Minnie pulls out her phone and begins reciting what she’s typing. “Hey, I had some very mediocre sex with this guy, but I think I’m going to give him another shot. See you in the morning.”
“What?” I practically shout, propping my hands on my naked hips in indignation.
With a grin, she turns her phone so I can read what she actually typed.
Me: I’m still safe inside room 418. This guy is amazing, so I’m staying the night. Tomato soup for lunch tomorrow?
“Tomato soup?” I question, trying not to preen like a peacock at theamazingcomment.
She shrugs one shoulder. “It’s like a codeword system we set up to let the other know our status, you know, in case someone is reading over our shoulder or forcing us to send a message. Tomato soup is comforting, so it means we’re safe.”
“And if you’re not?”
“We mention liver and onions,” she replies, and I laugh.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, my face falls serious, and I brush a strand of her hair from her neck. “I’m sorry women have to set up codes just to feel safe. It makes me want to punch all the asshole guys in the world.”
Minnie captures my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I think your arm would fall off if you had to punch all of them. But thank you.”
I flip my hand over and cup her jaw, softly, like it’s made of delicate glass. “You’ll always be safe with me.”
Her eyes are warm, a little browner now. “I know. I can feel that.” She leans forward and presses her lips to mine, and I slide my hand around to the back of her head, deepening the kiss. When we finally part, Minnie is breathless. “I need to use the bathroom.”
I stand and offer her my hand, helping her up. “If you want to leave me your phone, I’ll grab the charger from the pharmacy bag.”
She hands it over, and I notice she didn’t lock her screen, so after taking in an eyeful of Minnie’s ass swaying to the bathroom, I pull up her contacts and add my number under the name Remi. Then I retrieve the charger, plug it in, and hook up our phones on the small nightstand.
Something flips over in my chest, seeing them side by side. The sight is so simple, but there’s something very domestic and intimate about it.
My mind fast forwards to the future, to sharing a phone chargerand so much more with Minnie. Every damn night. I drag my hand down my face and mutter, “Good lord, what has gotten into me?”
This is not me. I’ve always been a no-strings-attached guy, but I find myself wanting strings with Minnie. Hell, I want ropes and Velcro and zip ties.
Hmm, zip ties. There’s a possibility…
Before that dirty thought can bloom, she’s back. We climb beneath the covers, and I rest on my back, tucking Minnie beneath my left arm. She loops a leg over one of mine so she’s plastered to my side. I sigh in utter contentment.
Why the hell can’t I have this? Why can’t I have both a career and someone to come home to? Someone to share meals with. Someone to hold hands with beneath a blanket on the couch. Someone to talk to about everything and nothing at all.
Pushing thoughts of my parents’ failed marriage from my mind, I decide I can. I’m not completely delusional. I’m fully aware I just met Minnie and this might be some kind of sex-fueled infatuation, but I honestly don’t think it is. And I know I have to give this thing a shot with her. Regrets would plague me forever if I didn’t. Tomorrow morning, I’ll talk to her… see if she wants to try a real relationship with me.
Decision made, I flick off the lamp and plunge the room into darkness, though I can feel her face turned up toward mine. Leaning in, I find her mouth easily for a slow brush of lips.
“Have breakfast with me in the morning.”
She traces her fingers over my ribs. “You don’t have to get to the wedding?”
“Not till late morning, so I have time. I have some things I need to tell you.”Like the fact that I’m Billionaire Remington and not Hardware Joe.
I feel her nod before I hear her say, “Okay.” We’re silent, Minnie still caressing my rib cage and me drawing lazy circles on her shoulder with my thumb. I love the way we touch so easily, like it’s second nature. Her voice breaks the quiet. “Joe?”
Once again, I wince inwardly at the stupid name. “Yeah, baby?”
It surprises me when her voice is tentative. “Is sex always like that for you?”
I shake my head in the dark. “That was a completely new experiencefor me.” My fingers sift through her long, thick hair. “I never felt so invested, like I might die if I wasn’t inside another person.”
Her smile curls against my chest. “I felt the same, like a hundred people could have busted through the door, and there’s no way I would have wanted to stop. It was so…” She pauses for a few seconds. “It almost seemed tantric.”
