Perfect Alignment (Thorne and Dash 3)

“Whatever that look is about, I’m all for it,” Thorne said.

“We’ll see about that later. What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I stop by to see you without a reason?”

Not if you’re Thornwell Shipton. “You could, but—”

“I’m a man of purpose.”

Riley nodded. “That you are.”

“I’m taking you to dinner.”

“Is it dinnertime already?” Riley looked down at his phone.

“Not quite, but I wanted to hear what you thought of the designer you talked to.”

“Why do I have the feeling this isn’t just us grabbing dinner so I don’t have to cook?”

Thorne’s kitchen skills were so bad he could even ruin pasta, so Riley did all the cooking. Thorne often worried it was too much of a burden since Riley baked for a living, but Riley truly didn’t mind. Unlike many customers, Thorne was appreciative of his efforts, and it gave him a chance to try new things or make old favorites without having to worry whether they were too boring or out of fashion.

“It’s just dinner,” Thorne insisted, but he didn’t look at Riley as he said it. He was definitely up to something.

“Thorne, you don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”

Thorne sighed. “It’s nothing bad, okay? It’s something you’ll like, or at least I hope it is.”

“Yeah?” Riley asked.

Thorne nodded. He looked nervous, and it was so endearing. In those moments when the arrogant businessman fell away and Thorne was left vulnerable, he was even more attractive—soft, gorgeous, needy. And Riley knew exactly what would bring back his equilibrium.

“Long day?” Riley asked. Thorne was trying to win a new account, an enormous one. He liked and respected the man who ran the company he was courting, but the underlings he’d sent to meet with Thorne were, in Thorne’s words, fucking entitled assholes. There were days when Thorne exaggerated or failed to own up to his own entitled-asshole side, but from what Thorne had told him, these men seemed determined to hate everything Thorne did.

Thorne rubbed his temples. “Yes, it fucking sucked.”

“Turn around.”

Thorne raised his brows and inclined his head toward the windows facing the street. “Here?”

“Just turn around.”

Thorne did, and Riley wondered just how far he would go if Riley pushed him, not that he was going to. They could save those kinds of games for after dinner or whatever Thorne had planned for the evening. Thorne had a little of the exhibitionist in him, but a dark alley or a hidden cove on the lake were different from a storefront in downtown Atlanta.

Thorne groaned as Riley dug his thumbs into the knotted muscles at the base of his neck.

“Good?”

“God, yes.”

Riley kept going, doing what he could to loosen Thorne up, though it would take a lot more than a quick neck massage. He’d been pushing himself much too hard.

“How much sleep did you get last night?”

“Umm.”

“Three hours? Two?”

“I…”

Riley huffed in disgust. “You never came to bed, did you? I thought you must’ve come in after I went to sleep and then set your alarm for your usual time, but you never came to bed.”

“Look—”

“No, you look. You’ve got to take care of yourself.”

“You’re working hard too.”

Riley smiled. Thorne’s voice held only the hint of a whine. “I slept for six hours.”

“I’ll sleep tonight.”

“Damn right you will.”

Thorne glowered. “I thought you were trying to relax me.”

Riley dug his fingers in harder, and Thorne exhaled a “fuck.”

“I’m trying to take care of you.”

Thorne turned in his arms and gathered Riley to him. “I love you.”

Riley let go of his annoyance and sank into Thorne. It always felt amazing to be held by him. They were good for each other, no matter what his doubts often told him.

“So the designer: how was she?” Thorne asked, obviously hoping to drop the conversation of his over-dedication to work.

“I liked her. She listened to me rather than trying to ignore what I wanted like the first one I talked to. But she was also willing to tell me about better ways to do things. If what she brings to show Susan and me tomorrow is as good as I think it will be, then we’ll sign a contract with her.”

“Perfect. All the more reason to celebrate.”

“So we’re celebrating tonight?”

Thorne nodded. “We are. I booked us a table at Bavaria Haus.”

Riley studied him carefully. “You said nothing was up.”

“It’s not. I’m simply treating my fiancé.”

“Mmmhmm. So what are we celebrating?”

“Us.”

Riley grinned. “Don’t we do that most nights?”

“We do, but we have to eat first to keep up our strength.”

“We do. So are you ready to go?”

“Any chance of more massaging first?” Thorne asked.

“So you do admit you need it?”

“I need a lot of things from you.”

The softness in Thorne’s voice tightened Riley’s chest. “Yes, you do. How about I give you a full-body massage at home?”

“That sounds perfect. Maybe dinner isn’t really—”

“We’re going to dinner.”

Thorne sighed. “Then let’s go.”