“Liar.” I shake my head while smiling.
“Sleep here,” he orders, looming over me.
“You won’t mind?”
“Coming home to find you in my bed? No, sweetheart, I definitely won’t mind that.”
Seriously, I’m starting to think Leah was right about me being in love with this man.
“All right, I’ll stay.”
“Good.” He smiles as he places his lips against mine, then pulls back and stands. “I’ll leave the key on the counter in the kitchen for you.”
“Should I take LeFou out?” I ask, and hearing his name, LeFou jumps up onto the bed and begins attacking me with doggie kisses, making me laugh. I sit up, cuddling him close to my chest in an attempt to control his wiggling body.
“He should be good. If he’s not, he’ll let you know, and you can let him out onto the patio. There’s a patch of grass in a box that he uses at night sometimes.”
“His own patch of grass twenty-plus stories in the air? How fancy.” I grin, and as he laughs, I take a moment to appreciate the sound, along with the way he looks wearing dark-gray slacks and an emerald-green shirt that does amazing things to his eyes.
“You need to stop looking at me like that, sweetheart. Otherwise, I’m not going to be able to leave.”
“Give me a second. I’m almost done,” I tell him.
He shakes his head, smiling, then steps toward the bed, taking hold of my jaw before he bends to kiss me deeply. When he pulls an inch away, my eyes flutter open. “Be good, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You will,” I agree breathlessly, right before he touches his mouth to mine one last time and stands to his full height.
I watch him leave the room and listen for the sound of the front door closing behind him while I continue to cuddle LeFou in my lap. I eventually get up and put on my clothes, and once I’m dressed, I go to the kitchen and then grab the key he left for me and my keys from my purse. I head to my place, gathering everything I’ll need for my bath. I also pack a nightgown and the stuff I’ll need in the morning to get ready for work in one of my overnight bags. I check the bag before zipping it up to make sure I’m not forgetting anything, then carry it upstairs.
As soon as I let myself into Gus’s place, LeFou greets me at the door, then follows me into the kitchen, where I leave both sets of keys on the counter. I shut him in with me in the bathroom, then start the bath, and as I wait for the giant tub to fill, I strip out of my clothes and put on my robe before I give myself a facial. With my face mask on, I leave the bathroom and go to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine and put the Chinese food I forgot about in the fridge. I grab my phone and find a text from Gaston.
At work, but wishing I was with you.
I can’t help the girly sigh that leaves my mouth or the butterflies that fill my stomach as I read his message again.
I bite my lip as I type back.
I’m getting in the bath. Wish you were here to join me.
Not even five seconds after I press send does he message back with all caps.
THIS NIGHT IS GOING TO FUCKING DRAG.
I laugh as I message back, Sorry
I take my phone and wine with me to the bathroom, and my little furry shadow follows close at my heels. Thankfully, the tub is half-full, so I dump in a few scoops of my bath salts and climb in. I instantly relax in the hot water and sip from my glass, with LeFou standing at the side of the tub on his hind legs, woofing quietly while studying me with doggie concern.
“I’m just taking a bath,” I reassure him as I pet the top of his head. Eventually, he decides I’m okay and he can get down to doing more important things, like taking a nap. As I soak, he curls into a ball on the deep-blue, fluffy rug that runs the length of the vanity, but as soon as the tub is full enough for me to turn on the jets, I do, and he wakes up.
He comes back to investigate the noise and the water as it swirls around me, and a couple of times I actually think he might jump high enough to throw himself over the lip of the tub and in with me. That doesn’t happen, but while the jets are going, he stays at the edge looking in excitedly.
After my body feels like a limp noodle, I get out and towel off. I want to get into bed, but my stomach growling as I put on my nightgown forces me to leave the room and go to the kitchen, taking my empty glass with me, along with LeFou. I dump my leftover Chinese food into a bowl and heat it up, then make myself comfortable on the couch and eat while I watch a crime show on TV that I probably shouldn’t watch when alone in a place that’s not my own in the dark of night.
After I’ve finished eating and am completely freaked out, I let LeFou out onto the patio when he goes to the door, hitting it with his tiny paw and demanding out. I wait for him to come back in, then carry him with me to the bedroom, shutting the door and then locking it for good measure. I leave the bedside lamp on after I get into bed, and LeFou forces his way under the covers, then settles in against my stomach. I pet the top of his furry head as I look around and notice that, besides the expensive furniture, the room is bare. There isn’t even a single piece of art hanging on the gray walls.
Hearing a noise, I jump, and my heart starts to race. “It’s probably just a neighbor,” I tell myself, but I jump again when there’s a squeak. Feeling overwhelmingly out of place, I flip back the blankets, making LeFou jump. “Sorry, boy. I can’t sleep here. We’re going down to my place,” I tell him before I get out of the bed.
He jumps down and circles my feet as I go to the dresser. I find a pair of flannel sleep pants, along with a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt, and put both items on over my nightgown. Once I’m covered, I grab my cell phone and pick up LeFou. I open the door and peek out just in case someone has snuck in to murder me. When I see the coast is clear, I hurry to the kitchen to get my keys, then run to the front door like someone is chasing me.
When I make it into the brightly lit hall, I let out the breath I’ve been holding and go to the elevator. Once I’m locked in safe and secure in my space, I get into bed and send Gaston a text letting him know where he will find me and LeFou in the morning. My cell phone rings a moment later, making me jump, and I roll my eyes at my craziness, then slide my finger across the screen and put my cell to my ear. “Hey.”
“Are you okay?” he asks as I lean back against my pillows while LeFou explores my room.
“Yeah. I just freaked myself out and wanted to be in my space.”
“How’d you freak yourself out?” he questions, and I notice I don’t hear the sound of music in the background, which makes me curious about where he is right now.
“I somehow ended up watching a crime show, and obviously that wasn’t a good idea.”
“I see.” There’s no mistaking the smile I hear in his voice.
“So, I’m fine. I’m just a dork.”
“An adorable dork.”
“Glad you think so,” I say, wondering if I’ve ever been this happy before. “It’s really quiet. Are you still at the club?”
“Yeah, I stepped into my office when I got your text. Now I’m sitting at my desk, wondering how pissed Luke would be if I called him in to cover for me.”
He told me about his best friend, Luke, last night after I asked who was taking care of his business while he was taking care of me. I was surprised to find out Luke already knew about me, since in most of my previous relationships that didn’t happen until things were kind of serious.