I take a moment to formulate my question properly, then ask, “If you had no outside influence, and the sole purpose was your daily happiness, what would be your dream job?”
Tony closes his eyes as his head hits the back of his seat. I think he might need time to come up with an answer, but instead he says, “You’re gonna think it’s ridiculous.”
“Wait, you already know?” I ask, surprised.
He nods. “The income might not be very reliable—”
“Stop stalling. Spill.”
He runs a hand back and forth over his jaw. His perfectly manicured beard almost distracts me. “I want to make beer.” He pauses, waiting for my reaction. When I stay silent, he continues. “Own a brewery maybe. Create my own brand of IPAs and distribute locally. Or nationally. Who knows,” he says shyly.
“That is… the most perfect job I could have ever imagined for you.”
He eyes me as if he thinks I’m full of crap. “I’m serious! You’re not your average beer drinker. You’re more of a beer connoisseur. You’re always feeding information on the craft beers you bring around your family, and you have an appreciation for the artistry.”
He raises a single brow. “And how would you know what information I tell my family about beers?”
Busted.
I shrug nonchalantly. “I may have kept my distance, but I always paid attention when it came to you.”
He moves in to kiss me, but I continue. “And you even have a business degree! So you could run your own operation. Whether that be as a brewery owner or creating your own brand of beer. Oh! And if you had a brewery, you could serve finger foods. Dominican tapas style. And then—”
Tony’s lips crush down on my lips. He takes advantage of my surprised gasp and slips his tongue past mine. I don’t even try to hold back the moan caused by the heat of this kiss. I attempt to crawl myself back onto his lap, but he stops me.
“Wait, why are we stopping? We were just getting to the good stuff,” I pout.
He chuckles while rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip. “We’ve landed.” I look around and confirm that we are, in fact, on the ground. He pulls my chin toward his lips and whispers, “But don’t worry, I’m taking you back to my place, and I fully intend to finish what I’ve started.”
36
Nikki
We spentthe entire weekend holed up in his apartment.
There was a small snowstorm, so it gave us a perfect excuse to stay in our little love bubble.
And without realizing it, we kept true to the silly promises we made on the night we first met. Every morning, Tony brought me breakfast in bed after he came back from his workout. Every night, we ordered takeout, and I let him pick the cuisine as long as I got to eat off his plate. We settled into an easy routine, but one that would soon come to an end.
“Are you sure you can’t stay another night? We can hop in a cab to your apartment now and grab some of your work clothes.” He pulls out the puppy dog eyes. As if this man needed any more pull over me.
He’s sitting on the arm of his couch with his arms folded across his chest. I walk over and step into his open legs and wrap my arms around his neck. “Tomorrow is Monday, and I have to go to work. I need more than an outfit to prepare for a day full of meetings and clients. I need to go over my notes and get ready for my supervision sessions with my students. Which means I need to go home. To my apartment. Alone. Plus, you have that meeting to go to.” I pepper his cheeks with kisses since my words are making him grumpy.
He wraps his arms around me and holds me flush to him. “I don’t like the idea of you sleeping alone. Not a fan of sleeping by myself either.”
My man is a new member of the cuddling fan club. And he gets extra cranky when I try to slip away at night. Lucky for me, he’s the coziest big spoon a girl could ask for.
“We’ve been attached at the hip for over a week now. I would for sure have thought you’d get sick of me by now,” I tease.
“When will you be back?” The touch of vulnerability in his voice takes me by surprise.
“Why? What’s this really about?”
His grip on me tightens a fraction. “Just want to make sure you come back to me. That’s all.” He kisses my cheek, but I’m not buying it.
This man has offered me reassurance every step of the way, even when I struggled to believe I deserved it. And although many of our conversations have me feeling bare to him, I decide to lay on one more vulnerable truth about where my heart lies.
Because he’s worth it.
