Page 24 of Attached At Heart
I shook my head, deciding to just let Noah work this through unnecessarily. “She sleeps as long as she physically can. Whenwe had early mornings on rotations, I’d always call her to make sure she was awake for them.”
“Perfect.” When I didn’t move, Noah urged me with a little push. “Well, get the fuck out of here, then.”
“You did hear me say she sleeps as long as physically possible, right?” I checked my watch. “Give me at least twenty minutes to work up a sweat.”
“Didn’t work up enough of one last night?” Noah asked with a smirk.
I gave him a light shove to avoid answering, my body going rigid with the thought. I didn’t bother correcting him, though. If I was going to convince my family that Delaney and I had eloped, then I might as well start now by letting my brother think things about our relationship that weren’t true.
Things that would never be true.
Delaney was already married to her work. She had no interest in a real relationship with anyone. I had a feeling it stemmed from her emotionally stunted parents, combined with the need to prove herself and provide for her brother, but still. It was what she had always said she wanted, and I respected her as a friend enough not to push it. And I respected our friendship enough not to risk changing it or try to bring anything else into it.
Like the sex that Noah thought we’d had last night.
My brother relented enough about Delaney to let us get in a quick workout, and then he was pushing me out the door again. I wished we’d had more time, maybe a chance to actually talk about howhewas doing, but Noah was right about one thing: it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave Delaney for too long, even if I had put a note on the counter before heading out the door earlier.
Vowing to check in with my brother again soon, I walked back through the Boston streets, making two quick stops on the way back to my place.
A quiet calm permeated the air when I entered the apartment, which was a good sign. I put the tulips I got for Delaney in a drinking glass because I was a grown-ass man who didn’t own a vase and then put her coffee on the counter next to the flowers, hoping she’d see it.
My next stop was the shower, but before I could even make it to the bathroom, I ran right into Delaney as she popped out of the bedroom, looking exactly as I imagined she would in the morning: sleepy-eyed and fucking gorgeous. Her blonde hair was slipping out of the messiest bun I’d ever seen, a huge scrunchie tied haphazardly around her hair. Sapphire eyes blinked up at me as surprise slowly spread over her features. Soft fingers were wrapped around my arm from bumping into me, and they stayed there like a grasp on reality as it came back to her.
Seeing me at work yesterday. Dinner last night. Our trip to her apartment. Me bringing her back here. I could practically see it running through her mind like a movie, and it was slightly adorable.
“Morning, Lane,” I said, trying to keep my amusement to myself but failing. A smile slid onto my face.
She rubbed at her eyes before shooting me an accusatory look that likely would have had me backing down if it weren’t for the way her bun flopped from one side of her head to the other when she moved.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said, biting down on my grin. “Absolutely nothing is funny.” She narrowed her eyes, and I interrupted her interrogation by adding, “I got you a coffee. It’s on the kitchen counter.”
She snapped out of it at the mention of coffee, smiling. This girl was a glutton for caffeine, almost to a concerning degree. It paralleled her love of wine and my own caffeine addiction.
Delaney let go of my arm as she turned toward the kitchen, looking down at her fingers in a melting sort of confusion. Her gaze then snagged on my outfit, seeming to realize for the first time that I was fully dressed, shoes still on my feet.
“You’re allsweaty,” she said, her nose wrinkling.
I winced because, well, she was right. And now my sweat was all over her fingers.
“I went to the gym,” I said apologetically, but Delaney didn’t appear to be listening. Instead, her gaze was hooked on me, trailing over my body. I felt it, hot and acute, and it made my breath hitch. Her attention lingered on my biceps as though realizing Ihadbiceps for the very first time. I mean, in her defense, they’d definitely gotten bigger lately. But still, they’d always been there.
“Would it make you feel better to know that I’m about to take a shower?” I asked, drawing her out of her intense study.
“A shower?” A fierce blush suddenly erupted on her cheeks for a reason I couldn’t quite figure out. The morning sun filtered through her bedroom, hitting her face in a way that made sure I could see every shade of red. And for that, I was fucking grateful. The flush spread up her face, highlighting her cheekbones. “Oh, I, um, yeah. Sure, a shower is a good idea.”
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before flashing a soft smile and sidestepping her way toward the kitchen. “I think I need some coffee.”
Delaney disappeared down the hallway, and I released a breath of relief.
She needed a coffee, and I needed a fucking cold shower. An icy one. It would be a shock to my system, but I needed to getused to it. I had a pretty good feeling I’d be taking a lot of them from here on out.
Because in a matter of days, I’d be married to my best friend—the same woman who I hadn’t been able to get out of my head since the day I met her.
seven years ago
DELANEY
