Page 34 of Breakaway Hearts

ME: I mean, you’re awesome, but that’s way too much. You’re not serious, right?

REESE: As the plague.

ME: I don’t know… this costs a lot.

REESE: I know. I bought it.

REESE: And you also know that money isn’t an object for me. I don’t want you to think for a second about that.

ME: I’ve thought for many seconds about it.

REESE: As is your way, lol.

REESE: But seriously. If I owed you a double of Blanton’s for pretending to be my girlfriend for one night, I probably owe you a lifetime supply at this point. I believe those were the terms of our arrangement, were they not?

I snort and can’t help but roll my eyes at his formal wording. Still, I appreciate this gift a lot. I was completely joking when I told him he’d owe me a lifetime supply of whiskey for whatever favor he wanted from me, and I had no idea he’d actually buy me my very own bottle. It’s so expensive that I usually only drink it once or twice a year, like when I decide to splurge on my birthday or something.

ME: You don’t owe me a thing… but I can’t say no to good whiskey.

REESE: Good. Because if you didn’t accept it, I was gonna pour it down the drain. Right in front of you.

ME: omfg

ME: You sadist.

He sends another winky face and then presumably goes back to drinking with his teammates. I pick up the Blanton’s, biting my lip as I take in the beautiful label. This whiskey never fails to remind me of my father. Its smell even brings me back to his leather armchair, the one in the basement in front of the TV, where he would sit and watch crime documentaries with me when I was a teenager.

“You, my friend,” I tell the whiskey, “are the perfect company for a night in.”

I pull out one of Reese’s nice tumblers and pour myself a couple fingers of Blanton’s, then grab my pasta and a romance novel and settle on the couch in the living room.

It’s the perfect kind of night, the kind that makes me relax fully. Time slides by as I eat and read, and before long, I’m totally absorbed in my book. It’s a slow burn that has finally started burning, and my lower lip is trapped between my teeth as I turn the page.

I’ve just gotten to an incredibly spicy scene when the lock clicks in the front door. My head snaps up as Reese walks in, and without thinking, I chuck my book underneath the couch, nearly spilling what’s left of my drink in the process.

I glance around in a rush and grab the first book I see off the coffee table. My heart is pounding in my ears as Reese looks my way.

Why is he home this early? It’s only nine. I thought he’d be out a lot later than this.

“Oh, hey,” I say, doing my best to sound casual. I turn the page of the book in my hand without looking at the words at all. “You’re home earlier than I expected.”

He saunters into the living room and cocks his head, a bemused look on his face. “How’s that book? I haven’t read it yet.”

“Oh, it’s good. Really good.”

“Good to know.” He takes it out of my hands and flips it so that I’m holding it right-side up.

I grimace.Oops. Shit.

“Not sure I’ll trust that book recommendation, but I’msupercurious to know what’s got you all flustered.” Reese’s eyes glint with amusement, and he leans down to grab the paperback I poorly attempted to hide beneath the couch. I didn’t shove it all the way underneath, and now that he’s got it in his hands, I know I’m fucked.

He’s going to make fun of me for the rest of our lives.

“Ahh.” He draws the word out, turning the book over in his hands. The cover has a shirtless man on it, leaning back with a sultry glower on his face. “I didn’t know you read romance.”

Of course he didn’t. I’ve kept all the books I brought from my place either in my suitcase or in the boxes I packed them in, so he definitely hasn’t seen my enormous collection of paperbacks.

He flips through the book, his eyebrows rising higher with each page he turns.

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