My thoughts turn back to the situation at dinner last night, and I can’t get my head off of this Tyler guy. There was something about him that didn’t sit right with me, and at this point, we have no other leads, so it’s worth checking out on the off chance we find something. Picking up my phone, I send Oakley a text to see if he can come to Rina’s house so we can game plan since I don’t plan on leaving her alone anytime soon. He agrees and lets me know he’ll bring breakfast and coffee as well. For a man who claimed to not want friends, he’s a very good one without even trying. I do feel bad that Willow has to run Grind Time because of my insecurities with leaving Rina, but I’ll figure out a way to make it up to her.
“What time is it?” Rina’s sleep-riddled voice interrupts my chaotic thoughts.
“Six-thirty.”
“Jesus, is this normal for you?” She rolls over, rubbing her eyes.
“Waking up early? Usually.” I try very hard to hide my amusement.
“This is never going to work. I can’t be with someone who is this peppy in the morning. You were never this way when we first got together,” she groans.
I do laugh this time because she’s too fucking adorable.
“It’s a deal breaker?” I ask, not doing a good job of covering my laughter.
“Ugh, shut up. My brain doesn’t work this early.” She throws her arm over her eyes as I slide down into the bed, pressing a kiss to her forearm then her shoulder as a breathy moan comes from her.
“What if I wake you up in a different way?” I murmur against her skin.
“Yeah, that’s probably okay,” she drawls.
I chuckle into her neck before I pull away. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind. Unfortunately, we’ll have company in about twenty minutes, so it’ll have to wait for another day.”
“That’s cruel,” she whines. Dropping her arm from her face, she sends me a death stare that makes me smile.
“If it helps, he’s bringing breakfast and coffee.” I dangle the hope of sustenance in front of her.
“You’re lucky Oakley somehow always knows what I want to drink, or this would be an entirely different conversation.” She rolls to face me, and I can’t help myself. My fingers trail along her cheek, across her plump bottom lip and down her jaw before cupping it. I lean in and press my lips to hers, wanting to savor this quiet moment before real life takes over again.
As I pull away, she follows me with an unhappy groan.
“You should have started with that; I’d probably wake up happy every day if you did.”
It’s not supposed to be a meaningful statement, but to me, it means everything. The thought of being able to kiss her every morning, to make her happy every day, sends warmth through my chest. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and right this second, it feels attainable.
“That can be arranged,” I hum before pulling back completely and flipping the covers off of me. I wish we had more time, but I know Oakley will be here any minute, and I have to physically remove myself from Rina’s side in order to get ready for him.
“Take your time getting up,” I tell her as I pull on my slacks from last night and throw on my button-up shirt. I have a gym bag in my truck, but it feels like too much effort to go get right now. I do make a mental note to pack a bag to leave here.
Walking out the front door, I sit in one of the rockers and wait for Oakley. I’m desperately trying to shift my head to work mode and not love on Rina mode, but it’s harder than I anticipated.
A truck comes down the drive, and I throw a wave up as Oakley parks. I stand up to meet him and grab the coffee he brought.
“Rina says you always know what she drinks, so I hope that’s true because she’s grumpy as shit this morning.”
“I heard that!” Rina yells from the porch.
“Shit,” I whisper as Oakley starts laughing.
“Oh-ho, this is a good time.” He walks toward Rina, handing her a bag of food. “Good morning, lovely Rina. How are you this morning?” His sweet tone makes me want to punch him, but I know he’s just goading me.
“Wonderful now that you’re here,” she says sweetly.
“Are you two done? Trying to rile me up is not going to help what we need to accomplish today,” I grumble.
“Your americano is in your left hand, and there’s breakfast in the bag for you too. Stop complaining,” Oakley jokes as he walks into Rina’s house.
Rina smirks as I walk up the steps of the porch.
