Just as Nate opened his mouth to reply, a harried-looking woman pushing a tandem stroller knocked into his leg.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” She had dark circles under her eyes, and the baby was fussing. “I’m just, I’m exhausted, I’m supposed to be flying to my parents’ for Thanksgiving and then the snowstorm and—I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s fine,” Nate promised her, and was about to move on when he noticed Aubrey kneeling next to the stroller.
“Dropped something,” Aubrey explained, holding up a stuffed lamb with a visible coating of baby slime on its ear. “I don’t know, do these things have to be disinfected before they go back in the baby’s mouth?”
“Not if I don’t want everyone in Chicago to hate me.”
Aubrey conceded the point with a tilt of his head and wiped the stuffed animal on his trousers before offering it to the baby, who paused mid fuss and reached out a chubby fist. Beside the infant, a curly-haired toddler slept peacefully.
Aubrey glanced at Nate, brows raised in an implicit question. Nate wanted to say no, but this woman could probably use the help. Sleep would wait another ten minutes. He nodded imperceptibly, and Aubrey asked, “Can we offer you a hand getting to your gate?”
By the time they climbed into the car, Nate’s legs were throbbing and his eyes kept falling closed.
Aubrey seemed to agree, if the way he leaned his head against the window and sighed were any indication. “God. I cannot wait for a hot shower and a warm bed.”
A warm beddidsound nice. Especially one that potentially had Aubrey in it, not that Nate had the energy to do much with him tonight. It would be convenient to stash him there until morning, though.
For the life of him, Nate couldn’t figure out how to ask.Hey, I know you’re leaving for Hawaii tomorrow afternoon, but want to spend the night so we can get laid first thing tomorrow morning?Aubrey probably had plenty of willing bodies lined up for him in Hawaii anyway, or he would as soon as he landed. Nate had no doubt he’d find as much company as he wanted.
They rode back in sleepy silence. Nate wasn’t expecting anything more than a muttered good night, but then their phones chimed simultaneously as they waited for the elevator.
“The fuck?” Nate griped as they reached in their pockets in unison. “I swear, if this is Jess telling us the show’s canceled, I will do a murder. I need sleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow.”
“Not Jess.” Aubrey seemed to have gotten the message first, and he didn’t look happy.
Nate soon found out why: They’d received a text from building management apologizing to residents of the top four floors for the lack of heat and water due to “unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.” A second text promised that residents who submitted receipts for hotels would be reimbursed up to $250. Nate guessed the message had been delayed by his phone’s habitual reluctance to come out of flight mode all at once instead of in stages.
“Oh, fuckme,” Aubrey muttered.
Nate could relate. He couldn’t imagine summoning the energy to pack up a fresh bag and head out into the cold, only to have to pack again tomorrow.
“Well, that’s one good thing about being a peon on an unfashionable floor,” Nate quipped. “Warm air and hot water.”
Obviously Aubrey could stay with him. But now he was torn. First he hadn’t known how to ask Aubrey to come over for sex. Now he didn’t know how to say, “Come over, but we’re only sleeping. I can’t even get my eyelids above half-mast; my dick is a lost cause.”
Aubrey huffed. “Not funny, Nate.”
The elevator doors opened, and Aubrey cut Nate off to get in. He jabbed at the Close Door button, obviously in no mood to be teased.
Damn it.He might as well give it a shot. Nate stuck his arm out before stepping in beside Aubrey.
The doors closed.
“Didn’t mean it to be,” he said, mentally fortifying himself. Although really, what was he worried about? What was Aubrey going to do, turn down a warm place to sleep that didn’t involve trekking all over the city? “Come stay at mine. I would’ve asked earlier, but I’m kind of beat. I didn’t want my mouth to write checks my body couldn’t cash.”
Aubrey stared at him for a second, expression unreadable. Then he sighed and his shoulders relaxed. “Thanks. Got the guest room made up?”
Nate rolled his eyes. “Maybe notthatbeat.” He pressed the button for his own floor, then Aubrey’s. “Get whatever you need. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
Chapter Twelve
THE DOORwas unlocked when Aubrey got down to Nate’s apartment, which was a good thing, since Nate was sacked out and snoring softly when Aubrey padded into his bedroom and then through to the bathroom. He shut the door gently behind him so he could shower without waking Nate.
And wasn’t that a trip? From unprofessionalism to grudging professionalism, to a friendly fake rivalry with hot sex, a romantic walk, and now here Aubrey was, beingdomestic, and so thoroughly exhausted he couldn’t even properly freak out about it.
At least Nate had a really nice shower with great water pressure for Aubrey to not freak out in.
