I could already see the wheels turning in Max’s head and had a feeling he’d go through with it.
“It wouldn’t be until March at the earliest,” I said, “but you’re always welcome to come sooner if you want. When’s your last contract up?” I asked.
“The end of January. They’re sending me to Hawaii next month.”
He didn’t sound the least bit excited about that, which only proved how much he needed a break.
“Well, think about it. Even if it’s just for a few weeks. I’d love to see you.”
“Yeah, I will. Anyway, I need to go. Take care of my cousin, Jake, and if he starts talking in his sleep, just smack him with a pillow. That’s what I used to do.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad!” I argued, making Jake laugh.
“Yeah, you are,” Jake and Max said in unison, which only made Jake laugh harder. I let go of his hand and pinched his leg.
“Ouch! Maybe I will hit you with a pillow next time.”
Max shook his head at us.“Adios, amigos.”
As soon as I hit end, Jake yawned and rubbed his face with his hand, still grinning. He was always so sexy in the mornings, with messy hair and a thick morning scruff. It was probably my favorite look on him.
“I think I need food,” he said. “You get Harris at three o’clock, right?”
“Three thirty.”
“Okay. Why don’t we go to that restaurant Rome told you about? The one in Cradle Springs?”
“That’s almost an hour away,” I said.
He shrugged. “So we’ll eat a snack on the way. We’ll be back before Harrison is out and take him and the dogs to the beach this afternoon. I bet he’d love playing with Lady there, and it’ll burn both of their energy before bed.”
I smiled at his enthusiasm. “Okay, but before we go, you need to tell me something first.”
“What?”
I didn’t know why, but I was a little self-conscious about talking in my sleep now that Max had brought it up. “What have I said in my sleep?”
Jake gave me an amused look as he got off the couch. “Oh, all kinds of stuff. Last night I think I heard something about… what was it? Tamales, I think? I don’t know. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’re saying, but you’re cute as fuck when you do it.” I must have looked guilty because he quickly added, “You’re notthatbad, babe. It doesn’t wake me up. I just notice it when I’m up to go to the bathroom or something. Besides, it could always be worse, like if you snored.”
I laughed, climbing off the couch as well. “Oh, like you?”
“What? I do not!”
“Uh, yeah, you do. Not loudly, but you do.”
I went to the kitchen to drop my mug off before following him down the hall to our bedroom. Jake was already naked when I walked in, and I couldn’t help but smack his ass as I walked by to the suitcases on the floor.
“When are you going to move that shit to the dresser? You know you can, right?”
I glanced at the large, oak dresser, then back at him. “And spoil the fun? No way! I told you, I don’t want to see any of your underwear unless they’re on you first.”
Jake paused, a grin spreading across his face. “Well, fine. Here.” He pointed to the three drawers on the right-hand side of the dresser. “These three drawers are where The Reyes Special Surprises are, so if you don’t want to see them, don’t look there. Otherwise, help yourself. And the bottom drawer is nearly empty, I think.”
“I get one drawer? So generous of you.”
Jake gave me a look. “You can use the other drawers too! There’s plenty of room in the closet if you need it, but we’ll need to get more hangers.”
“Are you serious though? You havethree drawersof underwear?”
“Yeah. It used to be four, but I got rid of some when I moved here.”
He said it so matter-of-factly, like everyone should have half a dresser stuffed full of underwear that I couldn’t keep myself from laughing. “Good god, Jake. Do you hate doing laundry or something?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” He shrugged. “Besides, it’s fun. And I don’t hear you complaining either. You seem to like ripping each one of them off me.”
I grinned. “No, definitely not complaining. You just always surprise me, that’s all.”
“Feeling’s mutual, babe,” Jake said as he slid into a pair of bright green briefs. On the front was a huge pineapple wearing a pair of sunglasses, and when he turned around to reach for his jeans, I caught a glimpse of his ass, which had another pineapple stretched out in a hammock. The letters along the waistband read “prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside.”
No, I’d definitely never get tired of his odd collection.
