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I make a whistling sound while pointing to the floor. “I haven’t hit the ground yet, but yeah. Falling.”
“What if I don’t let you hit the ground?” His hands frame my face.
“That works for me.”
His chest expands and, like that, his confidence floods back. It fills his cheeks with color and his blue eyes with certainty. It’s so odd to see him less than confident. No wonder I was thrown.
“I need a shower,” he announces as he unzips my dress. “So do you.”
“Only if you’re staying the night.”
“And do the walk of shame in my tux in the morning?” He tugs off his undershirt while I take off my dress. “Works for me. I will need a photo for my Instagram feed, or else no one will believe me.”
“A photo of your walk of shame?” I ask with a laugh.
“Bragging rights.” He shucks his pants, socks, and shoes and stands in his briefs in the center of my living room. He looks amazingly fit and sexy—and like he belongs here. Here, in my apartment and here, in my life.
“Okay, but you have to say that you’re leaving the house of the woman who ‘wrecked’ you.”
He lifts me into his arms and carries me into the bathroom. “What if I say the woman who’s ‘falling’ for me instead?”
Wrecked.
Falling.
We’re using synonyms for the word that often leads to marriage and a baby carriage. The word that has led to disaster in our very recent histories.
In spite of that, when he kisses me again, I fall a little further.
Chapter 26
Catarina
Monday morning, Barrett and I arrive at the Dispatch together having dropped the pretense that we’re not dating. After the party Saturday I’m certain it escaped no one’s attention that we were stuck to each other like wallpaper to unfinished drywall.
He’s carrying both our coffee cups when Mia’s office door explodes open, and she rushes out of it. Her smile is Joker insane, her eyes crazed.
“Our readership tripled since yesterday’s column posted. Tripled!” she exclaims.
I exchange glances with Barrett, who looks less excited than he should. “That’s unheard of, Fox.”
“You two are sensational,” Mia continues babbling. She informs us on our revised due dates (soon) and the additional advertising dollars added to our online revenue (many). She jabbers a while longer, telling us to keep up the good work, and then gives us a round of applause, before disappearing behind her office door.
“That was terrifying.” Barrett hands me my coffee. I laugh at his accurate word choice.
“It’s unprecedented. Your celebrity helped.”
“Your good writing helped.”
“It’s the two of you together,” chirps Nanci. I turn to find hearts in her eyes, her cheeks glowing. She’s hugging a manila folder looking very much like a high schooler standing by her locker. “I love the way this is unfolding. Tell me you’re actually dating? Is any of it real?”
Realer than any of us anticipated.
“Guess you’ll have to read and find out,” I answer with an uncomfortable laugh. No one cared who I was dating before this minute. It’s strange.
“Sorry for the closet interruption,” she stage whispers, and then winks as she backs away.
“Wow, who knew that could get weirder?” I mutter.
