Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
NARDI
Over the next few days, I fall head-first into a world where only Cullen and I exist. In this alternate dimension, time passes by in a blur.
I wake up every morning snuggled in Cullen’s arms. Normally, he wakes up before me and makes breakfast. We sit around his massive dining room table and eat together. After, we work separately—him on Cullen Tech business and me filming cooking videos. We’ll usually break for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon together, reading, watching TV, and kissing.
Okay, mostly kissing.
In that regard, we’re the adult equivalent of hormonal teenagers. But what I enjoy the most about these days with Cullen—outside of all the lip-locking and tongue-sucking of course—is how quiet I can be in his presence.
All my life, I’ve always felt like I had to go, go, go . There was always something to take care of, something to worry about, something new added to the endless list of tasks. Yet, with Cullen, I don’t have to do anything. I can just… enjoy myself.
And it’s the simple things that bring me the most joy.
Sometimes, I perch in his lap, napping while he watches videos about robots online. Sometimes, I lean against his shoulder, scrolling through social media and sharing news and funny memes with him.
As long as I’m with Cullen, I’m happy.
Which is crazy to think about.
If anyone had told me a few months ago that I’d fall head over heels for some millionaire tech genius with germophobic tendencies and a hermit-like personality, I would have laughed them out of the room.
But I have to admit, this new dimension that Cullen’s taken me to is a sweet, idyllic paradise.
I’m happily sticking my head in the sand and pretending that this could be my life forever.
One breezy morning, I get a call from Sunny asking if I have time to hang out. Cullen’s in his computer room doing work so, rather than bother him, I get ready upstairs. My suitcases are still where I put them the first day I moved in, but I haven’t actually slept in the upstairs bedroom yet.
On my way down the stairs, I spot Cullen in the kitchen getting coffee. He chokes on his drink when I approach him.
“Are you okay?” I ask, instantly on alert.
He looks me up and down. “Yeah.” His voice sounds gruff and sexy. “Are you dressing up for me? ”
I laugh and touch the collar of my button-down shirt and mini-skirt. “I have a lunch date with Sunny.”
“Oh.” He blinks.
I nervously look down at my kitten pumps. “Is it too much? Sunny always looks so sophisticated and put together. I just don’t want to look shabby next to her.”
“You look hot.” He sets his coffee cup on the counter and beckons me forward. As I step closer, he throws an arm around my back and pulls me against him.
Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he looks down at me with a smile. “I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping we could watch a movie after my meeting with the lawyers.”
“It’s only lunch. We can watch the movie when I get back?” I kiss his cheek, then his mouth, brushing my hand down his chest in a not-so-subtle caress. “But fair warning, if you start fooling around under the blanket like you did last time, I’m going to think ‘watch a movie’ is code for something else.”
He blushes slightly but points out, “I’m not the one who started it last time.”
My gaze darts away and I clear my throat. “Nope. Definitely wasn’t me. Your meds must be messing with your memory again.”
He laughs and then rumbles in my ear, “I asked the doctor to adjust my medication.”
My eyes flutter to his.
Cullen stares down at me with a dark, intense look. “When I’m good enough to do something other than a movie, I’ll tell you. I won’t use codes.”
My face instantly fills with heat. Some of the things Cullen says makes my heart burst into flames. How is this man so effortlessly sexy?
My admiration must be showing on my face because he kisses me so hard that my knees buckle.
I give back as good as I get, devouring his bottom lip first and then pressing my fingers against the back of his neck as I open up for him. We kiss and caress until I hear his breath thicken, which is usually a sign that he can’t breathe.
Reluctantly, we pull away from each other and Cullen takes a few deep breaths. As usual, I wait until the pained look on his face subsides, careful not to touch him until then.
At last, he gives me a tiny, sheepish smile and hugs me to him again.
“I’m not rushing you,” I whisper, my forehead against his. “And I hate seeing you in pain too. This,” I gesture between our wound-up bodies, “is enough for me.”
He frames my face, which feels like an open flame on a state-of-the-art stove, and says, “You better leave before I change my mind about letting you go.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?” I tease.
He growls.
I step back with a soft laugh. “I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need me.”
Cullen nods, but we both know that he won’t call me even if he’s collapsed and gasping for breath on the floor. It makes me so uneasy that I’ve considered putting up spy cameras in the house just in case. He has tons of robots and drones lying around. I could totally get away with it. However, I always talk myself out of such drastic measures.
In my fairy tale world, Cullen will be fine long after the ‘x’ I marked on the calendar. And we’re far away from that date right now.
As long as I keep pretending nothing will go wrong, maybe that might become my reality.
Roger drives me to the café, but he stops me before I can leave the car.
“Ma’am, just a moment.” He smiles and hands me his cell phone.
Stunned, I take the phone from him and nearly gasp when I hear Cullen’s quiet, masculine voice in my ear. “I called Sara and had her set up a luxury spa experience for you and Sunny. I’ll have your favorite food delivered to the spa as well.”
“Cullen.” Disbelief makes my voice hoarse. “You didn’t have to.”
“I want to,” he says.
“You’re spoiling me.” I cover my face, trying hard not to giggle. “Why are you being like this?”
“Are you smiling?” he asks.
I grin down at the floor and nod. “Yes, I am.”
“That’s all I need. I’m going to dedicate the last days of my life to making you smile, Nardi.”
Cullen hangs up and my smile slowly fades.
The last of my days.
A crack appears in the perfect facade.
The last of my days.
The crack keeps growing and growing, refusing to be ignored.
No matter how widely I smile, no matter how freely I love, there’s a price attached to every moment I spend with Cullen. And I’ll have to pay it back with twice the tears when he’s gone.