Page 74 of Hitting the Gap

“Why can I hear you thinking?” Gonzo grumbled.

“Umm, just trying to figure out if I should go back to my bed.”

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.

“But you—”

He covered her mouth with his hand. “Bay, shut up.”

How many times had she heard that from him over the years? That she complicated things that didn’t need to be complicated. Was this one of those times? It didn’t feel like it. This thing between them felt huge.

Using his strength, he shifted both of their bodies so he was spooning her from behind. “Go to sleep, Bay.”

Was he right? Did they not need to talk about it? Just because it felt huge didn’t mean it had to be complicated. Right?

Within seconds, Gonzo’s breath evened again and he snored lightly in her ear. Apparently, he thought so. Guess they could figure it out tomorrow. All she knew was right now, this felt really, really good.

Chapter 16

Last night with Bailey had been phenomenal. Better than he’d ever imagined. For the first time in his life, he was excited about moving forward with a woman. Not just a woman. Bailey.

He poured the coffee beans in the grinder at the top of his espresso machine and hit the button. He knew exactly how Bailey liked her morning coffee. Besides himself, he’d never really bothered to pay attention to how people took their coffee or if it changed. With Bailey, it did. Her first coffee of the day was always a straight double shot of espresso. Later in the day, she’d switch to fancy creams and flavors. But when she woke up, just give her straight and as strong as possible.

He packed the fresh grounds into the portafilter and connected it to the machine. He’d just pushed the button for the espresso when Bailey walked into the room, freshly showered, looking all prim and proper. It immediately made him want to rumple her back up.

Bailey glanced at him shyly, then looked away like she wasn’t sure how to behave.

Fuck that. They weren’t gonna have some awkward morning after between them. He stalked toward her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her against him. Bailey gasped as her body crashed against his. That was better. He threaded his hand through her hair and brought her mouth to his for a searing kiss. “Morning,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Umm, morning.” She blinked up at him in a daze.

Pleased with himself, he grabbed her coffee off the machine and handed it to her. Bailey eyed the drink, then brought it up to her mouth, closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, like she always did before she took the first sip. Once she’d taken the first drink, she opened her eyes and smiled. “Perfect. Thank you.”

“No problem. I know how you get if you don’t get your caffeine.” Now that she’d showered, he began assembling the ingredients for French toast.

Bailey watched him. “What are you doing?”

“Making you breakfast.” He pulled out four slices of brioche and set them on the counter.

“Why are you making me breakfast?”

He flicked a glance over his shoulder. “What do you mean? I always cook for you when I’m home.”

Bailey chewed her bottom lip. “I know. I just wasn’t sure after last night.”

Gonzo stopped what he was doing and faced her. “What do you mean you weren’t sure after last night?”

Bailey shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, what are we doing here?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious,” he said.

Bailey looked at him and sighed. “Come on Gonzo, you aren’t a relationship guy, we both know that.”

“True, yeah.” But that was before her.

“Gonzo, you hook up with a different girl in every city. I don’t see that changing just because we had sex.”

His stomach clenched like she’d punched him in the gut. “Whoa, that’s not exactly fair. Just because I’ve slept with a lot of women doesn’t mean I can’t settle down.”

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