Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“It’s okay, buddy,” I told Goya, patting his head until his hair flattened and his posture loosened.
“No, sit,” Nico said, brushing me away when I tried to grab bags to help him put things away.
“I can help.”
“Sure you can. But I got this.”
I hated that my knee-jerk instinct was to compare him to Matthew. But I couldn’t seem to help it.
It didn’t matter how many bags I came in weighed down by—if Matthew had even helped me buy those things—he’d never once helped me put anything away, let alone told me to relax while he did it himself.
I sat on the couch, watching as Nico shrugged out of his jacket, setting it over the back of a chair, then going through the grocery bags, putting everything away in such a natural way that it was clear he did it all the time.
Did my gaze maybe watch the way his back and arms pulled against the material of his shirt? And the way his ass looked in his slacks? Maybe. But who could blame me?
“You’re right, bud,” he said as Goya sniffed at a bag. “I got some stuff in there for you.”
Finished with the grocery bags, he went to the one Goya was sniffing at. “I didn’t know if you were a toy dog, a rope dog, or a ball dog,” he said, taking one of each out and tossing them around the room.
Goya freaked out, jumping in three directions, not sure which way to go. Eventually, he went for the toy. Then sat down while gnawing at it, little puffs of filling being flung out of his mouth on his quest for the squeaker.
“Maybe toys without filling next time,” Nico said, shooting a wince in my direction.
“Who are we to deny him the fun of eviscerating his toy?” I asked, smiling as his tail thumped on the floor.
Nico went back to the rest of the bags on the dining table, pulling something out of one and coming over toward me with a light pink blanket that somehow looked even softer than the one from my apartment.
“Figured you had to have a cozy blanket to snuggle under while you eat your ice cream.” He pulled off the tag then draped it over me. “Oh, shit. What’d I do?” he asked when I felt the water prick my eyes.
“Nothing. Sorry. This was just really nice. Thank you.”
I mean, random, thoughtful gifts?
Who did that?
“I’m almost afraid to show you this,” he said, walking back to the table to pull a bouquet of flowers out of one of the remaining bags.
Not just any flowers.
Hydrangeas.
And not just any hydrangeas.
Annabelles.
“How…”
“The wedding plans,” he said, shrugging.
“But they couldn’t get Annabelles.” I’d had white peonies instead.
“No, but I heard about it.”
“And remembered?”
To that, I got a shrug.
Like it was a no big deal.
It was everything.
How the hell was I going to manage living with him, night and day, for who knew how long… without falling in love with him?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blair
We’d had a quick dinner of store-bought gnocchi mixed with some veggies and homemade sauce Nico threw together.
We walked Goya.
We sat on the couch eating ice cream and watching some cheesy cop drama until we were both nodding off.
Then I went into the bedroom.
And lay awake for hours.
Mind racing, body humming.
I’d maybe only gotten a couple of stolen hours of sleep when I crawled out of bed in the morning, careful not to wake up the peaceful Goya who had, indeed, slept by my feet all night, keeping them warm.
I had my heart set on a cup of coffee and a few moments to quiet my mind as I came out of the bathroom after brushing my teeth and combing my hair.
But then, well, I strode right into Nico’s chest.
His bare chest.
His arm went automatically behind me, holding me closer, making my body press to his.
There was nothing but my silk pajama set and his sleep pants between us.
There was nothing to stop me from feeling how my breasts crushed to his hard chest. Or the way his cock stiffened between us.
I couldn’t even keep the little whimper that built up inside at the feel of him.
At the sound, Nico sucked in a deep breath. Which only made my breasts press more firmly against him.
His fingers clenched, digging into my hip as one of my own went to his upper arm, loving the way the muscles tensed under my touch.
Did I maybe arch my lower body in closer to him, feeling his hardness against my belly?
Yes, yes, I did.
My head tipped back.
Then there were those lovely eyes of his. Heavy-lidded, his desire as clear as my own must have been right then.
His gaze searched mine, looking for something. I wasn’t sure if he found it, or didn’t, but I did know that he turned suddenly, pressing me back against the wall.