Page 36 of Peep

After our mutual orgasms and subtle love confessions were floating in each other’s presence. We lay in bed, petting each other and getting lost in cosy small talk about our lives outside ofwhat we already know. We covered general interests, such as my addiction to smutty vampire books. He even admitted to having a nosey at my annotations—little shit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love snarky, ready-to-punch-me-in-the-face Anders, but it’s fucking amazing seeing a more relaxed side of him. It only makes me want him more.

“Shit, your stomach growled; I’m a terrible host.” Anders shoots off the bed and riffles through a drawer before chucking a pair of joggers at me.

“Thanks. I’ll happily starve if it means I get more cuddles.”

He pulls a face of mock disgust. “Ok, slow down, Mr. I don’t do soppy, let’s get that straight.”

“You say that now,” I mumble, climbing to my feet.

My arms wind around his waist, and I can’t help but kiss that dimple on full display.

“You’re so cute,” I hum against his cheek.

Anders wrestles himself away. “Oh god, I’ve created a monster.”

After shoving some clothes on, we finally make it to the table, and I swoon so fucking hard when I realise Anders’ cooked jerk chicken. And then I taste it. I desperately try to hide my displeasure, animatedly smiling around each mouthful. Did he even season it?

“Mmm…” I fake moan before taking a sip of water to hide my grin.

“Oh, fuck off. It tastes like unwashed arse.”

I splutter a mouth full of water, slamming my hand over my mouth to keep it in. Anders joins me in laughter and thankfully takes it on the chin; not everyone should be allowed to cook.

“It just needs a little more salt, pepper and every other spice and herb you forgot to put in.”

He swats me with the back of his hand and takes the plates away.

“I blame Femi; she told me to put a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Whatever the fuck that means. She didn’t actually give me any real measurements.”

“Sounds about right; she wouldn’t want you stealing her secret recipe. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s been making it since she was a little girl, so I doubt she knows the recipe. My mum’s the same; she never explicitly told me what goes into most Caribbean dishes. I learnt by watching and some trial and error.”

Anders gets a wistful look in his eyes. “That’s actually very sweet. Sorry, I messed it up. Maybe next time you can show me.”

My chest contracts—there’s going to be a next time.

“I’d love to.”

After putting a frozen pizza in the oven, Anders comes back to the table, and I know we need to have a talk. As glorious and ridiculously romantic as this has been, I need to find out how he feels about what I do. I’m not finished yet; I have a few jobs scheduled, and it would be much easier to do them at the apartment. With Anders’ help, keeping a lookout, I could do these final operations at Emeralds and then call it quits.

He leans across the table, smoothing the crease in my brow. “You’re thinking pretty hard over there. What’s up?”

I take his hands in mine, dusting his knuckles with my thumbs.

“I need to know Anders, how do youreallyfeel about what I do?” He knows what I’m asking without explanation, and I’m sure what he saw has been playing on a loop in his mind for days.

“At first, I was terrified. Worried I had a crush on a serial killer.” A nervous chuckle escapes him. “Then, when you explained, I felt relieved but also apprehensive. What you’re doing is extremely illegal, you could go to prison for the rest of your life. I kind of wish I never knew because now I’m an accomplice.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t consider what I was dragging you into. With the cameras and the thrill of what we were already doing, I got carried away. I’ve kept this a secret for two years, but with you, I felt like I could finally confess, even if I did it in a fucked up way.”

Anders gives me a weak smile. “Yeah, you justhadto reveal your secret in the most dramatic way possible. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” He huffs a little laugh, and it settles me.

Thank fuck, he isn’t truly mad.

“You’re right. I definitely could’ve done it in a better way, but I guess that leads me to my next question.” I hesitate for a moment.

“Go on,”

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