Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love - Kim Fielding Page 0,64
Romeo was envisioning this as more than a quick away-from-home fling. But reality showed its ugly face, reminding Teddy of probable future paths. Unemployment. A ring at the bottom of the Chicago River. An ex standing poolside, grinning beside his new squeeze. A heart broken and patched together, now with barbed wire strung around it.
“Teddy?”
“I would want to go there together,” Teddy said, tracing the contours of Romeo’s mouth with a fingertip. Because the moment called for tender truths, not bitter events yet to come.
“Good.”
Then Romeo grinned and swatted Teddy’s ass. “But right now I’m starving. We still have Joyce’s debit card. Valentine’s Day dinner for two?”
Chapter Eighteen
They tried a couple of upscale restaurants first, but they were fully booked, so Romeo and Teddy ended up at a casual Korean place. Their Valentine’s Day meal—babimbap and lots of kimchi—was much better than the one they’d prepared. The dining room was crowded and noisy, the floor was sticky, and the spices made Teddy’s nose run so badly that he used half a tree’s worth of paper napkins.
It was the most romantic meal he’d ever had.
Romeo was funny and charming, and he went on at length about the relative benefits of Star Wars versus Star Trek. Teddy laughed so hard that he almost knocked over his water. And they kept touching hands across the table, just brief brushes, nothing remotely PDA-ish. But every one of them sent a thrill through Teddy’s heart.
Walking back to the hotel, Teddy wanted to scatter pink glitter on the damp sidewalks and dance to love-song duets. Instead he simply smiled a lot. About a block from the hotel, he dragged Romeo into a drugstore. They giggled so much over their rubber-and-lube purchase that the older woman at the cash register laughed and told them to enjoy their night.
Which they did.
* * *
Teddy woke up as the sun rose and then spent a long time staring in wonder at the sleeping man beside him. Romeo had unfairly long eyelashes, no pillow creases on his cheek, and a complete absence of bedhead—unlike Teddy, who always awoke with hair that looked as if it had barely survived a hurricane.
Why couldn’t the two of them stay right here in this hotel bed forever? They could get food delivered.
Sighing quietly so as not to wake Romeo, Teddy slid out from the covers, gathered his exercise clothes, and crept out of the room.
He had the fitness center to himself, allowing him to hog the elliptical and to pedal slowly on the stationary bike. Working out wasn’t really the point this morning, not when he was slightly and deliciously sore from last night’s adventures. He wanted to get his head clear, however, and this was a better option than tromping around in the rain. He listened to the Broadway soundtrack of West Side Story, reminding himself that he was not Maria, Romeo had never been a member of the Jets, and failing Joyce Alexander’s tests was not the same as getting shot.
Not quite, anyway.
Romeo woke up when Teddy entered the room. They showered together, an activity neither of them had ever attempted. It was fun but awkward in the small space. A lot of water ended up on the floor. Good thing there were extra towels.
“I don’t have room for all this new stuff in my suitcase,” Romeo said, eyeing the clothing spread across the rumpled bed. “I guess I could toss the old stuff, but—”
“But it’s perfectly good and that would be wasteful. I’m out of room too. Tell you what—you go find us some breakfast and I’ll hunt down some cheap luggage. Meet back here in forty-five minutes?”
Romeo tugged him close and kissed the top of Teddy’s head. “Deal.”
Although Teddy was tempted to forget about suitcases and breakfast and flights and jobs and rent and futures, and instead just drag Romeo back into bed, he did the adult thing and hurried out of the room. His phone informed him of a Target about half a mile away, which was perfect. It wasn’t even raining out, although the skies were gloomy.
He was tempted to buy identical pieces but decided that would be silly, so he opted for one large case in navy and one in purple. Then he detoured by the snacks section and bought some in-flight munchies to share. Cheaper than buying them at the airport, and Target had a bigger selection. The Valentine’s Day candy was on clearance. Grinning, he picked up an enormous collection of truffles in a heart-shaped