If I was a cat, I’d be purring.
A tiny crease appeared between her brows as she frowned.“I’ve been thinking, this sneaking around and keeping things secret won’t be sustainable forever.Sooner or later, someone is going to find out about us.”
“Hey.”I cupped her cheek, smoothing away her worried expression with my thumb.“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together.I’m not going anywhere, Cal.”
She leaned into my touch and nuzzled at my palm.“Neither am I.I just...I still worry about the potential fallout, I guess.”
I pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.“Don’t borrow trouble.Let’s just enjoy this for now.”
Famous last words.
* * *
I strodeinto my office later than usual, my mind happily replaying clips from the previous night.Callie had wanted to spend her first night in her new apartment so, even though she still didn’t have a bed, we slept on her bedroom floor on a big pile of blankets, my body curled protectively around hers.
Callie has been thrilled about it, breaking into a fit of laughter at our “hamburger bed,” layering each blanket and assigning it a role: bun, patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, bun.The woman owned a lot of fucking blankets.
I’d watched, a mixture of horror and the fiercest love I’d ever felt coursing through my veins.She’d laughed herself to tears before I declared that she was slap happy, and it was time for her to sleep.Her head had barely hit the pillow before she was out cold.The combination of a strenuous day of moving and being fucked until she screamed loud enough to piss off her new neighbors had taken its toll.
I’d had to run home this morning to shower and get dressed.As a result, I was late and so distracted that I nearly walked right into the solid form of my best friend.
Wick was leaning against my desk, smirking.“Well, well, well.Look who finally decided to grace us all with his presence this fine Monday morning.”His dark eyes danced with unholy glee.“Where’ve you been lately, brother?I’ve barely seen you in weeks.”
I shot him a look as I circled around to take a seat behind my desk.“I’ve just been busy.You know, work, things.”
Great job.So convincing.
Wick snorted as he dropped into the chair across from me.“Sure you have.By ‘things,’ I can only assume you mean the curvy little brunette I saw sneaking out of your place Saturday morning when I swung by unannounced.”
Damn it.I forced an easy chuckle, avoiding his too-perceptive gaze.“Don’t be ridiculous.She’s just my intern.”
“How did you know I was talking about Callie?”
There was a pregnant pause as those sharp eyes drilled into me.I squeezed my eyes closed and grimaced.“Fuck.I walked right into that, didn’t I?”
“Sure did, bud.”
“She’s not going to be thrilled that you found out.She’s convinced that someone is going to catch wind of us, and it’s going to jeopardize her job or ruin her reputation or something else on her endless list of reasons whyno onecan know.”
“She does know that your name is on the building, right?So what if she’s fucking you?You’ll make sure she keeps her job, and no one will say a negative word about it.”Wick delivered another of his signature shrugs.
Everything is just so fucking easy for this asshole.
“It’s not that simple.Callie doesn’t give two shits that my name is on the building.She doesn’t want shit handed to her—or some big possessive asshole riding in on his white horse to save her.”
“Okay, so don’t tell her I know.I’m not going to say anything.”
“Really?”
“Who the fuck would I tell?Plus, if it’s important to you, I’ll keep my mouth shut.You’re my best friend, dickhead.Even though you’ve been prioritizing pussy over me.”
“One, do not refer to Callie as ‘pussy’ ever again, or I will beat the living shit out of you.Two, pretend like you wouldn’t do the exact same.”
“Oh, damn.You’re in deep, huh?But, you’re not wrong.Though I have no intention of keeping any woman around long enough that they could ever come between us.”He clutched a hand to his chest, feigning heartbreak.
“Dude, you’re a thirty-one-year-old man.One of these days, you’re going to have to stop fucking a different woman every night.”
The blood drained from Wick’s face, and he gave me a stricken look.“Why would you say something like that to me?”
