Maid for Each Other(37)
Abi’s eyes narrowed and she was definitely focused on our conversation.
“I am aware,” I said, hitting the approve button at the bottom of the email. “Good night, Roman.”
“Later.”
I disconnected the call and said to Abi, “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No,” she said, looking so fucking cute with her oversize pajamas and messy hair that I had an urge to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to her bed like she was a toddler who’d been woken by a bad dream. “I needed water.”
“Ah.”
She saw my plate on the coffee table and her eyebrows knit together, like she was surprised I was eating in the living room.
“It was a good sandwich—don’t judge,” I said.
She shook her head and said around a tiny smile, “I’m just shocked that you’re doing something so…common. I would’ve imagined you summoning a chef to serve you a sandwich in the middle of the night before I would’ve pictured crumbs all over your T-shirt.”
I looked down and, yep—crumbs all over the top of my black Celtics T-shirt.
“Maybe I’m not the douchebag you think I am,” I said, dusting off my chest.
“Let’s not go crazy,” she teased. “But I will say I’m impressed by your viewing choice. I love Psych.”
“Great show,” I agreed.
“Were you actually still working a minute ago?” she asked. “In the middle of the night?”
Her tone told me she was either shocked or horrified. I said, “The middle of the night doesn’t technically start until after two.”
“Is that true?” she asked, and yawned.
“I think so. Go to bed, Abi.”
Her eyebrows went down. “You’re not the boss of me.”
The urge to pick her up kicked in a little stronger. “I know. May I rephrase?”
“Please do,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your water break with my phone call. Good night, Abi.”
She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Still feels bossy, but g’night.”
19
5K
Abi
“Runners, take your marks.”
I glanced over at Declan and he grinned, a big wolfish smile that reminded me of the way he’d kissed me last night. Arrogant, sinful, and seductive as hell. I didn’t care that I’d proclaimed it a fun part of the act—oh, man, it had definitely been that—it was impossible for me to get it out of my mind.
Because it’d been exactly what his appearance suggested—and more.
Bossy, controlling, decadent, alpha, exquisite—it’d been all those things. But it’d also been fun and hot and so full of sexual promise that it’d kept me up for hours last night, replaying it.
Thinking things like If he kisses like that, he probably does a lot of other things really well.
And then my brain subjected me to an endless montage of those things that I didn’t need to be thinking about.
“Get set.”
Focus, Abi! I looked at him again, and the dark expression on his face as he gazed at me made me assume that either he was having the same thoughts, or he could see that my brain was turned on yet again by remembering the ferocity of his mouth.
Embarrassing.
“Go!”
The man with the megaphone fired off a starter pistol, and the 5K was under way.
I’d slipped into one of the bathrooms just before we lined up to take a puff of my inhaler off-the-radar, so I felt good as we started running. I knew it was immature and absolutely a sign of my insecurities, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in front of Declan. He was this beautiful specimen of a strong human, gorgeous and athletic and a captain of industry, and it felt embarrassing for him to see me sucking on my puffer like the nerd that I was.
But it was autumn and that was who I became this time of year: a puffer-sucking nerd.
The changing of the leaves, the ragweed, the pollen—it was the perfect storm that never failed to wreak havoc on my lungs and trigger the shit out of my asthma.
So was it stupid that I was running three miles outside today, especially when I was out of my daily Pulmicort but insurance wouldn’t cover it until next week because it was too soon?
Probably.
But I was getting paid a lot of money to be Dex’s partner for the weekend.
I couldn’t just skip the event that he’d called one of the most family-centric of the weekend.
If all of Declan’s peers were walking and running with their partners and children, pushing their babies in strollers, it was a fantastic opportunity for us to present a united front.
Certainly I could handle three miles.
I mean, for forty grand, I had to handle three miles.
My inhaler was in my sports bra, so I could hit that baby whenever I needed it after Dex pulled ahead. You’ll be fine, I told myself, even though it didn’t help the knot in my stomach. But he would pull ahead because not only was he in ridiculous shape, but his legs were so long that there was no way he wouldn’t leave me in his dust.
And then I could puff to my lungs’ content.
So it was disconcerting that he wasn’t pulling away.
We didn’t talk while we ran, and we both had on headphones, but he was still right there with me after we finished the first mile.