“Okay, okay. You’re serious. Got it. Can I have my cock back now?” He cupped my face when I let him go, and he pulled me down for a kiss. “And you’re right. It’s what I missed most about Davis after the accident. Not the big stuff, but the little stuff. And it’s what I love about us, you and me. Mornings like this. Having you eagle-eye the way I pack the dishwasher and offering all those helpful suggestions. Watching you go through your breakfast routine?—”
“I don’t have a—” I stopped myself. “Okay, so maybe I do have a bit of a routine. But my dishwashersuggestionssave on our water bill, you can’t deny that.”
Nick laughed. “And what about the way you slice your banana into perfectly sized circles before adding precisely half a cup of muesli and three tablespoons of Greek yoghurt?” He shook his head. “What can I say? It gets me hard.”
Heat raced into my cheeks and I gave him a shove. “Shut up.”
He kissed me softly. “I’m not joking, and don’t you dare ever change. Because it’s in those moments when I know just how much in love with you I really am. So yes, I get it. And I love you too, baby.”
“Just as well.” I leaned forward and sucked his soft nipple into my mouth, enjoying the brush of silver curls against my lips. Nick shuddered and let out a soft groan. I pulled off and pressed a tiny kiss to the nub. It wrinkled and hardened so I kissed it again. Then I tucked it demurely under the covers and gave it a pat. “Just as well the orgasms aren’t so important then, because that’s all you’re gonna get... for now. The tank is empty, my darling.”
Nick chuckled. “You won’t find me complaining. You pumped me dry last night.” He brushed a disobedient lock of hair from my lashes. “Right now, I need food, coffee, and more coffee.”
I checked my phone. “Which means we should get going if we want to hit a café before we head over to Chloe’s. We also need to grab some groceries if we’re going to stay longer. Have you tried calling her again?”
I reached for my phone. “You shower; I’ll call.”
Two hours later,with a bag of groceries in the trunk, sated bellies, rocketing blood caffeine levels, and still no answer from Chloe, we parked the Focus a few houses down from Chloe’s driveway. Only the front yard, carport, and door of the townhouse were visible.
“Austin’s car isn’t there, so that’s one thing in our favour,” I observed. When Nick didn’t answer, I turned to face him. He’d been worryingly quiet during the drive from the café to Chloe’s. “Are you having a change of heart?”
He slouched at the wheel, grey eyes darkening as he studied the townhouse. “No. But I don’t want to stir up trouble or make things worse for her either. Her relationship with Austin seems tense, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, or that she doesn’t care for him, or need him more than she’s letting on. We get to leave and go home after this, but she doesn’t.”
It was a fair point. “It’s your call.”
Nick chewed the inside of his cheek a moment longer. “Fuck it.” He reached for the door handle. “If we stir up a hornet’s nest, then we’ll just have to deal with it. I’m not heading home without getting some answers.”
And there it was. We left the car and headed up the driveway. An elderly man was clearing his mailbox in front of the first townhouse. He sent us a curious look as we passed and nodded his head. “Good morning.”
I returned the friendly greeting and hoped he wouldn’t tell Austin about us at a later date. When we turned onto Chloe’s path, I looked back to find he’d moved to his stoop but still had his eye on us, which was hardly reassuring. Caught out, he gave a short wave and quickly disappeared into his townhouse. I remembered Austin mentioning a neighbour keeping an eye on Chloe and winced. Maybe that was him. And maybe he was on the phone to Austin right at that moment. If so, it was too late to do anything about it.
“Just our luck to be seen by the neighbourhood watch,” Nick grumbled, following my gaze. “Let’s keep this as short as we can.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed. “It’s far too early in the morning for a dust-up.” I knocked on Chloe’s door the same time Nick planted an unexpected kiss on the nape of my neck.
“A dust-up?” He grinned. “You are too cute for words.”
Before I could slap him for calling me cute... again... the door opened and Chloe stared blankly out at us, still in her dressing gown, her grey hair mussed, her gaze languid and unfocused like she’d come straight from bed. She blinked like she couldn’t quite place us, and for a beat, neither Nick nor I said a word. This wasn’t the same Chloe we’d chatted with the day before. Was this what Austin had been talking about?
A way-too-long moment later, a smile slowly broke over Chloe’s face and she finally spoke. “Nick? Did we make some arrangement for this morning?” Her words ran into each other, almost a slur. “If we did, I’m sorry, I forgot.”
Nick shot me a concerned look, then answered, “No. Nothing like that. There was no arrangement.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said, clearly relieved. “I apologise for answering the door in my dressing gown. I, ah, well, I must have slept in.”
“No apology needed.” Nick shot me a look, concern written on his face. “Yesterday, before we left, we talked about meeting again today.”
Chloe frowned. “Did we?”
“Yes.” Nick spoke slowly and kindly. “We had to finish our conversation early when Austin arrived, and you asked us to come back.”
“Oh my.” Chloe’s brow furrowed in concentration until finally she started to nod. “Oh... yes. I think I remember now. I’m sorry. Sometimes my brain doesn’t work so well in the mornings.”
“Mine too.” I smiled in sympathy. “How about I make us all a cup of tea?”
More nodding from Chloe and finally, a small hesitant smile. “Oh, yes, please. Thank you. That’s very kind.”
“Perfect.” I caught Nick’s eye. “I’ll bring a tray.”
