Arse.
I’ve got the car keys.
“Shit, I’m sorry, El.” He rushed to unlock the car and sorted out securing the tree to the roof of his car while Ella scrambled inside and slammed the door hard enough to make Henry wince.
After double-checking the tree wasn’t going anywhere, he took a deep breath and joined her inside.
“That was Dom.”
“No shit.” She rolled her eyes for good measure. “I’m glad to see your taste in men has improved, though.” The smirk she sent his way told him she wasn’t all that mad, and Henry relaxed against the seat, his smile returning.
“Oohh.”
“Oh, what?”
She got a knowing look on her face and Henry shifted uncomfortably. “You like him. As inreallylike him.”
“I already told you that,” Henry mumbled, starting the car for some much-needed heat.
“You told me you spent the week together having lots of sex. I figured you wanted to meet up again to carry that on. Not that you like him,likehim.
“You make me sound like a fifteen-year-old with a crush.”
“Sorry, I’m just in shock.”
“Why?” He noticed someone waiting for his space, so he carefully backed out and pulled onto the road.
“Well, and don’t get pissy at me for saying this, but it’s not all that long since you broke up with Kyle and you swore you weren’t dating ever again.”
“That was ages ago.”Wasn’t it?
It sure as fuck felt like ages since Kyle had been a part of his life.
“About six weeks.” Ella worked it out for him. “And I’m not saying that Dom is just rebound sex, but...”
“That’s exactly what you’re saying, right?” He glanced at her and she had the grace to look guilty.
“Fine,” Henry conceded. “The thought had crossed my mind. And maybe at first that’s exactly what it was.”
“But?” Ella prompted.
But now it was so much more than that. When Henry thought about Kyle, he barely got irritated. Kyle had done him a favour, because Henry doubted whether he’d have got around to ending things any time soon if he hadn’t been forced to.
Looking at it now, it was easy to see they hadn’t been right for each other. Or all that good together.
“Dom’s nothing like Kyle.”
“And thank fuck for that.”
Henry laughed as she shuddered in her seat. “He’s older, for one.”
“Kyle never did act his age.”
“That’s true. But I’m not saying Dom acts like an old man or anything. He’s only six years older than me, but he’s sooo... together. Do you know what I mean?”
“Because he has a good job and a house?” She raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you’re shopping for a prospective husband, not describing your smoking hot bf.”
Henry reached over and gave her a shove. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just...” He glanced over at her, wondering how much he wanted to share. Telling Ella would make it all that much more real somehow. “He knows I live with three other guys, that I work at Tesco, and only just finished my degree, and he doesn’t care.”
