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Hiring Lyra will put me in Nova’s line of fire. I shudder at the thought of Nova’s angry face and sharpening brown eyes when she finds out.
Maybe I can put that one off for a bit.
Tapping my pen against the coffee table, I consider my next steps until I hear the soft putter of footsteps.
My heart knows it’s Nova before she enters the living room and blinks sleepily at me.
“Morning,” I say, shoving the list into my back pocket. “Sleep well?”
She nods. “Uh… how did I get into your bed last night?”
“I carried you.”
Having Nova Delaney in my arms felt like coming home and, I admit, I held her an extra beat before laying her gently on the bed.
Then I spent a long time doing push ups and trying not to think about how badly I wanted to be beside her.
Nova stares at her feet.
I slide my eyes over her outfit. Have I mentioned how much I love Nova wearing my clothes? After so many years of watching her in sharp, professional outfits, there’s something much softer about her in my over-sized T-shirt and grey sweatpants.
It’s like her armor’s been stripped and the vulnerable side of her is peeping through.
“Are you hungry?”
She shakes her head.
“I can fix you a cup of coffee.”
“It’s okay.” Her lips tremble in a strained smile.
I lean back and just… absorb the sight of her. In real life, I can never call her mine, but looking at her now, I can almost pretend that she’s in my clothes because we spent the night together.
Together-together.
Not her in my bed and me in the couch.
Nova clears her throat and glances away from me. “Do you still have the change of clothes Dejonae brought yesterday?”
“It’s in my closet.”
She bobs her head. “I’ll get ready and call Steve to pick me up.”
“I can take you.”
She lifts a hand. “No need. I, uh, I want to go straight to work to start planning the sports event.”
“Sure,” I say uneasily. Is she putting distance between us because of last night? “I’ll make breakfast then.”
But Nova doesn’t eat my breakfast.
When Steve arrives, she bursts out of my bedroom, throws a rushed ‘see you later’ at me and bustles through the door.
* * *
It’s beentwo days and I’m certain now that Nova is avoiding me.
“She’s out of the office again?” I ask Rochelle.
