Page 225

She snorts.
I smile. “I find conversation tiring but, with you, I feel like I could talk all night. You are…”
“A great listener? Too stubborn for her own good? Incredibly sexy?”
“Yes.” My smile widens. “And you’re also my favorite person, outside of my robot vacuum, of course. Which technically isn’t a person but…”
She laughs.
“We’ve flirted. We’ve kissed.” I wipe off a smudge of ketchup from the corner of her lips. “But we haven’t made anything official.”
“Official?”
I stare into her dark brown eyes, nervous and excited. “Nardi, will you go out with me?”
Her eyes widen and then sparkle. She leans forward, kisses me gently and says, “Yes.”
Twenty-Four
NARDI
Over the next few days, I fall head-first into a world where only Cullen and I exist. In this alternate dimension, time passes by in a blur.
I wake up every morning snuggled in Cullen’s arms. Normally, he wakes up before me and makes breakfast. We sit around his massive dining room table and eat together. After, we work separately—him on Cullen Tech business and me filming cooking videos. We’ll usually break for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon together, reading, watching TV, and kissing.
Okay, mostly kissing.
In that regard, we’re the adult equivalent of hormonal teenagers. But what I enjoy the most about these days with Cullen—outside of all the lip-locking and tongue-sucking of course—is howquietI can be in his presence.
All my life, I’ve always felt like I had togo, go, go. There was always something to take care of, something to worry about, something new added to the endless list of tasks. Yet, with Cullen, I don’thaveto do anything. I can just… enjoy myself.
And it’s the simple things that bring me the most joy.
Sometimes, I perch in his lap, napping while he watches videos about robots online. Sometimes, I lean against his shoulder, scrolling through social media and sharing news and funny memes with him.
As long as I’m with Cullen, I’m happy.
Which is crazy to think about.
If anyone had told me a few months ago that I’d fall head over heels for some millionaire tech genius with germophobic tendencies and a hermit-like personality, I would have laughed them out of the room.
But I have to admit, this new dimension that Cullen’s taken me to is a sweet, idyllic paradise.
I’m happily sticking my head in the sand and pretending that this could be my life forever.
One breezy morning, I get a call from Sunny asking if I have time to hang out. Cullen’s in his computer room doing work so, rather than bother him, I get ready upstairs. My suitcases are still where I put them the first day I moved in, but I haven’t actually slept in the upstairs bedroom yet.
On my way down the stairs, I spot Cullen in the kitchen getting coffee. He chokes on his drink when I approach him.
“Are you okay?” I ask, instantly on alert.
He looks me up and down. “Yeah.” His voice sounds gruff and sexy. “Are you dressing up forme?”
I laugh and touch the collar of my button-down shirt and mini-skirt. “I have a lunch date with Sunny.”
“Oh.” He blinks.
I nervously look down at my kitten pumps. “Is it too much? Sunny always looks so sophisticated and put together. I just don’t want to look shabby next to her.”