Chapter 21
I wake up with Aubrey nestled against my side. Before I fully give up my hold on sleep, I breathe deeply and enjoy the simple comfort of the warm woman lying with me. All night, we defied the idea of her sleeping on the floor. I would’ve taken that spot before she could. When I demanded to know if she wanted me or not, I felt like I was losing my mind trying to figure her out. It was far easier to think about what she wanted than what I might want.
Was I running from commitment? Yes.
Was it becoming more and more clear that Aubrey was someone I wanted to stick with? Again, yes.
The moment she cracked and kissed me, she showed me just how much she wanted me. All night long, we proved our connection was strong no matter how much we liked to argue. I’m not under any illusion that having sex will make either of us more emotionally available to having a relationship. Screwing over and over again doesn’t change the fact that my home is in New York and hers is—or was—in California. Many details stand between us, and as I lie here still groggy and too content to wake her up, I wonder what will cause us to bicker and seek distance today.
My phone rings, jarring me from all my thoughts. I glance at Aubrey, panicked. She looks so peaceful sleeping in. I don’t want to bother her too early. We didn’t get wasted last night, but I feel a bit of a headache. I wouldn’t say I’m hungover, but Aubrey is smaller than me and drank more. She might not feel so great, so it’s with great haste and care I slip out of bed to tend to my phone.
I’ve been waiting on calls from staff in my office, and assuming it’s likely one of them contacting me to update me on a sale or pending negotiation, I answer without checking the screen.
“Hello?” Damn, I sound rough. I clear my throat. “Hello,” I repeat, hoping I sound like the boss I’m supposed to be.
“Hmmm.”
My face freezes in a deadpan as I zone out at the wall. Johanna. She hasn’t replied with a word, but still, I know it’s her.
“It’s been a while since I heard your sexy morning voice.”
I glance back at Aubrey, hating that my ex is interrupting my time with her. “You need to stop calling me. Stop texting me.”
She scoffs. “You can’t mean that.”
“I do. I have meant that for months now. It’s over.”
“Dalton, I refuse to believe that,” she says primly, like she’s merely amused.
Arguing with her always made me so mad. When I bicker with Aubrey, it’s a contest of equal wills, and half the time, it turns me on. With Johanna, it felt too much like being sequestered in a corner and clawing to get out under a web of manipulation.
“You can’t possibly want to be done with me.”
I grit my teeth, reminding myself to keep my tone down. “You cheated on me.”
“It was a simple misunderstanding. One I can explain if you would just agree to meet up in person. To talk. I can come by your office within the hour. Or you can stay in bed, and I’ll stop by your place.”
I shake my head, glad neither of her dumb ideas are possible. She’s unaware I’m out of New York, and right now, I wish I could claim I was even further away. No distance feels like enough.
“I just—”
Aubrey’s phone cuts her off. It’s a snazzy little jingle. I turn and eye the pile of clothes on the floor. The ringing is coming from somewhere in there, and I hurry to retrieve it for her, either for her to silence it or answer.
“Are you…” Johanna hesitates as I search for Aubrey’s phone. “Are you with someone?”
“None of your business.”
“I think it is my business. Dalton, are you sleeping with someone on the side?”
“There is no side. I’m single.”
“But we—”
“There is no we!” I’m louder with my retort, frustrated with how long it takes me to grab Aubrey’s phone from her pocket. There it is. Finally.
“We had something great, Dalton. Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?”
Since I know she can’t be pregnant as a result of having a hysterectomy due to severe endometriosis before she met me, honestly, no, no I don’t want to hear what she has to say. Aubrey stirs in the bed, waking. “I have to go.” I hang up and set my phone on the nightstand.
Aubrey blinks up at me, and I lower myself on the bed again, offering her the ringing phone.
“Mmm.” She smiles sleepily as she reaches for the device. “Good morning,” she tells me.
Now it is. I lean against her and kiss her cheek as she answers on speaker.
“Hey, Lauren,” she greets.
“Shoot. Did I just wake you?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s like, ten o’clock!”
She glances at me and I can only smile at the alarm in her eyes.
“It’s not like you to sleep in like this.”
She licks her lips. “Well, I, uh, was more hungover than I thought I might be.”
“Oh. That makes sense. You’re such a lightweight when it comes to booze.”
Aubrey rolls her eyes. “Not like I’ve had enough time to go out often and build my tolerance.”
“Is Dalton still there?” Lauren asks. “Caleb’s hungry for breakfast, and he wanted me to check with you guys and see if you want to head out and find somewhere to eat.”
“Yeah, I’m here,” I reply, staring at Aubrey. I reach over and tuck a strand of her wayward hair behind her ear. She turns her cheek toward my palm, and I love how eager she is to be close. “But count me out for breakfast. I’d rather just hang out here.”
