Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Liam
I made it within a block of my apartment before I turned around and headed back to the coffee shop.
I didn’t forget anything. I’m not craving another cup of the bitter brew.
I left after kissing Athena on the forehead and watching her take off down the sidewalk headed home.
The temptation to follow her was strong, but if she wants me at her apartment at some point, she’ll invite me.
I admit I’m surprised that she’s only been with two men. She’s beautiful and sensual in a way that is disarming.
My dick was throbbing as I sat on the uncomfortable red leather and watched her drink her coffee. I could have stayed in that spot for hours, but she was the one who called it a night.
“Wolf!” Rhys Quillan calls out to me as I round the corner headed for the café.
He sent me three text messages today. My phone sat in my pocket, silenced by order of the staff inside the hospital. I follow the rules if need be, and after a string of alerts, I was warned by a nurse to shut off my device.
I didn’t go that far, but it was quiet enough that I missed Rhys’s repeated attempts to reach out to me.
After I left the café earlier, he called, and I suggested we meet here.
I know he lives within walking distance.
I’m not billing him for this. He needs a few minutes of my time to get through the weekend.
On Monday, he’s back in class. His weekdays are filled with responsibility instead of the endless empty hours on Saturdays and Sundays that are devoted to memories.
He told me during our first session that the time between Friday afternoon and his first class of the week is his downfall.
Sporting newly bleached blond hair, Rhys raises an arm. “I’m over here.”
He’s impossible to miss. The sidewalk isn’t as crowded as it was when I said goodbye to Athena. The city is winding down for the night.
Approaching him, I jerk a thumb at the door of the coffee shop. “This is the place. You didn’t have trouble finding it?”
“I know this place.” He glances at the paper menu taped to the window. “My mom used to bring me here for banana pudding after school when I was a kid.”
He’s only a decade younger than me, but I’d still label him as a kid. My jump from nineteen to twenty-nine was vast. I grew up once I graduated high school and hit college.
“We’ll order you one of those,” I half-joke.
His hands dart to cover his eyes.
Shit. Fucking hell.
I’m not an insensitive ass. I went into my line of work because of what I witnessed when I was a kid. My dad was always carrying the burden of the emotional pain he took on working as a detective with the NYPD.
My brother, Nick, lost his fianceé right around the time he was Rhys’s age. I lived through that sorrow with him. I was overwhelmed by her death, but I helped pull him out of the darkness.
“Rhys,” I start with a hand on his forearm. “Look, man, I’m…”
“She’d like it if I ordered it.” He sucks in a deep breath. “She’d smile if she knew I was here.”
Hope. It appears when you least expect it.
“I’ll give it a try too,” I say, tugging on the handle of the door to open it. “Grab a seat and I’ll get two coffees and two banana puddings.”
“Soda for me.” He pats a hand on my shoulder. “My mom always told me the coffee here was bad as hell.”
“It’s not half-bad, right?” I swing the bouquet I made in front of Athena.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she nods her head up and down. “It looks great, Liam.”
What the fuck?
I huff out a laugh. “Open your eyes. Take a good look at it.”
Squinting, she studies the mess of flowers in my hand. How the hell was I supposed to concentrate on her instructions? She’s wearing a blue dress and for fuck’s sake, her legs.
Her goddamn legs are perfection.
She’s not tall, but they’re perfect. Everything about her is everything I’ve ever wanted.
Leaning back, her gaze trails over my shirt to my face. “Do you want me to be honest?”
“Only if it means we’re not saying goodnight in the next two minutes.”
The corners of her lips quirk up. “I’d rate this as a solid six out of ten.”
I’ll fucking take it.
I shove the flowers into her hands. “I made it just for you.”
She takes the bouquet. When she brings it to her nose, she inhales deeply. “Do you know that smelling flowers can put a person in a good mood?”
Being within ten feet of her puts me in a good mood. “Is that so?”
She offers the flowers to me, brushing them against the tip of my nose. “Try it.”
I humor her by taking a whiff. “It works. I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re serious?”
Her heels offer her extra height, but I still hover over her. I lean down until we’re face-to-face. “I earned extra time with you tonight. That makes me a happy man.”
She brushes the bouquet against my chin. “What’s the plan?”
Take you to bed. Taste you. Fuck you. Watch you come on my cock.
If I want those things, I need to pace this right. “Let’s start with a walk in the park.”
“Central Park?”
I’d rather hop on the subway and head to my apartment with her by my side, but we’ll get there if she’s open to it.
I nod. “Put those flowers in water first. You don’t want them to die.”
“You’re learning.” She pats me in the center of my chest. “Another class and I think you may make it up to a seven.”
“A man can dream.” I laugh. “If my reward for improvement is more time with you, I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to work up to a perfect ten.”