Neither of us speak as he works, but what words do you need after that? My body is completely boneless, and my eyes droop shut. Once my hair is done, he picks me up and carries me to the bed, pulling the blankets back and laying me down. He joins me and I roll into him.
“I didn’t think our first time would be in the shower, but I wouldn’t trade that for all the world.”
I smile slightly. I, too, thought we’d finish in the bedroom, but I wouldn’t change a single thing about tonight either.
“Daisy?”
“Hmm?” I whisper sleepily.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
He kisses the top of my head and I’m smiling as I fall into a dreamless sleep, free of nightmares for the first time in over a year.
CHAPTER 31
Daisy
Morning came way fasterthan I was ready for. All because of the very naked man sleeping beside me. I’ve been staring at him for about an hour wondering if I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life. He’s gentle, kind, and so far, I’ve not detected a fakeness to him that I always made excuses for when I noticed it about Joe. Hutch is just a genuine guy.
I’m still terrified, but Lucy is right. I need to give this a chance. He’s special and I know it in my bones. Nana would call him my Mr. Right. She would love Hutch. I wish he could have met her. The way he talks about his mother speaks a lot about the type of man she raised him to be. Joe always took his parents for granted and had no qualms about disrespecting them despite everything they did for him. Hutch is not the kind of person to do that.
“Good morning,” he mumbles, his voice deep and rough with sleep. His gray eyes are like storm clouds this morning. I always loved the look of the sky before a big storm hits and that’s what they remind me of. Beautiful.
“Morning.” I go to sit up and he pulls me back down, rolling until I’m under him.
“Nope, you’re not getting out of this bed until I get a kiss.”
“Eww, morning breath, Jonathan Hutchinson!”
He laughs and nuzzles his nose by my ear, his teeth tugging at the overly sensitive lobe. “Then I guess you have to share your toothbrush with me because I don’t have one.”
“Fine, but I’m brushing my teeth first.”
“You’re going to go out and buy a new one today, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
He chuckles again before kissing the side of my neck. “Fine, Red, but we are going to breakfast right after a shower. I want to show you this little hole in the wall I found last week. They have this amazing omelet menu I want to eat my way through. And I’m cheating on my diet today since I have to start that all plant based shit Monday.”
“It doesn’t have to taste bad.”
He makes a face before rolling off me. “I’m not so sure about that, but if it makes my game better, then I’m willing to try it.”
“I’ll research some recipes.”
He smiles and gets up, his naked self on full display. I feel the burn creep up my neck and bloom onto my cheeks. I may be mouthy and not afraid to make my opinions known, but deep down, on a basic level, I’m shy.
“Want to shower with me?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
“No. I really am starving and if I get in that shower, you and I both know it’ll be hours before we actually leave this room.”
He pouts.
“You are going to give me a complex, Red.”
“How’s that?”
“You’re the only woman to ever turn all this down.” He waves at his body.
