“Then, go. I’m good.”
I gave her one last peck, then forced myself out of the shower. I took a moment to dry off, then made my way into the bedroom to get dressed. As I pulled on my clothes, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was surprised to find a slight smile plastered on my face.
A real one.
Not for show. Not to hide behind.
A real, genuine smile.
Knowing I had someone to come home to did something to me. It didn’t make leaving any easier, but it sure made coming back a hell of a lot sweeter.
And for now, that was more than I could ask for.
24
PRESLEY
Between Luke’s remodel, work, and everything in between, it had been a crazy few weeks. Luke had it in his head that he wanted all the renovations done before May, and while he had a lot of help, there was a lot to be done. And we both had jobs and commitments to uphold, and through it all, we were trying to date.
It wasn’t easy, but somewhere in the middle of the chaos, we’d managed to find a quiet rhythm that worked. Our days passed with the usual blur of work, errands, and responsibilities, but we always made time for calls and texts.
Sometimes, a simple text from him would make my entire day.
It wouldn’t be much. Just him asking about how things were going, but I liked knowing he was thinking about me. And every night, no matter how late or tired we might be, we always found a way to end our day together.
It wasn’t always some grand gesture or wild night of passion. While we had our fair share of those, mostly we just enjoyed the comfort of being in each other’s arms when we fell asleep. It became our normal, and I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
Which is why my heart started to race a little when I heard his bike pull into my driveway. Seconds later, the front door opened and closed, followed by the sound of his boots thudding across the kitchen floor. I was curled up on the sofa, pretending to watch TV, but in truth, I’d been waiting for him to walk through that door for over an hour.
He rounded the corner, and when he spotted me on the sofa, he smiled and asked, “You’re still up?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” I turned the TV off before asking, “How was work?”
“Busy, but busy is good.” He slipped off his cut and draped it over the chair. “It makes the night go by faster.”
I nodded, watching him a bit longer than I’d meant to, and before I could shake it from my thoughts, the images started to creep in. The stage lights. Glitter. Music. And most of all, all the gorgeous women in heels and not much else.
I trusted him. I really did. But trust didn’t magically erase all of my insecurities. When he noticed me staring, he cocked his brow and asked, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“I don’t want to say, because you’ll make a big deal out of it.”
“Oh, well, now you’ve got me intrigued.” He came over and sat down next to me, immediately pulling me into his lap. “Spill it, woman.”
“Have you ever dated one of the Vault girls?”
“You don’t date the Vault girls, babe.”
“What does that even mean?”
“We hang out or whatever. Nothing serious. Nothing that means anything.”
“So, by hanging out, you mean you sleep with them?”
