19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Lane
I hear his soft snores before I see that he’s sleeping. A smile tugs at my lips as a warm feeling settles in my chest. I lay my tie across the chair in the corner of the room and turn to look at him.
He’s lying on the bed with his feet on the floor, arms spread out wide. There’s a peaceful look on his face, his chest rising and falling, slow and steady.
I finish undressing and pull on a pair of cotton pajama pants, nothing else, then make my way over to him. I stare down at him, my body filling with a strange sort of euphoric feeling that I’ve never experienced before.
He’s adorable. Sweet. Kind. Sexy. And right now, entirely vulnerable. Though, when it comes to his body, he has been pretty open.
I lean over him and start to undo his pants, pulling his shirt out and undoing those buttons too. It’s not until I start tugging off his clothes that he wakes up, gently stirring.
“Let me get you undressed,” I say softly.
He smirks, waggling his brows, which makes me laugh because I can tell he’s still half asleep.
“We’re going to bed,” I say.
“It’s like eight o’clock,” he whines.
Roughly, yeah. Maybe closer to nine now. Still, it is earlier than I’m sure he goes to bed. Not too early for me. It’s about my bedtime, too.
“Yes,” I say as I pull him up by his arms and take his shirt off, sliding it down his arms before tossing it onto the floor. His undershirt comes next, and then I help him to his feet and get his pants off, leaving him in nothing but his boxers.
He sways on his feet. I can tell he’s exhausted. A mix of alcohol, food, and work got to him. Happens to me too, which is why I try to stick to my routine.
I pull the blankets down, guide him into the bed, shut the lights off, and crawl in beside him. He cuddles against me, his body warm and soft. I hold him tightly, even though I know he isn’t going anywhere. He’s already snoring softly again, sleeping deeply.
I lie awake for a while, my mind going over a million different scenarios.
Yet there’s one that I keep coming back to.
A life with Tage.
What would that look like?
Would we stay here? The other house? Buy a new one?
Would he keep working for me? I doubt he’d want to quit, but would he want to stay in the same position? I could find him something different…
Would it always be like this?
Why am I thinking about this right now?
We aren’t even together. It’s strange that I’m just latching onto him like this, when I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t do serious relationships—or romantic relationships of any kind. I don’t even date. Hookups are where I draw the line.
Yet Tage caught my attention in a different way, from the very beginning.
I look down at him, faintly making out his profile in the dark. The house is quiet, nothing but the sound of his soft breathing can be heard.
This is nice. I like this. I could get used to this.
Sharing my life with someone isn’t a goal I had. It wasn’t much of a thought at all. I was fine with how things were. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. But when I’m not with Tage, I notice it. It was small at first, but then it turned into a large, gaping hole.
I haven’t told him this, of course. It’ll scare him away.
I run my hand gently up and down his arm until my eyes start to get heavy and I fall asleep.
My alarm goes off at the usual time. Despite going to sleep later than normal, I feel rested. The night comes back to me in little snippets as I enjoy a few more moments of the morning.
The peace wears off quickly when I turn over to see Tage—and he isn’t there.
Frowning, I sit up and look around the room. The bathroom door is open, the light off. He could be in there, but it’s unlikely.
Did he leave?
I throw the blankets off and go in search of him. I know where he is the moment I step into the hallway and hear clanking coming from downstairs.
Relief settles over me, and I use the bathroom before making my way downstairs and into the kitchen where Tage is standing over the stove, cooking something in a pan in nothing but the black briefs I put him to bed in.
“I don’t think there’s a better way to wake up,” I say.
He smiles at me over his shoulder. “I could think of something.”
“Yet you chose this.”
His cheeks turn a little pink, and he turns back to the stove.
I’m assuming he meant a blow job, which would have been nice, but this is a different kind of nice. And honestly, I prefer it over the blow job.
“What are you making?” I ask.
“Scrambled eggs. Hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.” I kiss his cheek. “I don’t eat just yet, though. Will you be offended if I stick to my routine?”
He looks up at me with his brow pinched. “Offended? No. But your eggs will be cold.”
“I’ll reheat them,” I say, kissing his cheek again.
“So, you don’t have a hot maid that does this for you?” he asks.
“I’m fully capable of cooking and am actually pretty good at it.”
I start on my smoothie, asking if he wants one, to which he declines with a face that looks like he ate something sour. What’s wrong with kale in a smoothie?
“What does this routine of yours look like?” he questions when the blender is off.
“Smoothie. Work out. Shower. Breakfast.”
“Seems simple enough,” he says as he splits the eggs onto two plates. I take one and put it in the microwave. When I turn back, he’s standing there, scooping eggs into his mouth. “Can I watch?” he adds.
“The shower or the workout?”
He grins. “Both.”
I kiss the tip of his nose. “You can do whatever you want.”
I go upstairs and change quickly. He takes the last few bites of his eggs, puts the plate and fork in the sink, then follows me around the corner to my in-home gym.
It’s very simple, with only the machines I need to stay in shape.
I’m not trying to bulk up; I just want to be healthy. I’m not getting any younger.
Tage looks around in awe as we enter, like he’s never seen a gym before.
“I don’t think I’ve been in a gym since high school,” he comments. “All of this stuff looks so high-tech.”
Well, that explains his interest in everything. It’s not that he’s never been in a gym, it’s just that he hasn’t seen all this new equipment.
“It’s actually all simple stuff.”
I get on the treadmill and warm up for a few minutes.
Tage has found his place against the wall, his eyes on me.
I try not to let his stare—or the fact he’s only in his briefs—deter me from doing what I normally do, but it’s difficult when my dick is taking note of the look in his eyes.
Still, I get through my work out without any issue.
But then he follows me to the bathroom, where he watches me undress and get into the shower.