Page 101 of Perfect Guy

He laughs. “I’d be a persistent son of a gun until you gave up and accepted me.”

“Then give up and accept me,” I whisper, not realizing I’m leaning forward until I feel his soft breath on my upper lip.

“Already did.”

“We stand together, united, from now on,” I tell him.

“Always.”

I smile when his head leans toward me, too.

“Always,” I whisper, kissing him softly. He’s still instructed to rest, so anything further is out of the question. He can’t be stressed or overstimulated, but a kiss isn’t against the rules.

He tastes like coconut and sugar, my new favorite flavor. When his tongue slides against the seam of my lips, I open, tentatively gliding mine against his.

Before we can deepen the kiss, I lean back. “Slow.” My heart races, happiness filling me.

“I missed you,” he says quietly, his voice gruff.

“I missed you, too.”

I lean my head on his shoulder, taking a few moments to enjoy the quiet peace between us.

“Let’s finish the cake.” Canaan nudges me with his elbow.

We eat cake, talk about work, and I listen to Canaan’s concerns and hopes. It’s perfect, being here with him like this. It’s what I wanted all along. After we finish the cake, I grab the deck of cards that’s still in the living room.

“Want to play?” It will still help with his concentration and focus. I’m willing to help him rehabilitate from this injury and work together as a team.

“If I win, you go on a date with me,” Canaan says.

“And if I win?” I smirk, remembering our first bet at the arcade.

“Choose what you’d want.” He leans back comfortably. I’m so happy to see his mobility has improved. I’m sure it helps that his ribs are mostly healed, and the soreness from the actual fall has dissipated.

I take a moment to think about it, careful with my wish. I want so many things at once, but I know I can only have one. A slow smile creeps along my lips.

“I spend the night.”

His eyebrows lift on his forehead, and his eyes widen. “Bold. I lowballed it with asking you on a date.”

“I want to be here for you. Make sure you don’t need anything in the middle of the night. I worry about how you are in the middle of the night with no one to call.”

“I’ve been sleeping like shit. I won’t be in my best state.” He frowns.

“Then let me help you.” I squeeze his hand. “Let me prove to you that we can help each other, support one another, and not feel embarrassed about it.”

“Okay. First, you gotta win.” I give him that, but I think we both know I’m staying the night regardless.

“Deal.” I shuffle the cards and give each of us our set before we start playing Go Fish.

I laugh when Canaan tries to cheat. He steals my cards playfully, so I don’t have a match. We joke and tease each other. Things finally feel right again. Happy tears cloud my vision, and I want to dance around and hug him tightly. I need to be careful with his broken arm, though.

“Are you okay?” He pauses, staring at me.

“Yeah.” I nod, shaking my head.

“Are you crying?” His brows furrow. “That doesn’t look like you’re okay.”