Chapter 34
WHEN SQUIRRELS FLY
REMY
I’m up well before Lake. Morning breath is my mortal enemy, and I will do anything to vanquish it. I’ve scrubbed my teeth and brushed my hair, taken a quick shower, and applied my makeup, all while replaying the way Lake took me apart last night.
I’ve watched that twenty times.
I’ve memorized it.
If I were on a flight, I’d sit back in my seat, close my eyes, and binge watch my new favorite show in my head—the Great Only One Bed Fucking at the Chestnut Inn.
For now though, my contacts are back in, and I’m setting my packing cubes back in my suitcase, ready to go.
I don’t want to presume we’re staying together again.
I mean, why would we be? It’s not like he’s going to crack me like a lobster every night.
I have my own room tonight, and a busy day ahead.
I have a lunch meeting with the publicist for the minor league team that normally plays in the arena, then we have a promo event at the arena tonight before the game.
Players from both teams will warm up with some young hockey players to raise awareness for Total Teamwork, a youth sports mental health organization.
Which reminds me—I really should replay that episode in my head again so I’m not doing it at lunch or later, at the warmups.
As I squat down to zip my suitcase though, I don’t replay last night.
My mind annoyingly skips ahead to tonight.
To after the game. My chest tightens slightly, like there’s a belt around it.
My palms feel sweaty, so I rub them down my slacks.
I check the time on my phone. I could go get breakfast. I could grab a coffee.
I could plan the next date for my new client—
“Morning, beautiful.”
I jump.
Spin around, stand up. “Hi.”
It comes out high-pitched, but I don’t think Lake notices, since he’s stretching then threads a hand through his sex-rumpled hair.
My attention snags on his biceps. They’re so biceps-y and big, and my mouth waters, and I think I love biceps, and the ink of the tiny running horses makes me want to lick it.
My gaze drifts down to the ladder of his abs and the bird there. Lake is covered in animals and the fact that he’s chosen to ink his body with creatures great and small is doing funny things to my heart.
Scary things. I jerk my gaze up to his face right as he pushes up on his elbows, the duvet snaking down to the V of his abs. “You leaving?”
“No,” I say but my voice squeaks. I wasn’t leaving. I was just…trying to protect myself from being left.
“Remy Hatmaker. You little liar,” he growls.
“What?”
“Don’t make me get out of bed and get you.”
My eyes widen. “That’s an option?”
But evidently it is since he flings off the cover, strides over to me in his glorious nakedness, and grabs me, scooping me up again, like he did that day at his place. He brings me back to bed and drops me down. Then he climbs in next to me, resting on his side.
Is he horny again? Well, we did have sex again in the middle of the night. It was fast and hot and good. I suppose he might be ready to go another time.
“You love lunch. Do you love breakfast too?”
What a weird question. “Um, sure.”
He nuzzles my neck. “Have breakfast with me.”
It’s just a meal. It’s nothing. But it makes me unreasonably happy.
“Okay,” I say, when my attention snags on his ass, exposed.
Is that…?
“Do you have a squirrel tattoo on the side of your ass?”
He twists around, like he needs to confirm it. “What do you know? I do.”
“Lake,” I say, amazed.
“You didn’t see it last night.”
“Well, yeah, I was touching your ass, not looking at it.”
“You love my ass.”
I roll my eyes, but I do, I really do. “It has the perfect squish.”
The covers sit right below his cheeks, and like this I have a perfect view of the little squirrel, and it’s holding a hockey stick. It’s a different style than his other ink—which is more fine-line work. This is cartoonish and I have a feeling he didn’t choose this tattoo.
“Did you lose a bet with the other guys?”
“That obvious?”
I hold up a thumb and forefinger. “A little. What was it over?”
“I said I’d finish with twenty-five percent more points than anyone else. And that didn’t happen. I had twenty percent more, but it motivated those fuckers to work harder so it was a win–win.”
“Who picked the squirrel?”
“Riggs, but they all voted on it and it was unanimous.”
“It’s adorable.”
He narrows his eyes. “I’m not adorable.”
I squeeze his muscular glutes. “But this is.” I move to his owl. “And this is because you love owls. Is it because they’re wise that you love them?”
“No. Because they’re stealthy. They have serrated feathers so they barely make a sound when they fly. Also, have you ever seen one fly?”
I give that some thought. “I’m not sure I have.”
“I highly recommend it.”
I laugh. “I’ll just camp out beneath a tree then and wait.”
“It’s worth it. It kind of makes you realize how impressive nature is. And other species. And the planet. And how precious too.”
“There’s that secret poet side of you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’m a secret poet since I want to save the planet from climate change and human destruction.”
“We should all be secret poets then.” I travel up his body to trace the tiny horses on his biceps. I kiss one of them, and he shudders. I look up. “And these are for the ranch. Your family?”
“Yeah, my dad was a PT focusing on equine therapy. Gavin and Mira are now.”
“That’s a nice way to honor them.” My hand slides down his body to the tiny cat on his abs. “For Thor?”
“And the next one, and the next one.”
“Already planning to adopt more cats?”
“Of course.”
“Such a cute cat daddy.”
Like an owl flying, his hands dart out without a sound and he grabs me, hoisting me above him.
“Lake!”
“Spend the night again.”
I barely register what he says, since I’m laughing and kicking my feet while he holds me with arms straight up, like this is easy. But my laughter fades as I look into his eyes. They’re flashing with vulnerability. “Will you stay with me again?”
My heart does the tango. It’s outrageous how much I want that. How quickly that tightness in my chest vanishes. How much I crave time with him. “Yes.”
He lowers me, swallowing roughly as he sets me gently down on his chest, my body aligned with his.
“And whenever you can. Maybe until the wedding when this ends.” It sounds like there are stones in his mouth.
“But until then, what if we just…give in? I can really show you the full boyfriend treatment.”
“Fake boyfriend. Real dick?”
He laughs. “We know how much you like to ride my cock.”
I swat his chest. But he’s right, I really do.
So I say yes.