Page 11 of Siren in Love (In Love #1)
Corvin
C orvin’s home of almost a decade was nearly empty of all the things that had made it his home. It was down to a few pillows and a duffel full of clothes, as well as the last three book boxes.
He watched Mike pick one up and thought, This man. Never even once complained that the books are heavy, and they fucking are.
“Remind me why you told me not to hire movers,” Corvin said. He leaned against his empty bookshelf, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched Mike stop and turn, holding the box in his arms as if it weighed nothing at all.
Mike’s blue eyes sparked with amusement. “I didn’t make you do anything. You said you felt iffy about people touching your books, and I said I’d carry them for you.”
“Was that really how it went? Did you say that?”
Mike came over and kissed Corvin on the cheek. “I’m positive, hon. If you’re tired, you can wait in the car. I can finish the rest.”
Corvin rolled his eyes. “I’m not tired.”
Mike let his chuckle fade to a low whistle as he carried the books outside. “If you say so.”
The nerve of him . “I wouldn’t put up with this inconvenience if I didn’t like you, you know,” he shouted after Mike, grabbing a few pillows and following the other man outside to the van.
Maybe he would wait in the passenger seat, go through his memory box, and wonder once more how he’d ended up with this sexy lawyer who acted like no one else in the world mattered whenever he was with Corvin.
And when he’s without me, to be fair. He texts, he never forgets anything I say, and he’s always there when he says he will be. He’s a fucking unicorn. With a really nice…horn.
“Oh, honey, I know,” Mike hollered up from one flight of stairs down.
It took them a few more trips up and down the stairs to get everything into the van. With all his stuff packed up, Corvin stood with his back to the kitchen and looked at the hollowed-out studio.
He was going to miss the place he and Mike had first made love in, the dining table on which they had made love only twice, and even the kitchen, which had never seen more than foreplay given Mike was extremely difficult to distract when he was cooking.
“Ready to go?” Mike asked, coming up behind Corvin and snaking his arm around his middle.
“Just saying goodbye.” Corvin was feeling the anxiety creep up his spine. Cohabitation was new to him. Mike pressed a soft kiss against the side of Corvin’s neck, and Corvin leaned into him and sighed.
“I got you a surprise, but it’s back home.”
“You’re bribing me.” Corvin shivered, glancing at the table. It was dusty from the move, and he knew Mike would never, not on a dusty table. “You bribed me when you promised me you’d make breakfast for me every day if I came to live with you.”
“You have no evidence that a crime was committed.” Mike tightened his hold on Corvin and pressed another kiss to the same spot on Corvin’s neck.
Corvin shivered. “I hate it when you use a technicality against me.”
Corvin knew he’d already lost though. For all intents and purposes, he’d lost when he’d allowed the tall, handsome lawyer to cook him breakfast after he’d gotten that scar on the back of his head in a…bar fight. Except I can’t really call this losing.
Corvin cleared his throat. “Mike, if you close the door, we could fuck on the table one last time.”
Mike’s hold on him tightened in that way Corvin recognized as a passionate no. “I like dirty, but I’m not having sex with you on a dirty table, honey.”
Corvin groaned. “You’re no fun sometimes, you know that?”
Mike hummed in that way he had. “If it helps, I have a large tub of pineapple sherbet in the freezer, and I’m contemplating either feeding it to you or licking it off your belly.”
Corvin swallowed his comeback and instead turned in Mike’s arms so they were facing each other and he could hook his arms around Mike’s neck. “I’m really happy to move in with you, you know that, right? It’s just a big step. And it’s fast, and I know I make stupid comments about it, but I’m happy.”
Mike’s humming intensified as he brushed a strand of Corvin’s hair off his forehead. “I know. And I’m especially glad you didn’t back out even after meeting my mom the other day.”
“I thought she was nice.”
Mike’s mother hadn’t just been nice. Miss Cantus—Gladys, as she insisted Corvin call her—had been enthusiastic when they had come to dinner, four courses of delicious food she’d made sure Corvin liked beforehand. She’d been more interested in Corvin than his own mom was when he came to visit.
“She was seconds away from making you call her ‘Mom.’”
“That would’ve been premature.”
“My point.”
Corvin nodded. “Right.” He looked over his shoulder one more time. “You know what? I think I’m good to go now.”
They left the keys and turned off the lights, pulling the door shut behind them for the last time. Once it had closed, Corvin realized he was looking forward to what came next for him and Mike.