cheese for her, and half barbecue chicken for me. I tell myself not to bother ordering anything else, but I know it’d be rude to order us something and not Easton for when he’s home. So, I order his favorite veggie lover and hang up.
When I walk into the living room, Ainsley is wrapped in her lavender quilt like a little burrito, and I know she’s hurting. “Nugget? I know it may not feel like it, but everything will be okay. We’ll visit Mable again soon.”
Maybe after I call first next time just to be on the safe side.
She glances up at me and points to a DVD case on the coffee table. I smile and pick up our favorite movie to watch together. We know every song in The Wizard of Oz. I sing while she bobs her head, entranced by the colors, wardrobe, and talking animals.
And when she falls asleep hours later after her stomach is full and the movie ends, I know she’ll be all right. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually.
My bedroom door cracks open a little after eleven-thirty, and I know instantly from the large shadow and wafting scent of Armani that it’s Easton. He slips his head in and sees me leaning against the headboard with my phone in my hand. Sleep evades me tonight after seeing Mable, so I opted to pull up a book to read.
“You’re still awake,” he notes, closing the door quietly behind him.
“Mhmm.”
He leans against the back of the door, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark jeans. I wait for him to say something, but he just watches me until I sigh and turn on the bedside lamp.
“You can’t buy me off with food, East.”
His Adam’s apple bobs. “I know.”
Does he? “There’s pizza downstairs on the counter if you didn’t see it. Veggie lovers. I promise I didn’t spit on it or hide bacon anywhere.”
His lips quirk up as he pushes off the door and saunters over. I know the look in his eyes. It’s probably the same one in mine—the one wanting to let go of every emotion building up just for a night.
“The casserole is chicken,” is what he replies with, making my brows arch. He sits down on the edge of the bed like he did last night, his hands not moving from his pockets. “I’m sorry for last night and this morning.”
I’m not going to back down. “Good. You should be.”
His chin dips. “How was your day?”
My nostrils flare as the heaviness settles further into my chest cavity. “Bad,” I whisper, powering off my phone and setting it on my stand. “Mable wasn’t doing well, and Ainsley had a breakdown. It was…” I shrug, letting my words fade into oblivion.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats gruffly.
I know he is.
Sorry doesn’t change anything though.
Shifting, I brush hair behind my head. “Is everything at the shop okay? Did you and Jay figure it out?”
“The cops found the guys who did it.”
Relief floods me. “Good.”
“They already spent the money.”
My eyes widen. “What? It happened less than twenty-four hours ago. How is that even possible?”
“Drugs.” One word. One word that stops my breathing as I stare at him. He says it so casually, so surely, that I can only assume the cops gave him more details than he’s willing to share with me.
“East…” My voice cracks as he meets my eyes, the blue tone of his softening. He searches my face for a moment before his gaze locks on my parted lips.
We both need this tonight.
He makes the first move, leaning forward and brushing his lips against mine softly. I angle my head to deepen the kiss, rising on my knees as he adjusts his body to sweep his tongue across my bottom lip until I open up for him and taste the usual peppermint from the gum he keeps in his pocket all the time. My arms wrap around his neck as his pull away the comforter and work their way under my thin sleep shirt until it’s up over my head and disposed of on the floor.
My bare breasts cause a noise to rise from the back of his throat right before he dips down and latches onto the pebbled nipples with his mouth, causing my chest to arch forward. Before I know it, I’m straddling his lap, stripping off his shirt while he works me until I moan and writhe and pant his name.