Holy shit, he’s had a rough seven years.

“So, one night I drove down to help her. Things were shitty between us. I was in a crappy mood and I yelled at her to get up, eat and stop being depressed over some asshole that probably had his dick in another woman in that moment.” His face is pained as though he’s reliving the moment in his head.

“What did she say?”

“She threw me out and told me to get my life together before I start sprouting advice like a pastor on Sunday morning. My aunt tried to plead with me that she didn’t mean what she said and that she was drunk or had too much Valium or whatever. Krypto offered me a spot on their tour the next day and I accepted.”

“I’m glad you have patched up your relationship.” I smile over to him, and he smiles back.

“Me, too. It’s been a long road, but things are changing.” He leans forward, and his hand cups my cheek. I tilt into his hold and he stares into my eyes. “You’re changing me,” he admits and I sink into his trusting eyes.

“Is that good, or bad?” I ask, secretly hoping he’s liking the change I’m evoking from him.

“Good.” He comes closer, his lips covering mine. He breaks the kiss, “Very good,” and leans forward again, taking my lips to his again.

The backdoor slam shuts and I jolt up in bed. Rob chuckles and jerks me toward him again. “They don’t know who’s in here with me.” He casts kisses to my neck and I lean into him desperate for more.

“That’s true. Do you think they know?”

“I don’t even care at this point.” He grabs his phone, switching the song to a faster and louder one. Placing it on the nightstand, loud enough so that Chrissy won’t hear us, but not so loud that she’ll complain. All those worries if anyone has figured out our secret disappear with Rob claiming all my thoughts.

He eases me down on the mattress, covering my body with his. “I have some strawberries I wasn’t even able to use,” he slyly proposes, winking at me.

“Well, we don’t want them to rot.”

“No, definitely not. Roll over, baby.”

PAIGE LIES IN my arms, a low and steady stream of breath inhaling and exhaling from her lungs. She fell asleep after I took her from behind just like she expected me to in the first place. It was my plan to tease her, make her beg and then nail her hard like I know she enjoys. Then the mood shifted with the pleas from her lips and the way her back arched from my stroking. The goose bumps that traveled right behind my fingertips when I brushed them up the inside of her thigh. I couldn’t spoil the love that emanated inside of me with a mask of fuckery. I was desperate to show her what I realized this morning when I was under the hood of my car.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? My music played through my wireless headphones as I torqued and rotated the wrench to my engine when Best I Am started playing over my phone. Paige’s face flashed in my head. How I wish I could be like one of my friends and promise her a love like no other. Spout the cheesy lines they do, making sure her heart felt protected by my love. It makes me only respect them more than I already do that they have no fear of breaking that promise.

Then I contemplated if I even loved her the whole two hours I fixed my engine. It took me six months to fall in love with Carly and I wasn’t even screwed up like I am now. How could Paige capture my heart in only two months? Sixty days? Impossible, especially since I haven’t even taken her on a real date. This afternoon was going to be our first. Denying my body’s need and desire to drag her back to the house and have her, my plan to buy her lunch derailed with my mom’s call.

Maybe it was a sign from fate that my mom called because seeing Paige interact with mom convinced the small part of me that believed I was delusional in this whole love thing. They laughed and even though some of it was at my expense, my heart opened wide in that restaurant this afternoon at watching two women that I love enjoy each other.

Paige stirs in my arms, interrupting my thinking.

“Hey,” she utters softly, stretching her body like a cat in my arms. “Sorry, I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.”

“You’re beautiful when you sleep.”

“Only when I sleep?” She smiles and a devilish smirk crosses her lips.

“More beautiful during the day since I don’t have to worry about drool.”

She narrows her eyes and smacks my chest.

When she rises up to escape my hold, I sit up and close my arms around her slim figure. “Don’t get carried away now.” I laugh into her hair and drag her back down.

Flipping in my arms, her bare nipples scrap against my chest. “How do I get out?”

Her fingers mindlessly make patterns across my skin. “Do you want out?”

“Well, I do need to shower at some point. Maybe eat. I don’t think strawberries and caramel sauce are going keep my energy up.”

I laugh and she inches up, and grants me a quick peck of her lips. “We can’t have that.”

“Not with what I have planned.”

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” I guide her in, unable to be close enough. “I had no idea you were such a nympho.”

She slaps my chest again. “I’m not,” she whines and I laugh.

“That’s alright, baby, I like it.” I kiss the top of her head and she moves to sit up. I groan, wishing she’d stay, but understanding that I can’t keep her holed up in my room all night.

She glances at her phone. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

She shakes her head. “No, just checking the time. No plans tonight.” She lays back and her head nuzzles into my neck.

I’m surprised how easy this is being with her. My incessant need to come up with an excuse to keep her by me when I used to run girls out. Sometimes I’d let them stay the night, but that was only usually when I wanted them again. Not like Paige; my own arousal peaks watching her get off instead of the other way around.

“Yes, you do.”

Her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

“I’m taking you to dinner.” I grab my phone from the nightstand and check to see it’s five o’clock now. “Be ready at seven.”

“Seven?” she questions, and a light glows in her eyes. I nod. “Okay.”

“Nothing fancy. Jeans will do.”

The fact I’m not taking her to some five-star restaurant doesn’t appear to bother her. She abruptly leaves my arms and begins throwing her clothes on again.

“Where are you going?” I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed.

“I have to get ready.” She rushes back over to me and I stand up, backing her up to the wall. “No seducing. It’s time consuming to look good.”

“Nah, I could eat you right now.” Her body shivers and I inch closer, encasing her body with mine. “You’re beautiful, every minute of every day.”

I brush my lips to hers and suck her bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling on it slightly and she moans. Breaking the kiss fast before I shove her down on the bed again, I step back. “Now, you can go.”

Her shoulders fall to the wall and her eyes are hooded with arousal. “Seriously?” She kicks off the wall, her shoes hanging from her fingers. “Tease,” she tosses over her shoulder. I smack her ass and she jumps.

“Takes one to know one.” Her head shakes in a slow motion.

“See you later.” Her eyes flow down my body and then swiftly come back, stopping right at my dick that’s about to tent my boxers. Her tongue snakes out and swipes her lips. I watch her inhale a deep breath, arching her back to stick out her tits at me.

“Get out, Paige.” I point to the door and she giggles and shoots me a cheesy grin. She got me back and we both know it.

Her hand lands on the doorknob and she creaks the door open, peering down the wall. She shakes her ass before, slipping through and leaving me.