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I nuzzled his cheek and kissed him softly. “I love you.”
His smile was everything. “I love you too.” He ran his thumb along my lower lip. “I always have.”
I was about to tell him I had too, but right then, a subtle zip of energy raised the hair on my neck. A flicker of movement from the corner of my eye turned my head, and somehow I wasn’t surprised—and yet I was still startled—to see Andras and Raziel. Andras was sitting on the footboard. Raziel hovered beside him.
Disappointment tugged at me, and I held Cory closer, as if I was irrationally sure they’d come to tell me we couldn’t be together. The fuck we couldn’t. I’d walk around with those two on my shoulders till the end of time—professional and personal consequences be damned—if the alternative was letting go of Cory.
But the way Raziel smiled had me relaxing my grasp on my boyfriend.
“Well,” he said. “I see our work here is done.”
I snorted. “Uh-huh. He was right here this whole time, and you guys had me chasing every other man in the city.”
“But you ended up here with him, didn’t you?” Andras sounded impressively smug. “You think that was by accident?”
I stared at him, then exchanged puzzled glances with Cory.
Facing them again, Cory asked, “What are you talking about?”
Raziel’s smugness matched Andras’s now. “Matthew.” He tsked and shook his head. “You really don’t remember making this arrangement, do you?”
Some warmth rose in my face, though I wasn’t sure why. “Um. I sort of do. Why?”
“You don’t remember Bridget asking if there were any men in your life you could see yourself with?”
The warmth became an inferno. I could feel Cory’s gaze on me, but I kept my own locked on Andras and Raziel.
“Is…” Cory whispered. “Is that how she knew I was your neighbor?”
And just like that, the memory snapped into place.
“There’s one guy,”I told her.“A neighbor, actually. But we’re just friends.”
“Oh?”She’d swirled her wineglass as she’d watched me intently.“Tell me about him.”
I’d sighed, because there’d been nothing more frustrating than talking about my chronic solitudeandmy sweet, hot, gay neighbor. Drunk me had rambled on about him, too. “You ever have one of those people you can go to about anything? Crisis? Breakup? Bored on a Saturday night? That’s… I mean, I have no idea how he’s still single. The guys he dates are just…”I’d swung my glass around, nearly unloading its contents before taking a deep swallow.“God, he deserves so much better than those asshats.”
“I’m sure he does,”she’d said blandly.“Maybe someone stable and smart?”
“And just… not an asshole to him.”I’d paused to roll a sip of Jack Daniels around in my mouth.“He’ll give the shirt off his back to anyone, and he’ll bend over backwards to help anyone he cares about when they’re in a crisis.”Sighing, I’d brought the glass up to my lips.“Someone that good is way out of my league.”
In the present, I turned to Cory, meeting his confused expression. “I… told her I had this amazing neighbor who was sweet and gorgeous and way out of my league.”
Cory’s eyes widened. “What? Matt. I am so not out of—”
“You are,” I whispered, smoothing his hair. “And I told her you’ll help anyone you care about out of a crisis.”
“So shemadeyou a crisis,” Raziel announced cheerfully. “And here you are!”
Cory chuckled. “That’s her method, then? Send in her most incompetent pair to—”
“Incompetent?” Andras squeaked. “Ibegyour pardon?”
“I mean…” Cory shrugged. “Wekinda did most of the work, didn’t we?”
“Precisely.” Raziel grinned. “And now look at you.”
Cory and I exchanged puzzled looks.
