Page 59 of Comforting the Grump

“You should totally go though! Don’t let my old man ways hold you back,” Ennio added.

“Old man? You’re thirty-six, drama queen.”

“Ancient in gay years,” Ennio quipped, wiggling his toes against my palm.

“What does that make me, prehistoric?” I hesitated, surprised to find myself reluctant to go without him. The thought of prowling a club, surrounded by sweaty bodies and pounding music, suddenly held zero appeal. “I think I’ll pass too. To be honest, I… I feel safe with you, Ennio. Since we started…sleeping together, I haven’t had any issues. I don’t want to jeopardize that.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I froze, shocked by my own vulnerability.

Ennio’s eyes widened and the sweetest smile spread across his face. “I like what we have too.”

I rolled my eyes, desperate to regain some semblance of my former self. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it go to your head. I mean…you’re not bad company, and we’re very compatible in bed.”

“Compatible in bed?” Ennio laughed, the sound warming me from the inside out. “It’s a miracle men everywhere don’t fall at your feet, what with how charming you are. And such a smooth talker too. Now, less chatting and more foot rubbing, please.”

I complied, trying to ignore the way my heart raced at Ennio’s contented sighs. What the hell was happening to me? Ennio’s eyes fluttered closed, a soft smile playing on his lips. The tension in his body melted away under my touch.

“So you don’t want to sleep with anyone else right now?” he asked after a while.

“No.”

“Neither do I.”

Our eyes met. A strange urge came over me. “You want to be exclusive?”

“Yes. You okay with that?”

“Yeah. I trust you.”

And I did. I always had, even before I’d known him this well.

“Mmm, this is perfect,” he murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion. His eyes drifted shut. “You’re perfect, Marnin.”

My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to deflect with sarcasm, to maintain the emotional distance I’d always clung to, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I found myself drinking in the sight of him—the way his hair fell across his forehead, the splash of freckles across his nose, the gentle curve of his pink lips.

“Don’t fall asleep on me now, princess,” I teased, but my voice came out softer than I’d intended.

Ennio’s eyes cracked open. “Then stop making me feel so good. I feel like I’m melting into a puddle.”

The sincerity in his voice hit me like a punch to the gut. I swallowed hard, my hands stilling on his feet. “Yeah, well…someone’s gotta keep you healthy.”

He chuckled, the sound trailing off into a yawn. “My hero,” he mumbled, his eyes drifting shut again.

I watched as his breathing evened out, sleep claiming him despite his best efforts. The sight of him, so vulnerable and trusting, stirred something deep within me—a warmth I’d long forgotten I was capable of feeling.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t do feelings, didn’t do attachments. But as I sat there, watching Ennio’s chest rise and fall, I couldn’t deny the unfamiliar tenderness blooming in my chest.

I sat there for a long time, watching Ennio sink deeper and deeper into sleep until soft snores drifted from his lips. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.

I wanted him, but that was nothing new or surprising. And while I could’ve expressed myself with a little more eloquence—compatible in bedwas definitely not my finest hour—it was the truth. He and I were a good match sexually. We had undeniable chemistry. I liked having him in my life, my apartment, my bed.

No, it was everything else that came with it that had me so confused. Feelings. I had feelings. Soft, fluttery feelings. Protective ones, where I wanted to take care of Ennio and make sure he slept well and his body stopped hurting, but also where I wanted to call the FBI and hound them personally until they caught the bastard who stole all his savings. I wanted to do all the things with him, even stupid cheesy shit like going on an orca watch, just to see him smile.

I wanted to keep him.

The truth of that statement hit me like a slap to my face. I didn’t want Ennio to leave. I hated the idea of him with anyone else but me. Jealous. I was freaking jealous—something I’d never before felt in my life. What the hell was happening to me?

Half an hour later—and there was another first, watching a man sleep for that long without getting bored—I was getting cold as the heating had turned off for the night. I couldn’t leave him on the couch all night, nor did I want him to. His place was in my bed, right next to me.

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