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The smallest, cutest smile broke across her lips.
“You’re lucky you’re adorable,” I said, burying myself into her with one quick, easy thrust.
————
Morning light trickled in through the open curtains, little specks of dust fluttering about like butterflies in the rays of sunshine. Lottie slept soundly beside me, her naked body tucked up into mine, my arm around her waist. She looked so peaceful, so unaffected by the chaos that had been surrounding her for months. I wished I could extend that into the waking world for her.
I counted each breath. In, out, languid and easy. A stark difference to how she’d been when I’d found her last night, shattered and sobbing. It had broken my heart to see her like that, and still, it hurt to know she’d wake up and be right back in it again.
The least I could do was try to make things a little easier.
Footsteps echoed from downstairs as I slid out of the bed carefully so not to wake Lottie. I pulled on my boxers and joggers then slid out of the room silently, locking eyes with Dana from the top of the stairs. “Shh,” I said quietly. “She’s still sleeping.”
“Still?” Dana asked, her brows raising. “It’s almost ten.”
I took the stairs two at a time and made my way toward the kitchen. “You say that like you’re surprised.”
“She’s been up before me the last few mornings,” Dana said, trailing behind me. “Or maybe she wasn’t sleeping to begin with.”
“She got plenty of sleep last night.” I grabbed the plastic tub of coffee grounds and scooped out enough to make plenty for the three of us. “Did you just get here?”
Hoisting herself up onto the counter, she nodded. “Yeah, I slept at home last night. Sorry I didn’t get back to you.”
“It’s okay. It was a blessing in disguise, really.” I opened the cabinets and stared at the emptiness before shifting my attention to the fridge which was practically empty, too.
“I brought groceries,” Dana said. “They’re out in the car.”
I met her gaze, noting how she wasn’t staring at my face, but instead at my bare chest. Christ. “And you want me to get them.”
“Yes please,” she grinned.
————
A knock at the door sent Dana into action. I stayed in the kitchen, organizing the groceries Dana had bought so that when we inevitably left and Lottie was alone, she’d be able to handle cooking for herself.
She hushed whoever it was that came in the door, leading them away from the stairs and toward the kitchen where Lottie was less likely to hear. I don’t know who I was expecting, maybe an associate of Brody’s, maybe a friend of Lottie’s.
Certainly not my damn brother.
“If you’re here to argue about me becoming CEO, I’m not entertaining it,” I deadpanned. I poured myself a cup of coffee into a hand-painted mug, sloppy hearts and swirls covering it. Did Lottie make this as a kid?
Fred rocked awkwardly back and forth on his feet. “I didn’t come to argue with you.”
Leaning back against the counter, I crossed my arms over my bare chest, locking eyes with him. “Then why are you here?”
“To offer my condolences to your wife.”
Well, that was surprisingly nice of him.
“Is she around?”
“She’s not up yet,” I sighed. “You’re welcome to hang around and wait. Do you want some coffee?”
Dana looked between the two of us, her brows knitted. “I’ll, uh, hang out in the living room.”
Fred nodded to me as Dana left the room. I poured him a cup and topped it off with a splash of cold water—the way he always asked Mom to make it. There wasn’t any use in cooking for Lottie just yet if she wasn’t going to be up for a bit, so instead I sunk into the chair across from Fred, the wood creaking with every pound of weight I rested on it.
“I’m not mad at you,” Fred started, wrapping both hands around his mug. “In truth, man, you deserved it more than I did.”
