“Axl, Auggie, Boone, and that’s a tough call and I reserve the right to switch the order and do it frequently, depending on who’s currently being sweet to me and/or keeping me alive.”
He burst out laughing.
I shoved my card in the reader, smiling and listening to him do it, and when he was done, I prompted, “Well?”
“Hattie, Pepper, Ryn,” he answered.
Surprising.
“Really?”
“I guess I got a thing for the shy ones,” he said.
“I’m not shy,” I declared, pulling my card out of the reader.
“Baby,” he said in a voice that made me want to strap on my sex shoes right then, beam wherever he was, and make him jump me, “you gave yourself a concussion slamming your head in the counter going after some runaway lip gloss the first night you met me.”
“I’m klutzy, not shy.”
“You’re klutzy because you’re shy. Or at least you were then. And, just in case you intend to twist that, being that landed you a commando.”
“My heart’s desire,” I teased.
“Yeah, it landed that same thing for me too.”
I quit moving.
Entirely.
Because he’d just called me his heart’s desire.
Worth a repeat.
Daniel Magnusson just called me his heart’s desire!
And I knew, to my bones, that had very little (okay, maybe a wee bit) to do with me making him hamburgers.
I was frozen, but Mag’s mouth could move, and it did to speak.
“Though I’m down with thinning out my tees, minimally, and my socks, maximally, to give you space for your shit, we’re not moving the spices.”
Sneak attack!
“Don’t say something so sweet it knocks the wind out of me and then get in a dinger about the spices, Danny,” I returned. “Everyone knows you keep the dishes by the dishwasher.”
“I’m not everyone, Evie. And neither are you. And honey, that is what landed you a commando.”
Hmm.
“I’ll give you that, but you can prepare food at the island. We’ll go to the Container Store. Get a spice tray to put in one of the island drawers. That way, they’ll be right there for you.”
“Babe?”
“What?”
“Straight up, you give me you in sex shoes, you could put the spices in the hallway, and I wouldn’t give a shit.”
I felt gooey again.
Hot and gooey.
Even so.
“Stop being so sweet when sex shoes are hours and hours away.”
“Preview at Fortnum’s. I’ll meet you there in half an hour. Order me a Textual if you’re there before me.”
See?
Totally got the guys into Textuals.
“Same for me, if you beat us there,” I replied.
“Right. Later, baby.”
“Later, Danny.”
“And, Evie?” he called before I hung up.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Babe.”
He said no more.
I wondered if I was supposed to interpret something from that one word. His tone sounded kinda heavy, but not in a bad way.
However, I was unable to interpret that one word.
Therefore, I whispered, “What?”
“I love it that you’re so solid with us, you can give me your order of my boys, and ask mine with your girls, and it ends in you giggling, not getting up in my shit that I rose to some bait, tweaked you and you took that out on me.”
“But I asked, Danny. And I did it knowing it was all in fun.”
“I love that too. And that was the first indication you feel we’re all about trust. That’s what I love the most. You’re totally the shit, Evie. And I’m learning you’re more of that every day.”
Oh my God.
See!
Mag’s phone calls were everything.
“See you soon, honey,” he finished.
He then didn’t give me the chance to respond.
He hung up, and I dropped my phone and looked to the sales assistant, who was sliding my bag on the counter toward me.
“I’m so sorry. That was rude,” I told him. “Being on the phone while you were ringing me up.”
He blinked.
Well then, apparently, people didn’t apologize for talking on the phone when someone was serving them.
“It was my boyfriend,” I went on to explain. “We just decided to move in together. Accidentally, I just proved I trusted him. Which I’m glad about. And he proved he trusted me back. Which is awesome. Oh, and he’s a commando.”
“Is he as fun to look at as that one?” the man asked, jerking his head toward Axl.
I glanced over my shoulder at Axl, still standing impatiently, exuding badass and looking gorgeous.
I looked back to the assistant.
“Better.”
The man smiled. “Then you’re forgiven.”
I smiled back, grabbed the handles, lifted the bag his way and said, “Thanks.”
“Have fun in those shoes,” he bid.
Oh, I would.
I felt my smile change.
He saw it, read it and winked.
My smile got even bigger before I walked toward my