Page 35 of Two Is Better Than One

"What? Who told you that?"

"My cousin, Casey. I haven't looked at my account since I was sick, but it's from the stock market. He's showing me the ropes, and I made an investment that paid off big today. I guess something big went down. I don't have all the details. In fact, I hardly believe it—it feels like a dream. That's why it took me until now to mention it. I need to talk to Casey to make sure it's what I think it is."

"Well, congrats if it is," I said. "That would make today a little better."

"My day is not as bad as you might think," he said, adjusting. He pulled my hand into his lap, and the feel of his warm skin against mine made me feel out-of-my-head with anticipation and happiness. I snuggled next to him and rested my head against the padded headboard, looking at the TV again.

Thirty minutes before I left, I went to the kitchen and got AJ a glass of Sprite. He took the smallest sip, but it was the first non-water thing he had all day, and both of us felt hopeful that it would give him some strength. He drank about half of it, and it seemed to be settling fine when it was time for me to leave.

I leaned over to his side of the bed when I got the text saying that the driver was pulling up. I latched onto his arm, trying to give him a hug without disturbing his comfortable position.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"Allie, I'm so thankful you came here today. I'm sorry I was out of it."

"I'm not. I wanted to sit next to you and just check on you today. I was so worried about Vincent's. I couldn't stand the thought of someone doing this to you."

"No one did it," he said, still holding onto me as I leaned into him. "You don't need to worry about me. I've had food poisoning before. It goes away."

"I'm still worried about you," I said. "Man can't live on Sprite alone. Please text me later, if you can, when you can, and let me know how that settled."

"I will," he said. "Thank you for caring."

I did not tell him how much I cared.

He leaned into me. I could sense strength even in his weakness. I had learned a lot about AJ in the time that we'd known each other, and these hours by his side as he was sick were just the sweetest ever. I felt like I loved him, like I wanted to make a way to be with him long-term, and I was honestly tempted to say all that in the moment. I knew it was crazy, so I didn't dare.

"Bye," I said. "The driver's here, I feel my phone buzzing."

"Bye," he said. "Thank you for being here today. Can you please text when you get back to the suite?"

I smiled and touched the side of his face. "Yes."

Chapter 15

Summer Stockton

The following day

Casey picked up his phone on the second ring. "Hello?" he said.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm almost there. Why?"

"Because I thought you would be here by now. I wanted you to get here in the next five minutes. Really three minutes would be best."

"I'm in your hotel," Casey said. "Give me one minute."

I heard a knock on my door not even a minute later, and I opened it to find Casey Morgan standing there. He was a physical specimen like few I had seen. I had been around some disciplined, talented people—some muscular dancers and entertainers, but Casey was a physical unit. He stood in front of me, and I ducked outside, into the hallway, looking from one side to the other and making sure no one was following him.

I pulled him inside, closed the door behind us, and went into his arms immediately. I was holding onto his muscular body when I spoke.

"My sister just got in the shower, and Brooks just went downstairs to the lobby, so we have a few minutes."

I focused on his face. His eyes were like fall. They were everything that's comforting about the season. Looking into Casey's eyes was like looking into a campfire—one with gorgeous, hot embers. He was like fire, and I felt overheated standing next to him. I leaned into his arms, loving the feeling of having them wrapped around me.

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