Page 38 of Mystique of the Fallen
The moment the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, Grant rushed out, and Roman was barely a step behind him. Grant found the appropriate door and waved his key over the lock. The light turned green, and he pushed the door open. Inside was an apartment furnished in a neutral gray.
“This is pretty,” Grant said, walking in and noting that the blue throw pillows on the sofa were several shades lighter than his mate’s eyes.
“Yeah, this is great,” Roman remarked as he followed Grant through the space.
There was a single bedroom and a decent-sized kitchen Grant supposed he had to learn how to use. Though it lacked a dining table, he imagined the barstools at the small island would do well for eating.
“The bed is big,” Grant noted. “That’ll come in handy when I strip for you.”
Roman laughed. “I’ll be the one stripping you. But not today.”
“No kidding. I’ve sweated through my uniform a couple of times since I put it on. No way am I getting naked with you. I’m gross.”
“Somehow, I doubt that. Besides, you’d just get sweatier in the bed with me.”
“Okay, fair point.” An image of rolling across the tidy gray bedspread with Roman filled Grant’s mind, and he had to remind himself that it was inappropriate to maul the man he’d met a few hours ago. “So, you live nearby? The building next door, right?”
“Yep, you can see it out of your living room windows,” Roman said. “Drystan and Conley live in the same building. It took me forever to save up enough money to buy a condo there, but I wanted a place close to work and a full kitchen to order meals from. I can cook, but I’m not great at it, and it isn’t something I enjoy enough to keep at it.”
“How long have you lived there?”
“Not long. Several months. Everyone insisted I have a housewarming party. I had it right before you were resurrected and kicking ass at the Ascension Center. There were an extraordinary number of compliments thrown my way for drapes and shit. You would’ve loved it. I don’t think I’ve ever blushed that much.”
“Congratulations, is it a relief to have it done and be in the place you wanted?”
Roman smiled. “Thank you. Yes. I love it.”
“Will you show it to me?”
“I think we can squeeze it in between dinner and Redmilla’s.”
“But you have a full kitchen you can order from, right? So, why don’t we eat there?”
Cocking his head to the side, Roman studied Grant’s face. He wasn’t sure what Roman was looking for, but Grant waited him out. “You would rather go to my condo and order food than let me take you out somewhere and celebrate the title you worked your ass off to attain?”
“Honestly, this day has been overwhelming. Relaxing with a good meal and learning about the man Fate gave me sounds wonderful right now.”
“Okay. I’m cool with that. Let me cancel the reservations I made. Did you want to change into jeans or something?”
“Roman, where would I get jeans? I have uniforms and uniforms.”
“Whoops. I forgot.”
“My plan was to do some shopping tomorrow. It’s probably not the most fun idea ever, but want to come with me?”
“I’d love to.”
Grant smiled, pleased that he already had more time with Roman ahead of him. “Okay, but you have to help me pick out shit that looks good on me. I’ve never shopped for anything.”
“Your wish is my command, VK.”
“Okay, VK. Let me change to a casual uniform, then I need food.”
“I’m happy to feed you.”
“Want me to accidentally leave the door open so you can watch me strip?”
“That’s going to be a no,” Roman said. “If you take off your clothes, we aren’t eating or even leaving your bed.”
