Chapter Ten GlideControlZ #2
Gizmo is still curled up in my blankets and doesn’t seem nearly so eager to get his day going, so I leave him and quietly make my way out of the bedroom in my sleep shirt and boxer shorts.
I need coffee - I’m rested and happy, but I’m still not a morning person and must get caffeine inside me immediately.
Making my way down the hall, I note that it’s dead quiet, and when I step out into the open, I spot Zander still asleep on the couch.
Curiosity has me creeping closer to him on my tiptoes so I can get a closer look at him.
Even in sleep, his face is all sharp angles beneath his beard.
He has long eyelashes that any beauty guru would envy, and his lips are parted and look soft.
Fuck! What’s wrong with me! I shouldn’t be staring at him while he sleeps, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how tasty his mouth looks.
Turning away, I hurry into the kitchen and start making coffee, doing my best to be quiet so that I don’t wake him up.
Once the coffee pot is full, I pull a mug out of the cupboard and then hesitate before pulling a second one out as well.
The guy made me breakfast, after all. The least I can do is pour him a cup of coffee.
When I glance back over at him, my heart leaps into my throat and I let out a startled yelp.
He’s awake, sitting up, and watching me.
“Holy shit!” I gasp. “How long have you been staring at me, weirdo?”
He doesn’t say anything, just shrugs.
I arch a brow. “Okaaaaay… looks like you need coffee more than I do. How do you like it?”
“Black.”
Easy enough. I pour him a cup and take it to him, setting it down on the coffee table in front of him.
“Um… thanks,” he says. He reaches for it and I watch the muscles in his arms shift beneath his skin. It’s suddenly so fucking hot in here.
No! Don’t forget what he is. What he did.
He meets my gaze and I gulp. We stare at each other for several moments, and just when I reach the point where I can’t stand the heavy silence anymore, my phone buzzes.
Oh, thank God! It’s Mom. A phone call I’m willing to answer!
“Sorry,” I murmur, digging it out of the pocket of my shorts and turning to scurry down the hall and back to my room. Once I shut the door behind me, I take the call. “Hey, Mom!”
“Hey, sweetheart,” she replies in a singsong voice. Unlike me, Mom is a morning person. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Nope. For once, I was already up.”
“Miracle of miracles,” she teases. “So, how are things going? Have you started your work on the articles yet?”
I give her a play-by-play of my time in Denver so far - though I leave out the fact that I got shitfaced the other night, or that I’m being forced to share an apartment with a cunnilingus master - focusing on my work and time with the girls.
“That sounds wonderful!” Mom exclaims. “I’m glad you’re having a good time so far.”
“Me too.” My voice is a bit tight, but I push through. “What’s new with you?”
She hesitates a moment before answering, “Well, I heard from your brother yesterday.”
“What? Aiden?”
“Unless you have a brother I don’t know about, yes, Aiden.”
“What did he want?” My tone grows harsh as my deep-seeded resentment toward my older brother rises to the surface.
“He said he hopes to visit for Thanksgiving!” Her voice is so full of excitement and hope, that it guts me.
Not because I don’t want her to be happy - I just know Aiden’s most likely going to crush her in the end.
After he went off to military school when I was ten, he never really came back.
Abandoned me and Mom… just like Dad did.
“That’d be a first,” I grumble.
“Now, don’t be like that,” she lightly scolds me. “He says he’s getting a new position, and he should have more control over his schedule and will be able to visit more often.”
Right… like we haven’t heard that before. He’s an air traffic control specialist, not a fucking spy! It’s not like he’s forced to disappear for months at a time. That’s all him.
“Well, I hope he shows up,” I murmur at length. “For your sake.”
“Rylee… ”
“I should go, Mom. Big day at work. We’ll talk later, okay? Love you.”
She sighs, but replies, “I love you too, sweetie.”
Hanging up the call, I press my back against the door and release a breath.
The possibility of Aiden breaking my Mom’s heart - again - has put a bit of a damper on my good mood.
It’s early enough that I could sneak in a little retail therapy before I need to be at the rink.
Maybe not the healthiest coping mechanism, but an effective one nonetheless.
I get ready for the day, going through my skincare routine and getting dressed.
Halfway through my routine, I get a text from Blaire with a picture of a huge rose bouquet.
Blaire: Look what I got! My guy is so good to me!
Oh, wow! Seems things are going well with her new boyfriend. I smile, happy for her, but I can’t help the pang of longing I feel at the kind gesture. That’s the kind of thing I wish a guy would do for me.
Rylee: Gorgeous!
Blaire: It’s hard to find a man who spoils you like mine does
Yeah… wouldn’t that be nice?
Sighing, I put my phone away and continue getting ready. When I’m done, I look around for Gizmo, but realize he’s gone. He must have slipped out of the room before I came back in. Groaning, I make my way back out to the living room to search for him so I can put him in the bedroom while I’m gone.
“Gizmo!” I call out. “Gizmo, where are you?”
When I spot Gizmo snuggling up to Zander on the couch, I freeze. That little traitor! He doesn’t like anyone! Suddenly he likes this butthead?
Zander has a string - looks like a shoelace or a tie from a hoodie - and is dangling it in front of Gizmo, who’s watching it with wide eyes.
Gizmo dives for the string, batting at it with his paws before tumbling over Zander’s knee and landing on his back in Zander’s lap.
He wiggles around for a moment before he manages to right himself, then prepares to attack the string again.
“Gizmo, huh?” Zander grins up at me. “Funny name.”
I scowl at him. “It’s… it’s from the Gremlins movie.”
He takes a moment to think and then his brows shoot up realization.
Nodding, he replies, “Oh! I get it! The little guy does look like a fuzzy Gremlin, doesn’t he?”
“Gizmo, come here,” I grumble, moving to grab him, but Zander looks up at me with a half-grin and I’m frozen in place all over again. Shit, Rylee. Resist the good looking asshole playboy and let’s pretend you didn’t just get wet from that look.
“It’s all right,” he tells me, scratching Gizmo behind the ears. “I’ll lock him up before I go. He can chill here with me for a bit.”
Fuck… now he’s being adorable with my cat? Asshole!
I give him a stiff nod. “Still not forgiven, Playboy.”
“For what?” He looks genuinely confused, which pisses me off. As if he doesn’t know!
Turning on my heel, I march out of the apartment without a word, bristling at the sound of Zander’s chuckle following me.
I stew all the way down to the parking garage, where a rental car that ICON had delivered for me yesterday is waiting.
Zander really thinks he can be all charming, thoughtful, and sweet to my cat and that’ll magically erase what he did to me?
No way! He played me and left and I refuse to be a notch on anyone’s bedpost.
Sliding behind the steering wheel of the car, I’m just about to turn the vehicle on when my phone buzzes. I scramble to dig it out of my camera bag and when I see a notification from Cloak, my heart starts to hammer in my chest.
GlideControlZ: Good morning, beautiful.
And just like that, my smile returns.