Page 106 of Alfie: Part One
He smiled and dipped down, and he brushed his lips to mine. “I haven’t told you yet, but I like the beard. It’s incredibly sexy on you.”
Aw, shucks. I grinned like an idiot. “Look atchu, warmin’ up to me.”
He snorted softly and reached out to turn off the water. “And then you ruin it by opening your mouth…”
He didn’t mean that. He loved my mouth.
“What if my mouth suggested I get Vietnamese delivered?” I asked.
He looked to me sharply and definitely didn’t like having to admit he was hungry. “Fuck, that sounds good.”
I grinned triumphantly.
Let Operation Win West Back begin.
“I like this,” he admitted, placing his takeout container on the wall. He peered down on the street first, then up at the nearby skyscrapers. “It’s a small sanctuary in the middle of chaos.”
I wouldn’t call Center City chaos, but sure, I got what he was getting at. It was never really quiet in downtown Philly.
I liked my roof deck too, though. Especially now when the floorboards were in place and I’d had the new furniture delivered. With a canopy and lighting and everything. Ellie hadpicked out the bistro lights, and Trip had chosen the cushions for the chairs.
Mom had bought me the lemon tree in the corner, and I’d promised Ellie we’d get more flowers and plants by next spring.
“Food’s getting cold, honey. Come eat,” I said. I stuck a crispy spring roll in my mouth and opened the fourth and last container. Fuck yeah, the beef stir-fry with noodles.
West returned to the table with his favorite dish, this fantastic pork belly stew with fried rice and vegetables.
I could probably sleep out here tonight. It wasn’t too hot at this hour, the food was spectacular, and the company even better. Introspective and cautious, but better. He wasn’t as closed off, like he’d been earlier. He sat down next to me instead of across from me, for starters. That meant something in West’s language.
He let out a sigh of contentment and tucked into his food, and I side-eyed him. He looked more at ease now that the food had arrived. Not to mention sexy as fuck wearing only boxer briefs.
He had to become mine again. I would never find all-consuming happiness without him by my side.
“Good, huh?” I smiled knowingly. It was the one thing he missed out on in the suburbs. Late-night takeout.
“Very.” He nodded and reached for his soda. “It might actually be better than the place in LA.”
“Right? Although, their sweet chili…”
“I was just gonna say,” he chuckled. “We could inhale that.”
I smiled. This was great. Good memories to warm him up properly.
Next step was good-natured ribbing, and I had just the topic for it.
I shoveled more food into my pie hole as I thought of a nice segue, though that’d never been my forte. West was way smoother that way.
I chased down the food with my Coke. “So, are you ever gonna tell me why you went behind my back and offered Colby a place to live?”
He stopped with his fork in midair and shot me a quick scowl.
I smirked.
It’d come as a surprise, of course, except…in retrospect, it’d made more sense. West was a kindhearted man who wanted to be helpful. But yeah, when Colby had told me in the car, about ten minutes after we’d left West’s house, I’d almost turned around to demand answers.
“You’re not allowed to get mad about that,” he told me.
“I’m not mad,” I laughed. “I’m curious about why you’re inviting a li’l wiseguy to live with you. Am I next? Is there a line I could get in?”