“I thought you didn’t do sleepovers.”
“It’s not a sleepover. It’s passing out after good sex.” He grabbed his clothes and dressed. His jeans covered his muscular thighs, and his shirt covered his beautiful chest. He smoothed out his clothes then grabbed his phone.
I pulled on a t-shirt and sweats and walked him to the front door.
Charlie was still on the couch, snoring.
I grinned as I walked by and opened the front door. We stepped into the hallway, cracking the door just a bit.
“Does he normally pass out on the couch like that?” Dax asked in a quiet voice.
“Only when he has too much beer.”
“So, pretty often,” he teased. With his hands in his pockets, he looked at me, his smile fading. “Goodnight.” He turned to walk away, not giving me affection before he departed.
I grabbed him by the arm and turned him back to me.
When he turned, there was a slight smile on his face, like he knew he had me right where he wanted me.
I pulled him close and rose onto my tiptoes.
His large arms circled my waist, his fingers reaching down over my ass.
“You better kiss me before you leave.”
He squeezed one cheek hard as he pressed his mouth to mine and kissed me in the hallway, his powerful arms holding me tight, holding me with sexy, manly affection. He breathed into my mouth as he kissed me, parting my lips with perfection, his cologne entering my nose and making me think of the smell on my sheets.
He rubbed his nose against mine before he turned and walked away.
I watched him go, my eyes heavy with fatigue and my heartbeat slow. I needed to get inside and get to work if I was going to hand in that article in the morning, but I stayed there, watching until he was completely gone from my sight.
Twelve
Charlie
I picked up a sandwich on the way home and entered the apartment.
It was quiet because Carson was asleep in her room. She’d dropped off her article in the morning and then immediately went back home since she’d pulled an all-nighter. Sleeping through the day like that should make it impossible to sleep tonight, but she’d done this before, and she had no problem going back to a normal sleep schedule.
I sat at the dining table with my laptop and unwrapped my sandwich.
Her bedroom door opened, and she walked down the hallway in baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt that was several sizes too big. Her makeup was gone, her hair was a mess, and she blinked a few times to adjust to the daylight. “Is that a sandwich…?” She stopped in front of the table and stared at it.
I rolled my eyes and placed one half on a napkin and pushed it toward her seat.
She sat down and ate with me.
I’d purposely gotten the biggest size because I’d anticipated this. Whenever I brought food home, I always halved it with Carson. But I never complained because she was the one who bought the groceries and stocked the kitchen, getting things she knew I liked without asking me to pay for them. It balanced out. “Heard from Vince?”
“No.” She took another big bite and chewed it all. “Which isn’t a good sign.”
“Why?”
“He must still be ripping it apart.”
“It’s a pretty long article. He’s gotta fact-check it and everything.”
“Yeah, but there’s going to be a lot of shit for me to fix.”
“He seemed eager to publish it, so maybe not.”
She shrugged and kept eating.
I rubbed my neck and let out a quiet sigh.
She glanced at me. “Stop sleeping on the couch.”
“It’s too hard to get up. I’m comfortable at the time.”
“I’d pick you up, but I’d just drop you again.”
“What happened with you and Dax last night?” I wasn’t sure if Carson would get annoyed with me for inviting her lover to the apartment, but she’d seemed cool with it.
“We got Chinese food and had sex.”
“Cut-and-dried, huh?”
“I mean, we talked and stuff too.” She took another big bite, devouring half her portion already. “He actually invited us to join his basketball league on Wednesday nights.”
“Really? Where?”
“Somewhere in the city.”
“That’s cool. I should be able to make that work.”
“Invited Matt too. Well, actually, he invited just you and Matt, and I had to inform him that I’m a better player than both of you.”
I smiled. “You’ll show him on the court.”
She finished her half, a pile of crumbs on the napkin underneath her.
“How are things going with him?”
“Fine.” She grabbed my glass of water and took a drink.
“Just fine?” I asked. “He’s a cool guy.”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s sexy and cool. I realize that. I am the one sleeping with him.”
“See anything more happening?”
She shook her head. “Charlie, don’t push it.”
“What?” I asked innocently. “This is a high-quality guy on your hook right now. Don’t throw him back in the water and expect to catch something better.”
She took another drink from the water glass.
“And I can tell he’s into you.”
“We have good chemistry,” she said simply.
“No. I mean, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I don’t think you’re just some random woman to him.”
“God, I hope not.”
I didn’t want to get into this territory with her because she was so stubborn, but I wanted her to leave the past in the past and move on. Her walls were so high that a plane couldn’t even reach her. “Would it be that terrible?”
“If I’m going to try to be in a relationship again, he’s the last guy I’d pick.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. “Why?”
“Because he’s so sexy and so suave.”
I raised an eyebrow, having no idea what that meant.
“Men that beautiful are never around for long. They’re always getting offers on the table, and when one becomes too tempting, they either leave you or cheat. Pretty playboys are the worst.”
“You know, you’re making a lot of assumptions about him.”
“You’re the one making assumptions.” She turned back to me. “I actually know the guy.”
“I’m a good-looking guy, and I’m not like that.”
She stared at me for a while, her eyebrow raised. “Tell me you’re joking.”
I stared back, feeling my body tighten in offense. “I’m not like that,” I repeated.
“You were in a great relationship with Kat for two years, and then you met Denise, and you jumped ship. Charlie, that’s exactly how you are.”
That was like a knife right to my windpipe. “That’s not how it was—”
“You found someone better, so you left.”
“That’s not how it happened—”
“You were totally happy with Kat. Your relationship was solid. Denise walks through the door, and then everything changes. If Denise had never moved here, you and Kat would still be together right now. So, yes, that is what happened, Charlie.”