I finally closed my eyes…and awoke to a kiss. I blinked to awareness to see Bailey standing by my side with a steaming mug in his hand.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. It’s eight. Time to wake up.”
“Fuck.” I groaned and flung my arms out to stretch. “What time did we get to sleep last night? Feels like I just closed my eyes.”
The bed dipped, and I scooted over to make room for him. “Well, I conked out right away, but I know you were up because each time I opened my eyes, I saw you were awake. It wasn’t until around four a.m. that I saw you asleep.” He handed me the cup. “Your barista is here with your coffee order. As sinful as you. Black with a kick of cinnamon.”
I drank. “Damn, that’s good. Thanks.” I yawned. “Yeah, I guess it was sleeping in an unfamiliar bed.”
Bailey smirked. “Nice try, but come up with a better lie. You slept fine the first time you were here and up in the cabin.” Concern filled his eyes. “Is everything okay? Is something bothering you from last night?”
My stomach cramped but not from the coffee. I couldn’t let Bailey think it was him. “No.” I held his gaze. “Nothing’s wrong. That’s just it. Everything is good. Really, really good.”
Those big blue eyes lit up. “Yeah, I think so.” He got to his feet. “I showered already, so it’s all yours. And I have bagels if you want me to toast one for you.”
I made a face. “I don’t toast. What kind?”
“Oh, you’re one ofthose. I have plain, everything, and sesame.”
“I’ll take an everything with cream cheese, please.”
“Got it. And I brought your bag in.” He shifted on his feet, suddenly nervous. “Uh…if you want, you can leave your toothbrush and stuff here for tonight. You know, if you come back.”
Damn, he was cute. I rose and could see Bailey eyeing my morning wood, but I had no time to take care of it, or him. I grinned. “I’d like that. I’ll be out in a few.”
Giving one final, lingering look at my dick, he nodded. “Okay. I’ll get on that.”
I couldn’t resist giving him a kiss. “You’d like to get on this, wouldn’t you?” I rubbed up on him, and he groaned.
“Don’t tease me unless you mean business.” Bailey took me in his hand. “And this is to keep you thinking about me all day.”
He sank to his knees, and using his tongue on my shaft and his fingers playing with my ass, had me coming hot and heavy down his throat in a minute flat. When he stood and kissed me, I could taste myself on his gleaming lips, and I held him close.
“You think I could forget you?” I cupped his ass and played with his rim, teasing and pushing inside him until I felt a warm, sticky wetness spread over my stomach. “And that’s so you understand. No one gets to touch you like I do.”
He kissed me. “No one ever has.”
I went to shower, and when I came out, dressed in my jeans and a sweater, Bailey had put on his slacks and a shirt and had atie slung around his neck. I sat across from him but didn’t start eating.
“Do you ever dress casually for the office?”
Bailey glanced at his shirt and frowned. “No, I always wear a suit. Why?”
I picked up my bagel and took a bite to stall. “I don’t know. I guess to be more comfortable?”
“I’m fine wearing this. I can’t exactly go before a judge in jeans and sneakers.”
“Why not? Do they have a dress code?”
In the middle of eating his bagel, Bailey set it on the plate and directed a hard stare at me. “Why all the questions? Does it bother you that I wear a suit and tie?”
“No, I don’t care. Just curious.” I took another big bite out of my bagel.
It was true. Bailey in a suit was fucking hot. Guess I was as guilty of judging Bailey as Ambrose, and I’d better change that mindset in a hurry if Bailey and I were going to have a chance. Time for me to stop worrying about what Ambrose might think about my life.
While we cleaned up together, I couldn’t help comparing Bailey’s apartment to mine. I liked my apartment, but I hadn’t changed a thing since Carlos died. It was his books on the shelves, his art on the walls. The furniture wasn’t my style, but I couldn’t muster the nerve to redecorate. Why should the kind of chair I sit on matter? Hell, I hadn’t even gotten rid of his razor and cologne on the bathroom shelf. Even now, I still found myself referring to it as “Carlos’s place.”
Bailey’s co-op was the opposite of him—low key and neutral. I’d expected it to reflect his personality, with loud colors and cheerful, bright art and a touch of chaos. Instead, it wasfurnished with a beige couch and a club chair. White cabinets and pale-green and white tile in the kitchen. Light oak furniture and several pieces of pottery and sculptures.
