Page 22 of Numbers Boy (Working Boys #2)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Noah

AS SOON AS I walk through the door, shaking water droplets off my jacket, the sound of giggling reaches my ears.

It’s soon followed by voices singing along to “Walking on Sunshine.” I shuck my boots and coat as fast as I can and try not to track too much water into the hallway as I make my way toward Steve’s living room.

When I peek around the corner, the sight that greets me makes my heart stop for a second before it speeds up, feeling so full it could burst.

My nieces are both grinning widely as they sing and dance, but my eyes are immediately drawn to the man in between them.

You know that scene in The Little Mermaid where Ariel rises out of the sea in her glittering gown?

That’s what this feels like. I’m awestruck by how gorgeous Steve is.

But it’s not just the makeup, which looks like the girls did for him.

He’s shining like he’s lit up from the inside.

His eyes are crinkled at the corners as he bounces around, holding out a hairbrush as an imaginary microphone for Isabella to sing into.

When she reaches out to take it from him, Steve takes Lilly’s hand, and they start doing a silly hopping dance, adding backup vocals every so often.

Stacy’s tail is wagging nonstop as she bounces around with them.

When she sees me, she gives a soft “woof” of greeting, which makes the other three look over at me.

Steve’s face somehow lights up even more when he sees me, and he waves me over to join them.

I grin but shake my head, more than content to watch their impromptu performance.

Steve, however, isn’t going to let me off easy.

He spins Lilly over to Isabella as the song shifts to “Shake It Off” and then joins me in the doorway, hand outstretched.

I take it, his slim fingers warm against my own, and he pulls me into him.

I wrap my arms around his waist, just as eager to reconnect as he is, and he reaches up to wrap his around my neck.

“Hi,” he breathes through a smile, brushing a drop of rain off my face with gentle fingers.

“Hi,” I reply, scanning his face and seeing nothing but pure happiness as he pulls me further into the living room. “You all look like you’re having fun. Sorry to rain on your parade.”

He grins, eyes gleaming with laughter, and looks down at my rain-splattered pants. “Literally,” he teases.

From next to us, Isabella pipes up. “Jeez, Uncle Noah, was it raining cats and dogs out there or what?”

“I sure hope he didn’t step in a poodle,” Steve replies with a wink in her direction.

They both bust out laughing, and my heart cracks open a little bit further for this sweet, stunning man, who has somehow gotten my prickly niece to come out of her shell and have some fun.

The only other person who can get her to joke like that on a regular basis is Blake.

Even I have a hit-or-miss record as she gets older.

And Blake’s known her for years. He knows how much to push and when to pull back.

The fact that Steve is able to do the same thing in such a short time has me fascinated.

“Looks like you didn’t have a chance to miss me. I love the makeovers,” I comment, reaching out to gently tug on one of the braids in Lilly’s hair.

She grins up at me, dance party momentarily forgotten. “It was so great! Steve let us do makeup and told us about his dresses and everything!”

“I see that. You all look great,” I say, but my mind snags on the last part of her comment.

Why does Steve have dresses? I look over at the man, picturing him in something long and flowy.

The mental image causes a flutter to go off in my stomach, clearly liking it.

His usual style is so comfort-based, but having his legs in a skirt sounds hot as fuck.

It would certainly complete the earlier thought I had about him as Ariel.

Steve catches my gaze, and I realize I’m staring.

His lower lip is caught between his teeth, one corner of his mouth hitched up in a shadow of his normal smile.

Does he think I’m going to be upset about how they spent their evening?

Or is it more specifically about his clothing choices?

Either way, I give him a warm smile and shoot him a wink. “And that all sounds awesome.”

Isabella nods, looking between me and Steve, clearly catching onto the undercurrent of… whatever just happened. “It was cool. Now, can we watch a movie while we wait for Mom?”

“Sure,” Steve agrees, smile a bit more natural now. “Why don’t you and Lilly pick something while your uncle and I get snacks?”

The girls hurry to the couch and huddle together in the middle, Stacy jumping up to join them as they bicker good-naturedly about what to watch. I leave them to it, following Steve over to his kitchen.

“You okay, beautiful?”

Steve nods, his back to me as he grabs a bag of popcorn out of the cupboard and gets it started in the microwave.

His shoulders look a little tense, but I don’t push.

After a minute, I can see him take a deep breath before he turns toward me.

His face is set, fire in his gorgeous green irises, even as he still seems nervous.

“So, umm, I do drag.”

Ah, that’s what had him so worried. And explains the dresses. A smile twitches my lips as the image of Steve in a skirt shifts to a more elaborate, dramatic gown. It feels right.

“Huh. That makes sense.”

“What do you mean?” Steve seems a little taken aback by my response, but his shoulders relax. Some of the fight seems to leave his eyes as well, replaced with a more lively spark of what looks like hope.

“It’s just, I call you Princess, and I thought you truly looked like a princess when I walked in to find you dancing with the girls. But I guess I didn’t take it far enough. You’re royalty, alright, but you’re not a princess. You’re a queen.”

As I talk, I move closer to Steve until I’m right in front of him. I press him gently into the countertop behind him, my hands gliding around his back. His wrap around my neck like they did when I first got back from my job.

“You’re too sweet to me,” he murmurs and smiles up at me.

