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His smile is soft and sleepy and fills me with lots of warm, fuzzy feelings. “Mmm.” He strokes his fingertips over my back and I practically purr with contentment. “Come with me.”
It takes a moment for me to process what he’s asked. “Wait. Go with you to the fundraiser?”
“Yes. Well, it’s a gala and a fundraiser.”
The word gala has me wide awake, excitement thrumming under my skin. “Like, tuxedos and gowns kind of gala?”
Blake nods. “It’s black tie optional. So some will be in tuxedos and gowns, but not everyone.”
I frown at him, wanting to make sure I understand what he’s asking. “And you want to takeme?”
Blake’s expression turns serious. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I thought you’d enjoy it.”
“Are you kidding? I’d love to go!” I push up onto my elbow. “Only if you’re sure you want me to. And I’ll wear whatever you want. I don’t want to embarrass you.”
He scowls and presses my hand more firmly against his cheek. “You’ll wear whateveryouwant, Stef. I’m invited not only because I own a publishing company, and the cause is directly connected, but because I’m wealthy, and they want my money. If they want it badly enough, they’ll have no issues with whatever you decide to wear.”
I stare at him, stunned. “Blake.”
“I’m serious. I want you there with me, and I want you to wear what makes you feel spectacular. If it’s a she/her day, wear a gown if you want. You’d look stunning in one. If you’re feeling he/him, wear a tux, or a suit. I’m equally sure you’ll look fabulous. And if you’re somewhere in between then, I don’t know, wear both.” That makes me laugh, and it seems to ease Blake’s tension. “I mean it, Stef. Wear what you want. Just come with me, please?”
I lean in and kiss him softly. “If you’re sure.” He nods. “Then yes, I’d love to go to the gala with you.”
Blake’s smile is brilliant. He grabs my hand and kisses my palm. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou.“ I don’t think I’ve ever meant those words more than I do right now. I know I’ve never felt more seen or understood by anyone except maybe Jules and Erik. Definitely not by any romantic partner. But Blake gets me. He accepts me exactly how I am, and isn’t that intoxicating. I lie on the pillow and when Blake pulls me against his chest, tucking my head under his chin, I curl against him, take a deep cleansing breath, and exhale all the chaotic thoughts, readying my mind for sleep. My heart is full and my soul is content, and I have never belonged anywhere as much as I do right here, snuggled safely in Blake’s arms.
13
Blake
Idriftoutofsleep, feeling a heaviness weighing me down, and for a moment, I think I’m having one of those dreams where I can’t move or speak. But that sense of dread is missing. In fact, I’m feeling great, energized, like I slept incredibly well for the first time in forever. When the weight makes a soft snuffling sound and shifts, all of last night comes rushing back. Joy blends with contentment and a sense of ease. I smile like a fool. Stef is using me as their own personal mattress, and I’m fine with it. In fact, I love it. I wrap them in my arms and they snuggle closer. “Five more minutes.”
I chuckle as I nuzzle into their hair. It’s sticking up every which way and smells like my shampoo, which makes me ridiculously happy and adds another layer to my euphoria. Iambeing ridiculous. I’m also royally fucked. Stef is under my skin in a way that will be excessively painful to remove. But I don’t care. In fact, I’m okay with it. More than okay, really. This may all turn to shit. Based on my track record, it probably will. And I might get massively burned, but my gut says it’ll be worth it. Stef is worth it. The minx in question nuzzles their nose against my neck, snuffling softly and I chuckle.
That is, assuming Stef’s still okay with everything that happened yesterday. It was all incredibly spur of the moment, with me firing them, and then agreeing to date. That makes me warm all over and also terrified. What if I’m still terrible at relationships? My attempts at better work-life balance are still new and challenging. What if I’m too vanilla for Stef? What if—
“Blake, you’re thinkingsoloudly.” Stef’s voice is morning-rough, a little sleepy, and muffled with their face tucked into my neck. It snaps me out of my spiral, and I relax, not having noticed how tense I was getting. That was probably what woke them, and I feel bad. Except now they’re awake, and I get to be with them. “Morning sweetheart. Sleep well?”
Stef yawns and stretches like a cat before pushing up on their elbows, blinking down at me with the softest brown doe eyes I’ve ever seen. Yep, I’m in so much trouble. “Morning. What has your brain in overdrive?” They rub their eyes. “Wait. Don’t answer that yet. I haven’t even had coffee.” They sprawl across me again, tucking their face into my neck like that’s now their space. I don’t have a problem with that at all. “And yes. I slept incredibly well. You’re so warm and snuggly and it was wonderful.” I brush my fingertips along their back, teasing the fine hairs at the base of their spine. Stef arches into my touch, almost purring, and it’s adorable.
“I was thinking about us.”
Stef’s fingers glide along my shoulder and up my neck, slipping into my hair. “In that case, that’s fine. I approve.” There is a slight pause. “Wait, what were you thinking about us?” They push up onto their elbows again and frown down at me. “Was it bad? Are you having second thoughts?”
“Not at all. We haven’t actually talked about things, and in a flash we ended up here. Not that I’m upset by that.” Stef eyes me warily. “Truly. In fact, I’m thrilled about it. Happier than I’ve been in an incredibly long time.” I smooth down one of their hair spikes, mostly so they can feel my hopefully soothing touch. “But I just wanted to make sure that we’re—”
“On the same page?” Stef mock scowls at me, but I can see the twitch at the corner of their mouth. “Blake, you have a lot of pages you want us to be on.” Stef jams an elbow in my chest and rests their chin in their hand. “I suppose I should be happy that you want me here with you, butwow. You’re really into this communication thing.”
I laugh because dramatic Stef is my favorite. “Yes, I am. Trust me. Lack of communication has burned me before. So, lessons learned. No assumptions, no mistakes.”
They roll their eyes at me. “Really?Nomistakes? Have you ever been in any kind of relationship—sibling, parental, romantic—where no mistakes were made?None?”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Fair enough. Point taken.”
Stef reaches for my wrist, placing my hand on their lower back, then blushes at my amused smile. “I like when you do that.”
I kiss them softly. “I’ll remember.”
