&n
bsp; “Girlfriend, huh?” Linda teases with a laugh. “It’s okay, Darin. You aren’t ready to come out. Your secret is safe with us. Right, Jen?”
Her girlfriend nods enthusiastically and I groan.
**
Nervously, I check the time on my watch for what seems like the millionth occasion. Faye should have landed an hour ago. I offered to pick her up but she insisted on catching a cab to my apartment. She wanted to stay at a hotel too, but I have a perfectly good apartment why waste the money. Pulling my phone out of my pocket as I stand out front of my building waiting, my last text is still going unanswered.
Another ten minutes pass when finally, a cab rounds the corner. It comes to a stop and before the driver can get out to open her door for her, I am doing it. Beans is sitting next to her in his carrier and the moment he sees me he goes nuts for me. God, I have missed him…both of them.
“Hey,” she breathes out.
“Hey, yourself,” I tell her as I grab the handle of the carrier.
The driver grabs her luggage from the trunk, and I pull a few bills from my wallet to pay him while Faye exits the car. I can’t pull my eyes from her. She is so beautiful. Her hair is styled in one of those glamorous do’s she loves reminiscent of the 1950s. Her creamy skin appears flawless as she smiles at me. I sweep my gaze over her figure. A leopard print top that ties off at her hip, black pants that stop midway down her calves and her shoes scream that they need to be digging into the top of my ass as her legs are wrapped around me while I pound into her.
“It’s good to see you, Darin.”
“You too. And you,” I lean down and tell my boy. “How did he do?”
“He got sick, but I took him in the bathroom at the airport and cleaned him up. That’s why I’m so late and my cell phone died,” she explains.
“Thanks for taking care of him.”
She shrugs. “No problem.”
“Come on, I’ll let you get settled then we can grab some food after I take Beans for a walk.”
With Beans in one hand and her heavy suitcase in the other, I lead her to my condo. I figured I might as well have a place here since I’m going to be here for some time. I don’t know when I will return to Tennessee.
As soon as I get them indoors I open up the pet carrier and let Beans out. Immediately he jumps into my awaiting arms and begins licking my face. He is so excited to see me he pisses all over me.
“Damn it, boy.” I shake my head but don’t really get angry with him. I’ve missed him too damn much to care.
“He’s missed you,” Faye tells me.
“I see that.” I laugh as I go to get a towel to clean up after him. “Your room is the second door on the left. I need to jump in the shower. Make yourself at home.”
She nods and I go into the bathroom with Beans following. The little shithead even gets in the shower with me. I’m not complaining though. I’m glad to have my shadow back. When I get finished up and dressed in clean clothes the door to the guest room is closed. Tapping lightly, I call out, “Faye, I’m going to take Beans out.”
She doesn’t answer so I can only assume she heard me or was ignoring me.
With his favorite ball in hand I get him harnessed and leashed. There’s an empty lot behind my building that is being sold off for development but today it will serve as Beans’ playground. After he does his business I let him off the leash to play fetch. It isn’t long before he is breathing hard and in need of water.
Once I get him settled I knock on the spare bedroom door once more to see if Faye wants to go see the office and grab some dinner. On the third knock she groggily croaks, “It’s open.”
When I open the door I’m not prepared for what I see. Faye is curled up in the bed in nothing more than a t-shirt. The sheet is only pulled up to her mid-thigh and I can see the curve of her hip as she moves to sit up. She stretches her arms over head and yawns, giving me another glimpse of her creamy skin. I want nothing more than to slide into bed next to her and pull that shirt over her head and get a good look at the rest of her.
“Sorry, I needed a nap.” She yawns.
“No problem. We can order takeout or I can go to the store and grab a few things to cook us something.” I shrug.
“You’d cook for me?”
“Sure.”
“Since when do you cook for anyone?”