Page 67 of Forfeits

“Curse all you want, because tomorrow, your ass is mine—and all the other parts of you.”

He waggled his eyebrows.

“Well, I can’t fucking wait,” I said, and we clinked our glasses again.

* * * *

We slept together in the guestroom, after I changed out the comforter for a clean one. Aiden seemed to get why I didn’t want to use the main bedroom with him yet, and I appreciated his understanding. The dogs were a bit confused, but Cocoa was always with me at night, so she fought Aiden for space in the bed, and Eddie slept on Lucy’s bed, which was his favorite spot when she was away. By ‘fought’ I mean she pretended to cuddle and pushed him over.

“Sorry. She’s been a huge comfort to me, especially at night.”

“It’s fine, Fletcher. I’m happy to share you with her.” He narrowed his eyes in the darkness. “Only her, though.”

“Noted…and, same.”

“Noted.” He grinned.

In the morning, he insisted on making pancakes, and I enjoyed watching him move around my kitchen in his boxer briefs, more than words could express. The ghost of Daniel was there, but his appearances in my memory were less disruptive and more hopeful now…as if he was making sure I was okay. And I wanted to remember. Because our life had been wonderful.

After we’d walked the dogs, Aiden wanted to pop back home, so we went for a stroll by the canal and popped into the Lansdowne Farmer’s Market, then stopped for a light lunch at Joey’s. TD Place was always interesting and afterward we went through Old Ottawa South and stopped for gelato at Stella Luna. Then I thought I’d better restrict my food intake if we were planning an athletic visit to the Bordello later.

I hooked a finger with Aiden’s as we walked.

“Do you want me to do a whole preparation thing before we go tonight?”

Aiden glanced at me with a twinkle in his eye. Then leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“Are you asking if I want you to douche?”

“Yes,” I said, a light blush hitting my cheeks. It had been a long time since I’d prepared this way.

“Hmm. Good idea,” he said. “Or even a proper enema.”

He glanced at me, and I stopped walking. Daniel and I had never gone that far.

“Um…” I said.

“I can help you.”

I looked at him.

He continued. “I have all the gear at my place.”

“Wow. You are full of surprises.”

Aiden shrugged. “I did two years of nursing school before deciding it wasn’t the career I wanted.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I decided if I was going to be paid very little for a lot of effort I’d at least get two months off over the summer.”

* * * *

We went back to my place around four to walk the dogs. They’d be fine until we got home after Maverick Molly’s.

I’d already seen the rest of Aiden’s apartment. The kitchen was tiny and the bathroom barely adequate, but the living area was a decent size, and the view onto the grounds of the medieval-looking museum was even better from there. The ancient architecture of the place charmed me.

“How did you swing a top-floor apartment?” I asked. There were four apartments per floor, and the top level was great, because you didn’t have anyone living above and the views were the best.

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