The first thing I become aware of is the ache in my face. The second is the smell. Sweet, feminine, very definitely not the odor of my bachelor pad. Then the memory hits me.
Sydney.
Kissing her, touching her, making her mine. But she isn’t in bed with me. Why not?
Rising, I test my sore limbs. My legs are okay, considering I got knocked around more than expected. I transfer my weight onto them and venture out of the bedroom in search of my girl. I find her in the kitchen, pouring a mug of coffee, and one of herbal tea.
My heart flutters.
It goddamnflutters.
And all because I spent the night pleasuring a woman who knows me well enough not to give me caffeine. I don’t drink the stuff. It messes with my energy levels, and I don’t stand for anything doing that.
“Morning, beautiful,” I say, coming up behind her and dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder. Her hair is wild, with dark curls corkscrewing all over the place, and I know from experience that she’ll freak out as soon as she notices. Me, though? I think it’s gorgeous. She’s never believed me when I tell her so.
“Hey, there,” she replies, turning to kiss me. The faint brush of her lips isn’t enough, and I pull her back for a second kiss, deeper and firmer. When I let her go, her cheeks are flushed and she’s breathing heavily.
“That’s a real kiss.”
She rolls her eyes, but I know it rocked her as much as it did me.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask, taking the herbal tea and blowing across the surface.
She shrugs. “I’ll probably do some stuff around the apartment. Lena and I talked about meeting up later.”
Shifting from one foot to the other, I wonder whether I should read anything into the fact that her plans don’t include me.
“I hoped you might come to the pool with me,” I say. “I usually go the day after a fight to loosen up.” Since her brows have drawn together, I add, “I’ll swim a few lengths and then sit in the spa for a while. You could just head straight for the spa.”
“Isn’t your pool time when you finally get to be alone and decompress?”
She’s got me there. But today, I don’t want to be without her.
“I haven’t seen much of you lately, and I want to spend today together.”
She brightens until she’s absolutely glowing. “All right then. I’d love to come with you. Do you want to eat first? I have smoothie ingredients.”
“Nah, you have one. If I do, it’ll give me cramps when I’m swimming. I’ll eat after.” An idea occurs to me. “We should go out for lunch.” She wants to do things normal couples do, and what could be more normal than a lunch date?
Impossibly, her smile widens. “Count me in.”
I touch my lips to her forehead, because I can’tnot, and take my mug to the nearest chair, where I watch while she prepares a smoothie. There’s something so domestic about seeing her add bananas, oats, and vegetables to the blender after holding her all night long. My soul feels light. Like everything is at peace in the world, and nothing matters beyond this moment. She switches the blender on, and while it’s whizzing, she comes over and straddles my lap. Cautiously, so as not to spill my drink, I kiss her. She loops her arms around my neck and snuggles in.
Damn, if every morning was like this, I’d never want to leave home. I’d quit the gym and stay with her forever. But she gets up, ending the moment, and goes to the blender to turn it off, then pours her smoothie into a tall glass. It’s a gross color, somewhere between green and brown, but probably tastes better than mine do. I find it best to hold my breath while I chug my smoothies, so I don’t taste them any more than necessary. In contrast, Sydney sips hers.
“That black eye looks like it hurts,” she remarks.
“It’s fine. Barely even notice it,” I lie. “I let him get a couple of cheap shots in to build up his confidence before I took him down.”
“Mmhmm.” She smirks. “Of course you did.”
She wants me to admit I saw her with Dr. Ken and freaked out, but it’s not going to happen. I have some pride left, even after getting the stuffing knocked out of me by a no-name.
Once she’s finished with her smoothie, we ride my motorcycle back to my place, then get an Uber to the pool—not the nearest one, which is cheap and crappy, but the great aquatic center I prefer to use. It comes with all the best conveniences. Spa, lane pool, sauna, and a load of gear anyone can hire. I have a VIP pass, which means I can come and go as I please, but we pause at the counter to pay for Sydney’s entry. Bumping her aside, I cover the cost. It may be small, but I like to think it’s a step in the right direction—something a man would do for his woman.
We go our separate ways to the changing rooms, and meet at the spa. When I see Sydney, my eyes nearly bug out of my head. She’s wearing a yellow bikini that ties at the hips and the nape of her neck, displaying her mouthwatering body for anyone who cares to look.
And the men look.
