“I slept great.” He spotted the breakfast tray, and his eyes popped open. “Yum, coffee in bed. Thank you.”
I took a seat beside him and set the tray carefully down. River immediately grabbed the coffee and took a long drink, and I laughed and shoved the yogurt forward. “Make sure to put something in your stomach.”
His hair was sticking out all over the place, and his lids were still heavy with sleep. Having him in my bed really drew out my instincts to take care of him, and I was glad I didn’t have to rush off to the office that day.
“It usually takes me forever to get out of bed,” River admitted, then took another sip of his coffee as steam wafted across his face.
I glanced at my phone, sitting on my bedside table untouched. “I usually check my email first thing,” I confessed.
River waved a finger in the air. “That’s bad hygiene.”
“What do you do in bed all morning?”
He laughed, the sound like wind chimes in the morning. “Stare at the wall. Daydream. Sometimes I read.”
“That sounds nice.” Still, I made a mental note that I should bring him coffee some mornings, if I got a chance without Kai around.
“Do you have a plan today?” I asked.
River shook his head. “Not really. I told myself I was going to start working out again finally, and I need to do a bunch of little tasks on the computer, track down my old academic records and stuff like that. What about you?”
I sat straight up on the edge of my bed, grinning. “Start working out again, hey?”
“Oh no,” River laughed. “I’ve seen you going to the gym every day. You’re one of those people who likes working out.”
“Guilty as charged. Want to take a jog through the park with me?” I got a little hyped about it. I could totally help him figure out a routine that made sense and help him with his form; I loved that kind of thing.
River dipped the spoon in his yogurt and scooped some blueberries up, then popped them in his mouth. “I don’t know about that,” he laughed. “I’m pretty out of shape.”
“No big deal.”
He tilted his head down and gave me a sarcastic look. “You’re not the one who is going to embarrass yourself by falling to the ground and gasping for breath.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe a brisk walk through the park then?”
He relaxed into a smile. “That sounds more like it.”
“Consider it a favor to me. Otherwise, I might get antsy and spend all Saturday morning answering emails.”
“That’s what I really need help with,” River sighed. “I can do computer admin for work all day, but when it comes to my own stuff, I lose all my focus.”
I took my yogurt and mixed the blueberries in. “Well, I can definitely help you with that.”
“You can?”
“Sure. I’ll just sit on the couch while you work at the big table. It will be like in the office. I’ll keep an eye on you so you stay focused.”
River thought about, then laughed. “I guess that could work.”
I ate a scoop of the sweet yogurt. “Great. Now let’s get your work done so we can go for a walk before it’s too hot.”
River and I finished breakfast in bed. We indulged in a little more cuddling and stroking each other but mainly kept our hands to ourselves. It was funny to me that those little gestures felt so much more vulnerable than any hookup I’d had before. You’d think stripping naked and shoving your cock in another man’s mouth would top the intimacy charts, but sitting around with River, our hair messed up and still in our pajamas, somehow took it to another level.
I was on the couch, wasting time online, when he got out of the shower. He had changed into one of his work outfits, which made me chuckle, and he immediately walked over to the long table like he was walking into the office. I ran to grab one of my suit jackets from my room and slipped it over the old T-shirt I was wearing. While I lounged, I kept an eye on River, who worked steadily away, his back straight and his fingers poised over the keyboard.
He turned sideways and shot me a glance. “I can’t believe this is working so well,” he laughed. “I’m already halfway through my list.”
I stretched out on the couch. “I can’t believe I’m actually chilling on a Saturday morning.”
