Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(62)

We went next door and put together a meal. I didn’t even miss our Thai food. Afterward, I took her upstairs, and for the first time, we didn’t fuck like animals. We made love.

Okay, we made love like animals. There was a very hot blowjob and spanking involved. Again, we couldn’t let things get too romantic. It wasn’t our style.

But this time, we didn’t get dressed and go our separate ways. I pulled her back into bed and tucked her warm body against me.

And for the first time in ages, I slept like a fucking baby.





26





DEX





Sleep retreated slowly. Only half awake, my eyes still closed, I reached for Nora. I hooked my arm around her waist and pulled her against me. She stirred, making a soft noise, then relaxed again. I breathed her in, enjoying her scent and the feel of her body.

I’d slept all night. Again. After years of insomnia, I seemed to have found the only thing that worked. Her. Every time we spent the night together, I fell asleep easily and didn’t wake up until morning.

The woman was magic.

After a few minutes, she stirred again. “Morning.”

I kissed her shoulder. “Morning.”

“Is it Saturday?”

“Yeah.”

She nestled her ass into my groin, making me groan. “Good.”

I had to work, but not until later, so I kept kissing her neck and shoulder. We both needed to use the bathroom first, so we untangled before things got too heated. Then I pulled her back into bed.

We came together without any rush, our movements slow and indulgent. And quiet. Although Riley would probably sleep until noon, we didn’t want to risk her hearing things she shouldn’t. So we kissed and caressed, enjoying each other in a warm, intimate dance.

There were times for making love and times for fucking. We had room for both.

The rest of our morning was spent lingering over coffee. Then Nora went home—she had plans with her friends this afternoon—and I got dressed and went in to work.

My first appointment was a consultation with a new client, a woman named Brianne. I met her in the lobby and took her back to my station to chat.

She was mid-thirties, if I had to guess. Pretty with brown hair and dark eyes. She wore a hoodie and cropped jeans and had a wedding ring on her finger. I had her sit in the chair while I straddled my stool.

“Let’s talk about your tattoo,” I said. “What are you thinking?”

“To get straight to the point, a few years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It meant a double mastectomy.” She glanced down at her chest. “I’ve undergone reconstruction, so I have boobs again, which I’m happy about. They actually turned out really nice. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I want a mastectomy tattoo.”

I smiled, the possibilities already coming to me like sparks of creative excitement. “I love that. I’ve done quite a few mastectomy tattoos and honestly, they’re my absolute favorite.”

“Really? When I called to ask about it, they were emphatic that I needed to see you.”

“Absolutely. There’s nothing better than celebrating triumph and survival with an amazing piece of art.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear with a smile. “Okay, now I’m really excited.”

“Do you have any ideas for what you want it to look like?”

“Kind of? I was hoping you could help with that. I just know I don’t want it to cover my whole chest or anything. That’s not really me. I’m thinking something a little more subtle.”

“Do you have any other tattoos?”

“No, this will be my first.”

I nodded, considering. After asking her a few more questions about her style, her likes and dislikes, and showing her samples, I had some ideas. I told her I’d get to work on a few designs and we could make changes from there, then sent her up to see Kari to book her next appointment.

Since I had some time before my next client, I went back to my office to take care of a few things and start sketching. I wanted something that would capture Brianne’s journey and honor her warrior spirit.

I was really excited about this.

My phone rang. It was my sister, Angie.

“Hey, Ang. What’s up?”

“Um, excuse me? You know what’s up.”

“No, I don’t. What are you talking about?”

“I just talked to Maggie.”

“Yeah, and?”

“She said you’re dating Nora.”

I didn’t understand why she sounded mad. “So? I thought you liked her.”

“I do like her. In fact, she made me the tiniest bit confused about my sexuality for a few minutes. Seriously, she’s basically a goddess.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“When were you planning on telling us?”

“What do you mean? Was I supposed to make an announcement? Change my relationship status on our family group text?”

“Yes, you’re supposed to make an announcement. You’re such a guy. You haven’t dated anyone in forever and now you’re dating the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in person.”

I grinned in smug self-satisfaction. “She really is, isn’t she?”