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Bailey had been waiting for someone to look at him like that his entire adult life. Henri was looking at him as though he’d move heaven and earth if it would make Bailey feel better. As though he would do anything in his power to ease Bailey’s troubles.
Bailey put his plate down and shifted back in his seat beside Henri. When Henri realized what Bailey was doing, he put his plate on the table and raised an arm. Then, as though they’d done this every day of their lives, Bailey snuggled into Henri’s side and placed a hand on his chest. “Thank you.”
Henri’s hand tightened on Bailey’s bicep. “For what? Making you breakfast?”
“For opening your front door this morning, even though I said I wasn’t coming. For not asking all the questions I know you probably want to ask.” Bailey angled his head up and found Henri’s eyes. “For giving me a moment of normal when I feel anything but.”
Henri shrugged. “You don’t have to thank me for any of that. But I am a little concerned that you think I’m normal. We might need to look into that a little closer.”
Bailey’s lips twitched, and for the first time since last night, he felt the pressure on his chest ease a little. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Like, real close. For an extended amount of time, if need be,” Henri said, then lowered his head and brushed his lips over Bailey’s.
At the gentle touch, Bailey sighed and curled his fingers around Henri’s shirt. But before things could get out of hand, Henri raised his head, and Bailey licked at his lips, immediately missing the contact.
Today had been a whirlwind of a day, one that Bailey was still processing and trying to navigate his way through. But as he lowered his head to rest his cheek back on Henri’s shoulder, all he could think about was how right it felt to be there.
“Don’t ever apologize for showing up here, okay?” Henri said a couple of minutes later. “I’m glad that you did. And if you want to stay today, tomorrow, however long you need—then you stay. I told you before. My problem isn’t being around you, Bailey. It’s leaving you that now seems…unimaginable.”
IF HENRI NEVER moved from this spot, he just might die happy. It was a strange thought, given the man in his arms was dealing with a horrible tragedy. But Henri had never been more centered, more grounded in his life, and that was because he’d gone and done the unthinkable—he’d fallen in love.
Somewhere between his intercom buzzing this morning and Bailey trusting him during one of the most difficult moments of his life, Henri had fallen head over ass for the shy, sexy police officer.
The problem was that this was not the right time. The last thing Bailey needed was for Henri to start pouring his heart out and putting him on the spot, making him feel obligated to reciprocate. That wasn’t how Henri wanted that conversation to go. In fact, he had no idea how he would even start a conversation like that. All he knew was this was not the right time.
Henri looked down to see Bailey’s eyes were now closed, and as he took in the thick lashes against his pale skin, he wondered how many hours Bailey had been awake.
“Hey there, officer,” Henri whispered by Bailey’s ear. “Why don’t you come to bed? You must be exhausted.”
Bailey blinked once, twice, looked up with bleary eyes, and nodded. Henri offered him a half-smile and removed his arm so they could get to their feet.
After gathering up the plates, Henri led Bailey inside and put them on a table that was in the narrow hall on the upper floor. He shut the bifolds, and then turned to find Bailey standing with his hands in his jeans pockets, watching him.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just… I didn’t know which room you wanted me in.”
Henri took Bailey’s face between both hands, then lowered his head and said against Bailey’s lips, “My room.” Then he stepped back, took Bailey’s hand, and led him to the far end of the hall.
“This is the room I want you in,” Henri said. “The room I’ve wanted you in from the first time I met you.”
As Bailey stepped inside the master bedroom, Henri soaked in the sight of his cop finally standing there. The room was fairly sparse, the exposed brick walls an artistic feature that was unique but didn’t allow much in the way of putting up personal items. Not that he had any. He didn’t have photographs of friends and family, nor did he have heirlooms passed down and placed around his home like Bailey did.
Instead, Henri had a comfortable king-sized bed on the diagonal between each window of the wall and sheer curtains that let in the sun or moonlight, depending on the time of day.
