“Hey.” His expression immediately softened when he saw mine. “Come here.”
Straight to his arms. He wrapped them around me as he pulled me inside and shut the door behind us, his body warm and comforting.
“I’m sorry today was hard,” he murmured. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” I exhaled. “It was a bad situation, and whenever it’s with a kid, it always makes it so much worse. He’ll be okay,” Iadded. “We got things sorted. But between that, an elderly man having a heart attack, and a few other things—it was a rough one.”
He leaned back, massaging my shoulders as he looked into my eyes. “I got food ready and I’m prepared to do whatever you want.”
“Oh?” My brows shot up as my mind immediately jumped to what he meant by that. It’d been a bad day, and thinking about being together gave me some relief.
His cheeks turned red. “Yeah. I mean. We could also just hang out and cuddle, but . . .”
“Hmm.” I curled my fingers in his shirt and tugged him down, his lips meeting mine.
This was exactly what I needed right now, especially after such a long day. I knew that I would have a good evening with Evie and Nick, but Austin was the rock I needed.
He melted into me as my arms wound around his neck, our kiss deepening. It wasn't until we were both breathless that we broke apart. I cleared my throat, giving him my first genuine smile in hours.
Finally, I caught the scent of food. My stomach grumbled, and he winked.
“Let's get dinner in you,” he said.
With my shoes off and keys hung on the wall hook, I followed him to his kitchen, looking around his house. I’d been here a couple times, and I liked his space. He certainly didn't have the same amount of games or books as me, but he still had a few random knickknacks here and there. Pictures of him with his family, random sports gear, random tools. God, there were so many tools.
Austin put his hands on his hips when he caught my gaze wandering around. “For the record, I like your place a lot better than mine. I think mine lacks character. I’m just not here toooften and have no fucking idea how to decorate. Every time I go to Avery’s house, I feel like I’m walking into a magazine.”
I grinned. “Well, I wasn't going to say it, but itisa little bit boring. Which is surprising because you're not boring at all.”
“Are you certain about that? I find myself boring.”
“You’re not, I promise.”
We grinned at each other and went to the kitchen. My steps slowed when I spotted the dinner table. He'd really set everything out for me. Chips and salsa, along with a steaming bowl of ramen with birria on top. There was a glass of fresh water with lemon in it, and he'd even put out a couple beers for us.
“Wow,” I said. “Princess treatment.”
“Obviously,” he said. “Do you want anything else? I can always run out and get something else if you'd rather.”
“Nope, this is amazing. I didn't expect you to have it all on the table ready to go.” I pulled out the chair and sat down, letting out the softest groan. I’d been on my feet all day. I tipped my head back with a happy sigh. “This is perfect, Austin. I promise.”
“Good. I’m happy you’re here.”
I lifted my head at his nervous chuckle. He settled into the chair across from me, and dammit, he was cute. That was the thing about Austin. He was handsome, yes. Hot? Yes. But more than that, he was cute, especially when he had puppy dog eyes.
“I'm still getting used to this,” he whispered. “Even having someone over in a way that isn’t just . . . a friend. I mean, we’re friends, but?—”
“Now we’re more than friends,” I finished. Austin nodded. “I’m still getting used to it too. It’s all been amazing. It’s been a big life change for all four of us, though. Especially going from dating no one to dating three people.”
Not to mention, I’d had more sex in the last month than I’d had in my entire life. Everyone had a high libido and we were riding the energy of excitement.
My stomach grumbled again. I grabbed my fork and picked up noodles and meat, groaning once I took the bite. Fuck, it was exactly what I needed. “This is so fucking good,” I sighed. “I think all I had was a granola bar today.” I couldn’t even remember at this point. Maybe some candy too? It’d just been one of those days.
“Do I need to start bringing you lunch? Because I will.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “And when would you do that? You're already busy enough as it is.” I narrowed my gaze on him. “Speaking of . . .”
Austin raked his fingers through his hair, but he sat back in his chair, studying me thoughtfully.
