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“Yeah, and Drew’s prolific. He churns out one or two books a month, and they’re good. His fans are rabid and insanely loyal. There’s a certain amount of fan-girling and more than a few women who think they just need to get his attention, suck his cock, and that’ll be the ticket to being Mrs. Katterman and having a huge fortune to spend lavishly.”
“How much success are we talking about? He’s pretty rock-n-roll, but he doesn’t come across as super-rich or anything like that.”
“He’ll probably top eight figures this year alone.”
Aithan paused with the mug halfway to his mouth. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. He gives a lot to children’s charities and funds a writing project for rural kids. That program pays college tuition for a dozen students each year.”
“Damn. And I thought I was doing well by holding a yearly fundraiser for Seattle’s children’s hospital and doing monthly blood drives.”
I squeezed his arm. “You’re doing great. Don’t compare your success to Drew’s. He’d be the first person to tell you that. Not even he can fully comprehend his fortune, but he does understand it comes from hard work, persistence, and a whole helluva lotta good luck.”
He studied me. “You really like him.”
“I do. He’s done a lot for my career. But I also value his friendship. He’s been kind to me, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s an amazing lover.”
“Don’t make me jealous.”
I giggled. “If you wanna fuck him, I won’t get in the way.”
He shook his head but chuckled. “He’s not really my type. No breasts and too much tackle.”
“You have nothing to worry about in the banging department, Aithan Mazur. I’m blessed with two extraordinary lovers.” I finished a glass of water and listened to Lulu purr. “I’m just afraid I’ll screw up everything. And there’s a lot on the line with Drew and me. I don’t want to lose him as a friend or an employer. I worry about crossing a line and not being able to go back to just professionals, ya know?”
He nodded. “If it makes you feel any better, before he left, he mentioned the same fear about losing you.”
Being reminded that Drew shared my concerns should’ve eased my worries, but I hadn’t heard from him since he landed in Boston. “I guess seeing how quickly things turned ugly with Tristan makes me anxious.”
“Would Drew get mean like that? He doesn’t strike me as that kinda guy.”
“No, I can’t imagine that. He’s much more kind-hearted than Tristan ever was. He cares about me, that’s a certainty. But he has a long-term girlfriend in New York. I’d like to pretend I’m the only woman in his life, but I’d be lying to myself.”
He nodded. “So what do you want to do about it?”
I focused on the silkiness of Lulu’s fur under my fingers before answering. “Ask him to commit to me. But I won’t pressure him anymore than he’d pressure me. We’ve been down that road before.”
“You two have history.”
I nodded. “We do. He tried to make more of our friendship once before, but I wasn’t in the right place at the time.” I looked up. “I didn’t respond well.”
“Yet, he’s still here.”
Lu stretched and rolled off my lap. She hopped onto the sill and started bathing Frank.
“Yeah.” I got up, lifted the kettle off the stove and made tea. Then I sliced a Honeycrisp apple to share. “The same ‘no pressure clause’ applies to you, you know,” I said around a bite as I sat back down. “I’d love for us to be exclusive, but I won’t demand a commitment. You decide. I’m not going anywhere.”
He swallowed the last of his coffee. “Neither am I, Zel.” He reached across the table and twined his fingers with mine. “I like sharing your life and your bed. I like being with you. I like us as a couple. And I don’t mind you being with another man, as long as he’s good to you.”
His phone chimed on the table by his elbow. He glanced at it. “Mm. I forgot about that.”
“What?”
“Tobias and I are supposed to grab lunch. It’s his day off from the brewery and his parents have Amara this weekend. We usually get lunch the second and fourth Fridays of the month when his folks or his in-laws have her.”
“Invite him here. I’ll make something for all of us.”
“You sure? You don’t always have to feed me, you know.”
