muscle since I last saw you?”
“Do you like a man with a little muscle on him?”
“Apparently, I do in this moment,” I teased. “Now aren’t you going to take a moment to enjoy the view?”
“That’s what I’m doing,” he said, fire in his eyes and mischievousness all over his expression as he assessed my face. “Ah, I’ve missed you, Liam.” He patted my arm, but stopped briefly, keeping his hand in place, rubbing his thumb gently against me.
Grrr.
I took a breath, summoning my will.
“I’ve missed you too.” I set my hand on his back and stepped forward to encourage him to turn back toward the actual view. As his hand slipped away, even though I knew it was for the best, I wanted it back on me. I took advantage of having my arm around him, resting my hand on his shoulder the way I might have done with a friend, though I was acknowledging my feelings for Ty were so much stronger than just that—something made even clearer by the sensation stirred by having my arm around him, the heat his body gave off seeming to pulse through my flesh and radiate through me.
“Why don’t you throw your things in your room, and we’ll go grab some dinner, then swing back by and change before hitting the bars?”
“Sounds like a plan. I could use a few drinks in me. I’m ready to fucking party.”
“Well, this is the town for a good party.”
And if it was a good time Ty was looking for, he was gonna have the best weekend of his fucking life.
We headed to the restaurant together, and Ty continued catching me up on bits of his life. “So enough from me. What have you been up to?” he finally pressed. I could see the sincere interest in his eyes. Of course, I knew he wasn’t just interested in what had been happening over the past two weeks.
He wanted to know about me. More than I’d shared, more than I was willing to share.
However, I could give him the last two weeks. “Been reading these vintage action/adventure novels I picked up at a used bookstore down the street.”
“Really? Curious choice. Any particular reason?”
“I’ve read most of the classics, and these little paperbacks are more fun. Not as profound, maybe, but I already got enough going on in my head without others trying to make me think deeper about shit.”
“So what’s the one you’re reading now about?”
“This American spy searches for a Russian spy in the Australian Outback and winds up befriending a dingo and a woman who’s more than she seems.”
Ty’s brows rose, his eyes widening. “Oh really? Do tell… In what way is she more than she seems?”
“I don’t know yet, but I bet she’s gonna wind up in league with the Russians, and the poor fuck is gonna have his hands full, but he’ll get to have a fling with her first.”
He laughed. “Well, that does sound like fun.”
“Yeah, I think I can occupy my time with those and then some of these sci-fi shows you’ve turned me onto. I like the paranormal aspects of the story lines. Makes it more interesting than just…shitty people doing shitty things. Feels like real life sometimes.”
“I get into trouble when I start mixing what I’m watching with real life. I swear, the more I watchedThe X-Files, the more I became convinced of extraterrestrials and government cover-ups. I got hooked on some UFO and Area 51 documentaries for months after I started. What do you think about all that?”
“I think that’s an interesting hobby.”
He leaned back, laughing. “Naw. Do you believe in aliens?”
I didn’t mean to, but I scoffed. “Not really my thing.”
“Never know.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you say so.”
We continued chatting about books, movies, and TV, and I appreciated having the luxury of sitting on my ass all day around my condo. Sure, I worked out and went out to bars on occasion, but there was something pleasant about being able to relax.
To sit in the quiet of my place.