“No such thing.” I return his smile, brushing the tip of my nose against his. He blushes lightly, eyes fluttering closed at the touch. “Will you tell me more about your drag?”

“Of course,” Steve agrees easily. “But we should probably get back to the living room before the girls get impatient.”

At that moment, the microwave beeps, causing both of us to jump and laugh.

“Perfect timing.”

We grab the popcorn, bowl, and chocolates to add, then join the girls.

They’ve got some random kids’ movie on, and one of them turned off the overhead light so it’s dark aside from the glow of the screen.

Since they’re still sitting smack-dab in the middle of the couch, Steve takes one side, and I take the other.

As we all settle in, the girls comment every once in a while, but mostly, they’re focused on watching the movie.

Soon, Lilly is sagged against me, head heavy on my shoulder.

I adjust a bit, letting her snuggle closer and stretching my arm across the back of the couch.

The piece of furniture is short enough that I can just barely reach Steve’s neck.

When he feels my hand next to him, he turns his head, catching my eye over the girls’ heads.

We share a secret smile that sends affection fizzing down my spine before turning back to the TV.

And that’s how we spend the next half an hour.

Girls dozing between us, my fingers sifting through the auburn curls at the nape of his neck, locking eyes as we sneak frequent glances at one another.

With each passing minute, I know that this is something I want to do over and over again.

That this man, with his inner beauty and willingness to be silly, is something special.

When I get a text from Amy saying she’s here, I give Steve’s curls one last gentle tug, and then we quietly rouse the girls. I help them get their belongings as Steve buzzes my sister up. She greets him with a hug and compliments all three of them on their new looks.

“The girls did a great job,” Steve says, sending them a sincere smile. “It was fun getting to hang out with them tonight.”

Amy grins my way, and I know we’ll be discussing this more at some point. But right now, grilling me about my potential boyfriend will have to wait since it’s late and the girls have school tomorrow.

“Well, what do you say to Steve, ladies?” she prompts.

“Thank you!” they chorus.

“Can we please come back soon, Mom?” Lilly asks, her face twisted into an adorable pout. The effect is heightened by the fact that her makeup smeared slightly while she was asleep.

“That’s up to Steve, Lil.”

Both girls turn to him, matching pleading expressions on display. But it’s Isabella who asks this time.

“Please, Steve? We can help take care of Stacy if you need it, too.”

“Girlies, of course you’re welcome to come back.” He opens his arms, and they both swarm him with a hug. “And you don’t need to use Stacy as an excuse either. I meant it when I said I had fun. You both are awesome people. I’d love to spend more time with you.”

Amy and I exchange another look as they all squeeze their group hug tighter. If what I witnessed earlier didn’t convince me, now I know beyond a doubt that Steve has earned the girls’ stamp of approval. And I get it. I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with him, too.

Once goodbyes are finally over, Steve looks at me, an almost shy expression on his face. I reach out and pull him to my side, then press a kiss to his temple.

“You’re good with them.”

I hear more than see his answering smile when he says, “I loved getting to know them.” He looks up, and there’s that smile. So sweet. “Want to go cuddle some more and finish the movie?”

“Hell yeah. Although, full disclosure, I have no idea what’s going on in the movie.”

“Same,” he jokes, pulling me down the hall and then next to him on the couch. “I just wanted cuddles.”

I laugh and snake my arm tighter around his waist. He settles against me, one arm resting on my stomach and chest, head near my shoulder. “I will always be down for cuddles.”

We stay like that, hands never wandering far. Just enjoying the comfort and warmth of having another person so close. As the credits start to roll, Steve stifles a huge yawn, which causes me to do the same.

“Damn, it’s getting late,” he notes, glancing at the time on his phone. “I would offer to have you stay, but I know tomorrow is your early day.”

“That’s okay, beautiful. We’ll find another time.” I press a kiss into his curls before standing up and stretching, another yawn taking over. “Dog park meetup and some sort of date this week?”

“Sounds perfect.”

We walk slowly toward his front door when a thought occurs to me.

“Hey, I forgot to tell you. I play guitar, and I’ve got a gig this Saturday.” I pause to slide on my boots. Steve cocks his head questioningly at me, so I explain some more. “Although it’s not nearly as cool as doing drag. I just sing cover songs at a local bar.”

“Umm, that’s still really cool,” Steve says, an excited gleam in his eyes. “And at least you’re actually singing. Eve just lip-syncs.”

“Eve?” It’s my turn to wait for an explanation, trying to get my brain to wake up a bit more so I can follow his train of thought as I continue getting bundled up. It may be getting a little warmer out during the days, but it’s still plenty cold once the sun goes down.

“My stage name. Her full name is Eve R. Lasting.”

“Like a gobstopper?” I ask with a grin, pulling Steve into my arms. He comes willingly and grins back at me, relaxing into my body now that he’s told me about his alter ego. I’m happy to see that none of his tenseness from earlier has returned.

“Yep,” he replies cheekily, one eyebrow raising as he licks his lips. “Because you can suck me and suck me and suck me…”

I laugh, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Is that a promise, Princess?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

We’re both grinning as we share a good night kiss. Even after I leave for my apartment, I can taste the happiness on Steve’s lips. I’m hooked on that taste, and I can’t wait until I can see him and experience it again.