I gave the cab driver my address, and we went to my house to avoid any complications that might come up by going to Brandon’s place. We still didn’t know how serious everything was with this Carlos guy or if he was intending to hurt Brandon psychically, so it seemed like a much better plan.
I kept my eyes open for the ten-mile drive to my place, but just barely. When we climbed out of the cab and into the house, all I felt was total relief that I had made it back to my house and was going to get to climb into my bed in a few minutes.
“Let me give you the grand tour,” I said dramatically as we walked into the house. “Living room, dining room, bathroom over there, and bedrooms down here. It’s small, but it’s ours, and we love it.”
“I love it. Very cute.”
“I’m going to bed. Are you game?”
“Oh, I’m definitely game for getting in your bed.”
The second we got into my room, I pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and started to undress so I could change into them. Brandon got to work unzipping his pants and getting out of them as we both stood near the bed and next to each other.
It’s funny just how much comfort you had to have with someone to get undress and put pajamas on in front of them. It seemed like a more intimate thing than even undressing someone totally.
“This is my side,” I said as I climbed in. “You can have that side.”
Brandon dutifully climbed in to the bed on the other side and moved over next to me. There was no talk of making love or having sex, although I was sure that Brandon wouldn’t have objected to the idea.
Instead, he held his arm up and slipped it behind my head while I cuddled next to him. Intimacy was something I had struggled with far more than anything else since losing my husband.
“This is nice,” Brandon said softly.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“I’m really glad you answered my call tonight.”
“Yeah, that was pretty creepy when I turned around and you were standing in the alley, though. Did you plan that? Tell me the truth.”
“No way. I just wanted to talk to you. Josh and I had gone out because I was pissed off about everything that was going on, and I didn’t have the cash to go out alone.”
“Mattie took me out because I thought I was dating a criminal and was a little sad about it,” I laughed. “What are you going to do about your ex-wife and this guy?”
“I really don’t know yet. I guess I need to assess if she knows what he’s up to or not. My gut says that she doesn’t and he must be playing her, which is really sad because she loves the guy. I don’t know how well me telling her what he’s doing is going to go over.”
“Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be the right thing. Your gut seems to be a pretty good guide. I mean, it told you I wasn’t involved in all this. So, I’m on the side of your stomach. I’m also really, really tired, so I’m going to go to sleep now, if you don’t mind.”
“Sleep your little heart out. I’ll be right here the whole night. I really like this sleeping with you thing. I mean, going to sleep. You know what I mean.”
He had gotten himself flustered and it was adorable. I was glad he was in my bed that night and even happier that we were both so comfortable with just going to sleep. The signs a real relationship was building were right there in front of us. We didn’t have to be perfect; we didn’t need to make love every night. We could both just be there for each other and sleep next to each other.
Chapter Twenty
Brandon
I woke up to my body raging with desire for Del. She was still curled up in my arms and started to stir a little as I did. It was well into the morning because the sun was up and the streets sounded busy with people.
My hands stroked her back and slid up under her shirt so I could feel the softness of her skin against my fingertips. Slowly, I moved my hand up and down her back, applying pressure as I reached the muscles of her lower back. I remembered how much she said she liked having my hands on her body, and I wanted to wake her up feeling as good as she possibly could.
I continued to work on the muscles of her lower back as she woke up a little more and turned around so I could have easier access. She smiled as she flipped over, and I knew she was awake, but still wanted me to massage her. I was more than happy to oblige.
“You should wake me up with back massages every day.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve got to go get Connor soon, just to give you a little warning.”
“No problem. I’m sure I’ll be busy with this disaster of a life I have right now. But let’s not think