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Some of the nausea subsided because that was actually pretty smart.

When I opened my eyes back up, Gracie was practically gnawing at her manicured nails, brows up in her hairline.

“Okay, now explain to me this whole thing about him coming here tonight?” I asked in a measured tone.

The damn wince was back.

“He said he wanted to surprise you, but now that you’ve moved he needed to know where to go.” There was a pause, and I knew I would hate whatever came out of her mouth next. “And he’s planning on staying at your place, so we need to move all of your shit into Dalton’s room and around the apartment so your brother can stay in your room and believe you live here alone,” she said quickly, tacking on a smile like it would help keep me from strangling her.

I walked away from her so I wouldn’t be tempted, reaching for my phone between measured breaths. There was no time to freak out. I’d have to save that for tonight while I was lying on Dalton’s floor and fighting off the panic attack of my brother finding out I’d moved into a man’s home.

Fuck me.

“You owe me so big for this, Gracie,” I muttered. “Like, clean the tripe for menudo every time from now until forever big.”

She only nodded, already half to the guest bedroom. “Got it. I’ll start moving your things. You…handle Dalton.”

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I pressed the green call button. The team had left a few hours earlier for Nashville, which was just a short hop on the plane. My lungs burned as I held my breath, waiting for him to pick up the phone. Part of me hoped he wouldn’t, and I could leave him the craziest voicemail he’d ever gotten in his life, but at least I wouldn’t have to talk to him. Gracie said I should text him, but this felt like way too big of an ask for a text.

“Don’t pick up, don’t pick up, don’t⁠—”

“Ari?” Dalton’s voice sounded concerned on the other end of the line, and I wrangled in the tornado ricocheting off the walls of my chest. “Everything okay? Something in the apartment giving you trouble? I can call down and have the⁠—”

I cut off his adorable, worried rant. “No, no. Everything with the apartment is great. Perfect, really.” There would be a permanent divot in his kitchen floors from my pacing. “Thanks, by the way, for all the drinks in the fridge. You literally got every single one of my favorites. You didn’t need to do that.”

“Sunshine,” there was a smile in his voice, “you’re welcome, but I know that’s not what you called me for. So spit it out.”

I took a deep breath, and the words tumbled out like one long run-on sentence. “Gracie let it slip to my brother that I moved out. He was already on his way to visit, and now he wants to stay with me for the night.”

“Okay?” Dalton replied, clearly confused about where I was going with all of this. Which was a shame, because I’d been hoping he’d figure it out and not make me come out and say what I was about to.

“She told him your apartment was my apartment and that the team put me up here until I found a spot, and now I have to stay in your room tonight because he’s on his way over,” I rushed out before adding on, “but I won’t sleep in your bed or go through your stuff.”

“Ari.”

I ignored him. Now that the words were flowing, I couldn’t get them to stop. “I’m just going to sleep on your floor, and he will only be here for the night.”

“Ari…”

“I promise I’ll keep everything clean, and we wo⁠—”

“Babe,” he interrupted, his voice soft but firm.

That got my mouth to snap shut. He’d probably said it for that very reason, but it didn’t stop my stomach from swooping and my lady bits from literally tingling.

“I already told you, the place is yours too. If your brother wants to come stay tonight, it’s fine with me.” The knot in my throat loosened. “But there’s one rule.” My back straightened at the authority in his voice, and I tried to ignore the way it turned me on. “You’re sleeping in my bed, Sunshine.”

I could picture him, that steady look in his eyes, the slight quirk of his brow daring me to argue. Which I always would, and now was no different.

“Dalton, I am not sleeping in your bed,” I said, making my way toward his bedroom door as if my feet had a mind of their own. My heart beat faster with each step. There was something exciting about the idea of seeing his space. I wondered if it was more personal than the rest of his place.

Would there be any little insights into who he was?

Pushing his door open, I waited for his answer. We both knew I’d sleep in his bed, that I was only pushing back because it was in my nature, and my heart seized at the realization that Dalton didn’t mind letting me push back.

He was patient with me. Accepted my independence, except if it meant me sleeping on a couch or the floor, apparently. I peered into the dark room, hit by his overwhelming scent.

“I’ve had my tongue in your pussy.”