“And that’s only three ways,” I say, flashing her a grin.
“Only 362 left.”
“All those possibilities,” I agree.
“Do you still have access to those videos?”
I eye her over the rim of my glass while I take a sip. “I do.”
“Do you still watch them?”
“I’m a diligent student. Always keen to be the best.”
“What are the other 362 about?”
“Honestly, I don’t think there’s really 365. More of a catchphrase than a reality. Therearea lot. Many of them require toys, which I’m down for, if you are.”
She bites her lip and searches my face. “Yeah?”
“If it makes you feel good, I’ll do anything. Truly. There are no limits. You want to try it, or you already know you like it, I’ll do it.”
She stares down at the island, and her messy hair forms a curtain around her. When she looks up, I can’t read her expression. “You should show more people this side of you.”
“The sex god side?”
“No,” she says with a smile. “OnlyIget that perk.”
I kind of like how possessive she sounds.
“You’re just sogood.Not in some artificial way, like you’re trying to win people over. In fact, you seem to deliberately try to put people off getting close to you. But I think you might be one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
“The people who matter know this side of me exists,” I say, but my chest is so tight from her sincerity that it’s hard to get the words out. “Not everyone’s opinion of you is worth knowing. I learned that a long time ago, and I seem to relearn it every season. My circle is small and tight for a reason.”
She steps close to me and wraps her arms around my neck, pressing herself close while running her hands through the strands of hair at the nape of my neck. “Well, I’m glad I made the cut.”
“Never any question,” I murmur against her neck.
“There was!” She laughs. “But we can pretend like there wasn’t. I barely remember that version of you.”
Me, too, and that should be really fucking scary.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sawyer
Tamiko doesn’t book an appointment or send me a text, she just shows up at my office. Bituin has just left for the day, and I don’t have any pro bono clients coming. The Bellerive Bullets plane, with Logan onboard, departed for their streak of away games this morning.
“Can we talk?” Tamiko hitches her purse higher onto the shoulder that isn’t propped against the door to the workout room.
Feeling a bit at loose ends, I’ve been disinfecting the equipment while I consider how I’m going to fill all the free time I have with Logan off the island. It’s been strange to realize the way he’s seeped into my life. All the nooks and crannies that once had other side projects or charity work have been superseded by the Bullets, and more specifically, Logan. The last time this happened to me, I ended up regretting making someone else the focal point of my life.
“If you lock the front door,” I say, wiping down a weight and setting it to the side, “you can have all the time I’ve got—which happens to be a lot today.”
She leaves and returns a second later, wandering around the space, taking in the equipment. “I’m not judging—”
“You came to talk about Logan?”
“Youand Logan. Hard launching at that stray-animal fundraiser at the palace? Do you have so little respect for what I do?”
