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“Why?” He shrugs. “You don’t need anything.”
“I do.”
I dare him to say no and he says wearily, “Fine. We’ll head to your condo and grab what you need. You may as well inform the agent you won’t be renewing your lease.”
“How do you know that? This may only last for a few weeks and then I’d be homeless.”
As I say the words, they stick in my throat because that is the last thing I want to happen, but I must prepare myself for it.
Troy stares into my eyes deeply and with an earnest that isn’t lost on me.
“You’re going nowhere anytime soon, Laura, and the sooner you get used to that, the better off you’ll feel.”
“But…” I have no words and he cuts off any reply by kissing me hard and deep. As I lose myself in the kiss, I push all my worries to the side for another day because I’m here now, so I may as well enjoy the experience.
It’sweird seeing Troy in my apartment. It would fit into his bedroom suite at home, and I hate what he must be thinking.
I try not to register his reaction and studiously set about packing familiar items. Things from home that I like around me.
He waits patiently, and I cast my mind back to the last man who filled my space with his large presence, not to mention his insane body. He is probably wondering where I’ve been and part of me is interested if he is watching us now. It’s as if we announced our arrival because Troy’s large Bentley is taking up two visitors’ spaces and Carlton is leaning against the car smoking a cigarette.
I pack at supersonic speed just in case and when I venture out of my shoe box of a bedroom, I don’t see Troy where I left him.
I hear movement in the kitchen and head inside and stare in astonishment because Troy is cleaning up dishes that I forgot to deal with when my world fell apart the last time I was here.
“What are you doing?”
He shakes his head. “Tidying up. For such a small space, you really don’t have any excuses not to keep it clean and tidy.”
I have no words and stare at him in amazement as he washes the dishes carefully, holding a glass up to the light to check if there are any smears.
“You wash up?” It makes me giggle as he grins.
“No, I don’t, but I alluded to my OCD streak, and I had to act.”
I love that he’s cleaning my dirty dishes and wish I could take a photograph to ping to my friends.
He sighs as he peers around the small space.
“As I said before, inform your landlord that you are leaving.”
“But…”
He fixes me with a dark glare.
“If things don’t work out, I’ll buy you a fucking apartment, Laura. I’m aware I’m asking a lot of you, and it’s the least I can do.”
“You would buy me an apartment?” I stare at him in shock, and he nods.
“A penthouse?” I tease, and he shrugs. “If you like.”
“Now I know you’re kidding me.” I grab a cloth and start to dry the dishes and for some reason I like this cozy set up. It’s refreshing and makes him more normal somehow and not so out of my league.
We carry on tidying, which doesn’t take long, and when the last dish is stowed safely away, he pulls me into his arms and backs me up against the cupboard door.
“Now I want my reward.”
My heart quickens as he claims my lips in a bruising, demanding kiss and my legs shake as I sense a different kind of experience heading my way.