Aubrey bites her lower lip as she smiles.
“Okay. What about you, Aubrey?” she asks.
“I think I’m going to stay in too.”
I take her phone and press the button to end the call as I lower myself to kiss her slowly. Maybe it was rude to hang up without a goodbye like that, but I’ll apologize later. With the tenderness in Aubrey’s gaze as she looks up at me, I knew it meant something important when I declined joining our friends. I pleased her, and it made me want to do it again and again.
She sighs into the kiss, and when I back away, I tell her the whole truth. “I’d rather hang out here. With you.” Alone. I’m not in any mood to share Aubrey with anyone. Having her so content in bed with me like this, I don’t want a single interruption to this peaceful and sated bliss we share.
The last time we experienced a morning after, she ran from me and denied this could ever happen again. This time, she’s relaxed and happy to linger, kissing me back.
“Me too. Just you and me.”
A warmth blossoms in my chest at her words. It’s not a declaration of love. It’s not even a commitment past this morning or outside this hotel room, but the way she gazes at me prompts me to realize I shouldn’t even be feeling this way toward her. What happened to keeping it simple? What happened to agreeing that this was just for fun? We’d compromised there, admitting that the first time we hooked up was nothing huge, but this is feeling like something so much more now.
She’s encouraging me to wonder if we could have something past this morning and this room. As soon as the excitement of that possibility enters my mind, though, Johanna pops up. Her voice rings in my head.
“Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?”
A small twinge of regret comes. I do wonder. I am curious. I have to be. Johanna wasn’t a short-term fling. I spent years with her, and the woman isn’t so easy to simply erase from my thoughts. But not here. Not now. I want to soak in Aubrey’s presence, and I plan to, no matter how much Johanna’s last call nags at me.
My stomach growls, jolting me from my musing. “How about I order room service?”
Aubrey grins and stretches her arms above her head. The sheet dips down, almost revealing her breasts, and I’m not shy about staring as I reach to yank it off.
“Oh, no, no.” She playfully shoves me away and giggles as she clutches the linen over her. “I need food first.”
I chuckle, flopping back to order room service. Her eagerness to eat is natural, and I’m charmed that she’s not afraid to vocalize it. Johanna was super picky about intermittent fasting and watching calories that it felt like a landmine mentioning the idea of eating—
Stop. Stop thinking about her. Stop comparing them.
Aubrey gets up to go to the restroom, and I call out, checking what she wants to eat. When she comes back, she slips right back into bed, and I snuggle in with her, waiting for the orders to come. She picks up the remote and turns the TV on. “I want to check the weather. Maybe get in a hike or something later.”
“Wait.” I put my hand over hers, pausing her from changing the station.
“What?” She glances at me.
“I wanted to see the scores.” She happened to turn the TV on to the Golf Channel, and she indulges me, enlarging the screen to show the latest from a tournament I follow.
“Is it really that exciting?” She scrunches her nose.
“You’ve never golfed?” I ask, then regret it. Of course, she hasn’t. Caleb told me how she came from a different background. When would she have found the time or money to buy clubs, take lessons, and then pay for a club membership like I have been so fortunate to?
“No. I’m curious. But…” She shrugs. “It seems so boring.”
“Boring?” I tickle her in the bed, rearranging us so I’m spooning her as we watch the screen.
“I think I’d like to try it some day because it’s another way to be outside.”
I nuzzle her shoulder. “You are the avid outdoorswoman, huh?”
“I love to be in the open. Fresh air. Sunshine…”
Hence your need to check the weather?
“But golf still seems boring. Not competitive.”
“It is very competitive.” I chuckle. “Not violent, like a contact sport, but all of them are trying to win.”
“I’m not a fan of contact sports,” she admits. “But I guess I am competitive.”
“Yeah?”
She nods, nestling back against me. “I had to be. For scholarships, you know? I had to be competitive for good grades, too.”
I furrow my brow, letting her words sink in. The way she grew up was so different from how I was raised, and I hate that she’s had to fight for her way in life. It makes me hold her closer and appreciate her more, and with another kiss on her shoulder, I hope I can at least brighten her time while we’re here.
Knocks sound on the door, and I get up to bring the food in. We arrange the dishes on the bed, almost like a picnic. As she bites into the bacon, she frowns at the TV. “So, what’s a birdie, exactly?”
I smile and explain. We spend the lazy morning in bed eating and relaxing while I watch golf and teach her about the sport. It’s a simple way to while away the hours, but when we leave in the afternoon, I know it’s hands down the best morning of my life. Johanna slips from my mind completely, and all I can wonder about is if and when Aubrey and I can hang out like this again.