Page 67 of Charming But Reckless

I didn't want gratitude. I just wanted him whole. I wanted him to be mine.

And he was.

Orion spun around, then went to another stack of boxes and pulled one down. "We'll start here," he said.

I nodded at him, then pulled out my phone. “You get to looking while I call Tank. We should probably get started on this right away.”

Orion ripped open the tape as I stepped back out into the storage unit and walked away.

I dialed Tank's cell, and he answered quickly. "Everything okay?"

I smiled at his worry.

"Everything's fine," I replied. “But since you were able to coordinate a private driver in a town this size, I was hoping you'd be able to help me with something else. We need to move an entire storage unit's worth of memories back home. Think you can help?”

Tank's laugh boomed across the line. “There isn't anything that I can't find a way to make happen. Give me a little bit. I'll be in touch.”

CHAPTER 22

ORION

In total,we stayed for two full days to go through the unit. We would have stayed longer had it not been for needing to adjust the flight itinerary. I refused to put anyone else off schedule, so we settled on getting as much ready for the movers as we could.

True to his word, Tank had a team of men there ready to move everything for us. They showed up right as we were gearing up to head to the airport.

“We promise to take care of everything for you. Our process is to preserve and protect,” the lead guy said.

Things had been so busy; I hadn’t had a chance to really dwell on what Arick had done for me. This man took on the burden of my family belongings, not even knowing if he’d ever see me again. It was absolutely selfless in every meaning of the word.

I thought over how I’d show him my appreciation the whole way home. He likely thought I was reflecting or some shit. Meanwhile, I was contemplating how many orgasms I think he can give me before I get him to pass out.

Once we landed, we decided to pick up Sol before deciding on a late dinner option for the two of us. Arick was on the phone with Archie when I realized the plan was about to change.

“Are you sure? He’s not bothering you two?” Arick asked.

I motioned for him to put it on speaker. When he did, I caught the sound of the other man’s laugh.

“He’s been an angel. Takeshi and he have been signing different songs to learn new words and phrases. They’ve also bonded over food. I’m almost useless to him at this point.”

Laughing, I turned on the next street. If we were going home instead of to their place, I needed to re-route us.

“If you’re sure, then we’ll come grab him tomorrow morning,” Arick finally relented.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll drop him off after breakfast. Or maybe lunch? Whenever I can pull my husband away from his new bestie. And to think, we thought I was his favorite.”

“You’re Takeshi’s favorite though. I think that puts you in a better position,” I teased.

Archie laughed again, then the pair said goodbye and ended the call. It was quiet for a few minutes before I decided I finally needed to break the silence between us.

“Thank you for all that you did. I’ll never be able to express my thanks enough.”

“There’s no need to. I’m happy seeing you happy. Plus, a lot of those memories are mine too. I could have never gotten rid of them.”

We made a bit more small talk as I navigated through the city to my house. The place looked the same as it had before we left, yet it was different as well. Knowing there would be some of my mom’s furniture in it soon gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

“What were you thinking for dinner?” Arick asked as we crossed the threshold.

I turned, locking the door and dropping my keys in the bowl he’d added to the entry. I had one already, but he said it was too pretty for keys, wallet, and other junk.

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