“Where does Daisy sleep? What does she sleep in?”
“Daisy has cat beds all around my house. At bedtime, she sleeps in my room in her bed.”
“When will I get to meet her?” I smiled at all his questions.
“I’ll be able to bring her over later this week. You’re cute when you get excited.” He turned his head from me. I could see the tips of his ears turn red. “I’ll be here every day this week. Next week, I’ll stop by for a few days and always be available on the phone.”
There was a shift in his face. His eyes got glassy. “Excuse me.”
He stood up and walked swiftly out of the room.
Chapter eleven
River
When Aaron reminded me that he would only be here a couple of days next week, I could feel that all too familiar stinging behind my eyes. I was a crier, but this would be the second time in twenty-four hours.
I should have thicker skin since I had a big family and four older brothers. As the youngest sibling, I spent my childhood and adolescence with my mama and nonna, which made me a little too sensitive.
Honestly, I should have been chastising myself for getting attached so quickly. Nothing had happened other than that hug that changed my life forever. I still felt his arms wrapped around me. I recalled how he smelled like shaving cream, soap, man, and nothing extra. While my head was resting on his shoulder, I had to resist the urge to run my tongue over his skin. I could feel his arousal as he held me longer than expected for two casual friends. I didn’t mind the extra time because I could have stood forever soaking him in.
I looked at myself in the mirror. Charlie chirped happily on my shoulder; having him around felt natural. I then thought about Aaron. I knew it had been only two days, but those butterflies in my stomach didn’t seem to care. I still couldn’t believe he gave me such an elaborate gift. My brother had tried to get bottles of their reserve stock, a batch of only five hundred bottles. I knew private collectors acquired half of the bottles. The other bottles were in the free world. You might find them at auctions or in the back rooms of exclusive winebars, but we never did get a bottle. Cecelia would be beside herself. I knew Aaron would quickly become her favorite non-Italian. I still couldn’t believe he had two bottles and had given them to me.
There was a certain comfort in knowing that Aaron had arrived with the crate before I mentioned Joshua Turner. I’ve had too many men and women try to buy a friendship with me when they wanted to get an introduction to an athlete or use me for my bank account. Rarely did I introduce athletes to people, but it felt natural to offer it to him. Aaron didn't care much. He was more excited about doing something for his nephew. That was one more pro on the list of reasons to like Aaron.
I regained control over my emotions and returned to the living room. I sat down, chuckling. “You need soup. For real?”
He pushed me with his shoulder. “It’s not that ridiculous. I thought maybe it was some sort of charity event or something.”
I sat back down, feeling all the places I had damaged yesterday. The worst part was the tight waistband of my jeans and underwear. They were digging into the bruised flesh, and the pain was becoming distracting.
“Okay, here is my problem.” I had to get this out before I died of embarrassment. Aaron looked at me, almost worried.
“I got to take off these jeans and probably my underwear. I think they are making the bruises on my hip and waist more … bruise-y.”
“That’s not even a word.” He said, then smirked.
“It is now.” I looked at him awkwardly, plowing on. I can’t believe I have to say this, but it’s the elephant in the room. “I like you, and my body is a big fan too. If we are in the same room, there will be times when I… I…salute you.” I shake my head. That was the best I could come up with. Fucking salute you? I looked down at my lap, and I could feel my face going beet red. I finally lifted my head.
“Well.” He drew the word out. “Just know I will salute you back when you salute me.” He looked right at me with the utmost sincerity. I put my head down and grinned.
“Okay then.” I stood up and walked into my bedroom. I pulled off my jeans and saw that my whole hip looked angry. The bruise had spread across my stomach muscles and further down my thigh. “Good grief,” I muttered to myself. It looked terrible.
I pulled on a pair of pajama pants covered with vacationing flamingos. I never much cared what people thought of my clothes; suddenly, I became self-conscious. Again, I reminded myself that if they didn’t like the person I was, they didn’t need to be part of my life. I’ve never changed for others before. I wasn’t going to start doing it now.
I went through the bedroom into the kitchen, pulled out a pot, and started to boil water. I needed to eat. After our conversation yesterday, I knew someone who was Aaron’s size needed constant fueling, so I decided to make enough for us both.
I returned from the kitchen and found Aaron looking at his phone. He had the same look I get when dealing with something that needed resolving. I walked in and sat down without interrupting.
He looked up. “Feel better?”
“You don’t even know. It’s so tender, and I swear it’s getting bigger by the hour.” I realized too late what I had just said. He beamed at me. I continued clumsily. “I couldn’t believe how I had hurt myself so much in an hour.”
“It was only twenty-five minutes.” He grinned and stuck the tip of his tongue out.
“Okay, smarty pants.” I thought about Charlie and how he was so scared yesterday. “How come he is so calm now compared to yesterday?” I wondered if maybe my dragon was ill or I had done some damage to him, and he was depressed.
“Confidence has alot to do with it. Your being nervous around him made him nervous around you. From what you told me, you were startled, and he then mirrored your reactions. You are the first human he has been with for any length without his parents close by.” I realized Aaron had been with him almost as much—another mark in that pro column. Charlie was probably bonding with him, too.
