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Jocelin nuzzles into my beard and sighs. “I can’t seem to help myself. I am always hungry for you.”
I laugh and smack his ass. “Enough. You’re trying to kill me. Three times in less than twenty-four hours—on very little food or sleep—is all you get. At least until I get one or the other.” I kiss his forehead. “But we probably should get moving. We have a lot to do before we meet your parents for dinner.”
Jocelin sighs. “Yes, I probably should find a hotel. I don’t really feel like sleeping on the couch in my office until my parents leave.”
“Wait, why would you need to do that?” I do my best to stay relaxed and keep my voice casual in case wanting him here seems too needy. “No sense spending money on a hotel when you’ll be here most of the time. Or with your parents.”
Jocelin pushes up on his elbows and frowns at me. “I said that to annoy my mother. I wouldn’t want to impose. Also, neither of us is used to living with someone, and I don’t want to put a strain on things while it’s still new.”
I take a deep breath to slow down the hammering of my heart. The thought of having him stay here in my space is scary, but not having him here, and knowing he could be, feels infinitely worse. Andthatis the truly frightening part. “Well, we could maybe kind of consider this a test. You know, to see if we could ever legitimately live together. At some point in the future, of course.” I focus on forcing air into my lungs as I wait for his response. If I’m honest, I’ll give way too much weight to whichever choice he makes. And the longer he takes to answer, the deeper my worry gets.
He toys with the hairs on my chest. “Would you want to live together? At some point.”
Before I overthink it, I answer honestly. “Yes. More than I probably should.” Sooner than I probably should, too. But it’s par for the course in our relationship. Everything has been faster than typical. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Being with him makes me happy. I feel grounded in a way that I never have. And he knows about my past, but he isn’tpartof it. Yeah, he’s heard about my fuckups and surly behavior, but he seems to be giving me the benefit of having grown up and learned from my mistakes. That means more than I can ever quantify. “So, will you stay here with me? I’d like you to stay.”
Jocelin studies my face for a long time, and I prepare myself for his no. Then a small smile starts at the corner of his mouth, spreading until it eventually lights up his entire face. “Yes. I will stay here with you until my parents leave.”
Relief washes through me, and I squeeze him tightly. “Good.” I take a moment and hold him against me, pressing my nose into his soft hair, breathing him in. “We really need to get moving, though. Do we have any idea where or when we’re meeting your parents for dinner?”
Jocelin pushes up onto his elbows. “No and no, but if I had to guess, somewhere criminally expensive and very late. According to my mother, the average dinner time is seven-thirty or eight o’clock at night. Real people don’t eat before then.” He frowns. “I certainly hope they don’t expect to eat on eastern time.”
That makes me laugh. “So, I guess I’m not real people.” I pull my fingers through my hair and groan. “I’m gonna have to wear a suit, aren’t I?” It’s a rhetorical question. I already know the answer. “Fuuuuuck.” I wrap my arms around him and roll so he’s under me. “The things I do for you.” Then I remember my new suit is at the dry cleaner. “Fuck. I probably should see what I have in my closet. The navy one is at the cleaners.”
“Is that your only suit?” He sounds partly scandalized and partly awestruck.
I laugh again. “No, but I don’t have many. In fact, I only have three, and I’m not really sure if the third one even fits anymore. I rarely wear them for work.”
His face lights up, and his lips quirk into an eager smile. “Let’s see. You can give me a fashion show.”
I groan and drop my forehead to his. “Do I have to?”
“Yes. Come on.” Pushing me until I roll off him, he bounds out of bed and heads right for my closet. The sound of hangers sliding on the crossbar is accompanied by Jocelin’s running commentary of gasps and tisks of disapproval. “Mon chéri,your wardrobe is…”
“A disaster? A disgrace? Horrifying?” Chuckling, I haul myself out of bed to stand in front of my closet. “Why do you think Astrid took me shopping before Gary’s event? I’m not big on shopping or fashion.” He walks out of my closet and places his hands against my chest, looking up at me with his soft, brown puppy eyes, and I groan. I feel a shopping trip in my future. “Gunnar, will you let me do something for you?”
“I thought we just covered that. I may be young, but I still have a refractory period. Give me some time to recover.”
Jocelin swats my chest and laughs. “You know that isn’t what I meant.”
I shrug. “Well, then I guess it depends on what the ‘something’ is.”
“Let me take you shopping.”
He bites his lower lip and furrows his perfect brows, and I throw my hands up in defeat. “Fine. But last time, it took a few days for the tailor to fit the suit.” It doesn’t take a genius to know that his parents would completely disapprove of an off-the-rack suit, not to mention I’m not your average off-the-rack size.
He nods. “It must be a very exceptional suit to weartonight. Which means we need an exceptional tailor who can work fast. I happen to know just the person.”
Groaning dramatically, I pull him into my arms and kiss the tip of his nose. “Only for you. I suppose I should get a haircut and a shave, too.”
He rears back, horrified. “Don’t you dare!” He drags his fingers through my beard. “I love your facial hair just how it is. And I like how long your hair is getting. Have you ever considered growing it much longer?” He gives it a little tug. “You’d look really sexy with it pulled up in a messy bun.”
I pinch his hip. “I look really sexy regardless.”
“True.” He leers at me, waggling his eyebrows. “But if it was longer, I’d have something to hold on to.”
I laugh. “Okay. No haircut and no touching the beard. Tell Astrid you like it that way, though. And it grows pretty fast, so it will be grippable in a few months.”
Jocelin hums appreciatively. “Definitely let your hair grow. The beard is good right where it is, I think. Any longer, and you’ll start to look like a recluse. But I like it full, not just scruff.”
