Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
It was after incredible sex.
We were in a zone that was coming to be familiar, me on my back in bed, Hugger on me, both of us under the covers, happy, limber, warm post-coital and chatting.
And Charlie had invited us to her gig the next weekend.
An “ambient jam.”
“We’ll need to down two dirty chais before we hit it, trust me,” I replied.
“What?” he asked.
“She’s in a sort of band. And I don’t say ‘sort of’ to be mean, it’s just not like any band you’ve ever seen, though they play instruments. Charlie’s keyboards, there’s someone on a drum machine, there’s a lead guitar and a bass guitar. But it’s all very…” I searched for a word. “Moody. They have some recordings, and I have them on my phone. I’ll play one for you tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure I’m looking forward to that.”
I smiled and ran my fingers along the whiskers at his jaw. “It’s really nice, if you’re in a mellow mood at home, coloring in books and drinking wine or whatever. It’s a little…shall we say, awkward when you’re out at a gig.”
“But you go,” he noted.
I shrugged. “Charlie wants us there, so yeah.”
“So yeah,” he repeated quietly.
We weren’t going to get into how selfless I was again, because right then, I was feeling cozy good and nicely tired without being exhausted, and we had something else to go over.
“Did you like them?” I asked.
“They’re great.”
I smiled again.
“Mel, Charlie and I had a conversation while you were pissing me off going to the bar with Bernie to get more drinks.”
I beat back a snicker and said, “They were getting uncomfortable with you buying them all.”
“Whatever,” he muttered.
“What did you chat about?”
“They said you had an epiphany about your ma.”
Gluh.
“It was a good night, I’m pleasantly tired, can we leave that for later?” I requested.
“Only if you tell me you’re good.”
I ran my fingers through his beard and whispered, “I’m good.”
“All right.”
That was Hugger.
Everything with him was all right.
With that, he moved to turn off both bedside lamps, then he snuggled me close, front to front, in the dark.
“Glad you had a good night, baby,” he murmured.
“Glad you liked my friends, honey,” I murmured back.
Hugger gathered me closer.
I tucked my head under his chin, closed my eyes, and for yet another night, fell asleep snug and safe in my guy’s arms.
20
ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE
Diana
A buzzer was buzzing.
I half-woke, not in the position I normally did, spooning Hugger or tucked to his back.
No, this time he was spooning me.
Nice.
The buzzing stopped.
My eyes opened then drooped as I fell back to sleep in the warm curve of Hugger’s body.
The buzzer went again and this time it stayed pressed.
My eyes popped open.
“What the fuck?” Hugger groused.
My man, I’d noticed, was not a morning guy. I’d learned a blowjob or sex could stave off his haze, but it returned after his orgasm and stayed until he was at least halfway through his first cup of coffee.
It was adorable.
So as he threw back the covers and angled out of bed, I glanced at the bedside clock to see it was barely seven thirty, which was early for a Saturday, especially since we stayed out late last night, and as such, total Haze Time for Hugger.
I saw him stop at the wall panel beside the bedroom door.
Stark naked (hot!), he hit a button and demanded, “What?”
“Who’s this?” my mother’s voice came through the panel.
I shot to sitting in bed.
“It’s me you’re buzzin’, woman. Who’s this?” Hugger growled.
“Mom,” I whispered.
Hugger’s head whipped my way, and truly, with all that was holy, I hoped to God I never personally earned that look on his face.
“I’m looking for Diana Armitage,” Mom said.
“Someone will be down,” Hugger grunted, hit the button to let her into the elevator vestibule, but not the one to let her up to my unit, then he prowled to his jeans on the floor.
“Harlan—”
Bent to get his jeans, his head snapped back, and he skewered me with his eyes.
“Fuck no, baby. Fuck no.”
That was all he said before he stepped into his jeans and yanked them up.
He’d buttoned his fly and was pulling on his tee when I realized I needed to get my ass in gear.
I flew from the bed.
We slept naked, not something I’d ever done. It was just something that happened with us.
So I had to race to the hooks in my closet where I’d put my PJs while Hugger prowled to the hall.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” I chanted as I tugged on my sleep shorts commando, nabbed the bralette (because the girl below could be free and breezy for a spell, but the girls up top needed contained) and struggled to put it on, then grabbed the tee.
I was pulling it over my head as I left the closet and heard a knock at the door.