Sitting here, I couldn’t help but think how much this felt like a villain’s lair, lording over the city like Mr. Beans liked tolord over the living room. I wondered if he could see me in my house from up here. From where I was, I had a good view of everything the crew was doing and figured he probably could.
Had he watched me?
Mr. Beans jumped into my lap then, sitting to look out the window with me, tail flicking. I spent a lot of time sitting and reading in those front windows, and the trees parted to allow a direct view of them. If I were he, I’d have spied on my neighbors all the time.
After another moment in his chair, looking at the gutted remains of what was once my entire world, I made my way back down the spiral stairs to his room.
Eyeing his giant bed and biting my lip, I couldn’t help myself. His sheets were twisted and rumpled, with a dent in the middle where he slept. I knew they’d smell like him. Something this comfortable would haunt me if I didn’t try it out—like Goldilocks trying all the beds in the house.
I crawled in, wrapping his blankets around me and cocooning myself in the scent of him. What would he do if I just fell asleep here? An evil, daring part of me wanted to find out.
Bill jumped up beside me and curled down, letting out a huff of breath in companionable agreement. Mr. Beans soon followed.
???
There was a tight compression squeezing all around me; the embrace enveloped the dark little fort of blankets I’d built. I took a moment to orient myself, recognizing the scent around me and remembering where I was. The compression, Irealized, were arms, and there were hands trying to find their way through the many folds of fabric, tickling me as they went.
A giggle burst from my lips.
The hands found me, unveiling my head as light flooded in. A dramatic fan of my hair flew, snapping with static. Pushing it away from my eyes, I met Nash’s gaze. He grinned with a piece of my bread clamped between his teeth. A deep purr rumbled from his chest, the warm smell of butter and bread greeting me.
He removed the bread from his mouth. “You have no idea what coming home to freshly baked carbs, and a beautiful, curious woman in my bed does to me.”
I laughed despite my mortification at having fallen asleep in his room. It was clear I’d gone snooping about, but it’s good he found it endearing. He offered me a bite of the bread, and I took it with a smile. It felt like he was always trying to feed me.
He’d taken off his suit coat from the morning, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar and sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows. His forearm flexed as he took the bread back from me and tossed the remaining piece of crust in his mouth.
I tried to make sense of his tattoos, peeking just below the sleeve. They were abstract curls, dainty and thin, filled with line work and patterns almost like lace, but less feminine. It wasn’t something I’d seen before, and I burned to know what the rest of it looked like.
“I have to admit,” he began with a sigh, weight relaxing around me, “I was a little afraid you’d run away from us when I couldn’t find you, Bill or Beans.”
As I finished chewing my bite of bread, I inhaled. The smellof his immediate presence calmed my nerves. My mind felt clear when I was around him, unlike ever before—that second half of me back where it belonged.
“What time is it?” I asked on a yawn.
“Does it matter?” he replied.
My stomach rumbled, rudely interrupting with a demand for more food now that the bite of his bread had awakened it.
He laughed. “Hungry little thing, are we?”
I giggled, trying to wriggle free, but he only held tighter. I relented, relaxing into his hold.
“Bee brought home some steaks. Do you like steak?” He tucked a loose strand of my hair behind one ear.
I shrugged.
Steak wasn’t something I cooked. If I had beef at all, it was usually ground and cooked into pasta. It was a tricky meat for me to cook. All the steak recipes measured a steak’s doneness by color. Obviously, that would not work, so why bother? Besides, it’s not something someone living alone thinks to cook for themselves.
“Well, she makes a great steak, so you’re in for a treat.”
He released me. I pushed back the comforter, letting out a burst of static along with it.
Nash motioned to the room. “Do you like it in here?” He sat on the edge of the bed now.
“I do. It’s really cozy.” I smirked. “You’re kinda messy, though, no offense.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and held them there, hiding my mirth.
He shrugged and laughed. “Life of a bachelor, I guess.”
