Page 16 of Attached At Heart
“Well, that’s something we have in common,” she said, unfazed by my brusque reply. I wasn’t used to that. But I…liked it? “I’m not paying to fuck off in the back, either.”
I stared at her, because honestly, what else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t ask her to move; I’d already been passive-aggressive—a Minnesotan’s worst quality—about it, and she hadn’t gotten the picture. I couldn’t outright ask her to move, and I sure as hell didn’t want to make conversation and encourage her to stay. So I just…stared.
Fuck, I needed to stop staring.
“Don’t worry.” She put her hands up in a defensive move, her lips curving into a knowing grin. “I’m not going to distract you.”
But that was exactly what she did.
For the rest of the class.
And then the rest of the year.
And eventually, the rest of my life.
CHAPTER FOUR
delaney
ADARK BLANKET OF night had fallen over the streets of Boston by the time Blake and I emerged from Giovanni’s. Indulging in so much wine meant that putting one foot in front of the other felt criminal, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d drank something of such quality and laughed so much.
That was the thing about being around Blake; he knew how to let me be me.
The same couldn’t be said for my family. Anything that involved too much emotion was somehow inappropriate. Anything that reminded them of tragedies outside their little bubble was uncomfortable. And anything that brought me happiness usually made them roll their eyes.
But with Blake, I didn’t have to act a certain way or avoid talking about things that were uncomfortable. I could laugh loudly if I wanted to laugh loudly, and I could break down a difficult day at work if I needed to. We experienced the same pressures our career brought, and he got it. He gotme.
It only took us a single dinner to get back to a place of understanding, back to this level of comfort. Which was good,considering what we’d decided on. Wehadto get here if we were going to be married—well, fake-married—for the next year.
“Where did you park?” Blake scanned the street outside Giovanni’s. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Oh, I walked. My apartment’s not far.”
He nodded. “Then I’ll walk you to your apartment.”
“You don’t need to do that.” I tipped back against the door to the restaurant. The world careened to the side a little bit before Blake caught me by the arm and straightened me again. “Although, you might actually need torollme to my apartment,” I admitted.
His breathy chuckle warmed the skin on my neck, and I realized just how close he was and just how much I didn’t mind. My body strained toward his, seeking an escape from the spring chill in the air.
“Come on,” he murmured. “I’ll drive you home. No walking or rolling needed.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I’m just being dramatic.” I swatted at his chest, trying to push him away, but he was all hard and solid and wouldn’t let go.
“It’s late, and you drank nearly an entire bottle of chardonnay.” Blake started to guide me in the opposite direction of my apartment, and I let him, feeling too warm and fuzzy to put up my usual fight. “You’re not walking home alone, Lane.”
“Such a gentleman today,” I laughed, leaning far too much of my body weight into him as we walked. But he didn’t complain.
“I don’t know why you keep saying that as though I’ve evernotbeen a gentleman around you.” He sounded affronted, and I couldn’t help a giggle from escaping. But then I thought about what he’d said a beat longer, and my laugh died.
“Around me?” Something turned in my stomach as his words bounced around my buzzed brain. “Are there other girls out there getting a different treatment than me?”
He sighed, his breath ruffling my hair in a way that made a shiver work down my spine and goose bumps pebble my skin. It was just what happened when warmth invaded the chilled senses. Nothing more.
“You always get the best treatment, Delaney.”
My weird, momentary jealousy slipped away at his words, and I grinned up at him. “So you’re saying I’m special.”
Blake laughed. That wavy McDreamy hair flopped down over his forehead as he glanced down at me. “I haven’t asked any other girls to marry me today, have I?”
