Page 62 of The Hook Up
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Ellie stared back at Ty,hardly believing her ears. Had he really just suggested a relationship? Like an actual, honest to-God relationship?
She found herself nodding, a little numb from the shock. But mixed in with the shock was something a lot like joy. “Yes,” she said. “I think I might like that, too.”
Until that moment, she hadn’t admitted how much she wanted more. She hadn’t allowed herself to think that way, convinced they needed to keep things casual. Convinced she couldn’t go down that path again.
But the more she’d gotten to know Ty, the more she realized she’d like to give it a shot. Knowing he wanted that, too, was like a big, fizzy pleasure bubble swelling in the center of her chest.
“I’m a little out of practice,” she said. “At relationships, I mean. My last one didn’t end well, and I probably have trust issues.”
Ty smiled and reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for the warning,” he said. “If it makes you feel better, I’m a bit of a commitment-phobe.”
“Really?” A trickle of unease moved through her veins, but she pushed it aside. If he was admitting it, maybe that proved he wouldn’t be like Chuck. That he wouldn’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble.
“My childhood—uh—wasn’t so great.” He seemed to hesitate, and Ellie felt a flutter of sympathy. “You know that already. But I just mean I didn’t have the greatest example of family life growing up, so that part is going to be kinda new to me.”
Ellie nodded, grateful that he was willing to lay it out for her up front. She and Chuck had never done that.
“I’m a hypochondriac,” Ellie said, needing to put that out there. “Everyone I love gets marched straight to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle.”
“Understandable,” he said. He took a sip of his wine, looking pensive.
“What else?” Ellie asked. “Do you have any more issues you want to disclose?”
Ty gave a grim nod. “I hog the covers.”
She stifled the urge to laugh. “I did notice that our first night.” She lifted her glass and took a small sip. The wine was plummy and earthy and gave her a blissful heat in the middle of her belly. She snuggled closer to Ty on the couch, resting the glass on her knee as she regarded her new boyfriend with a small smile.
Boyfriend.
The smile got bigger. “I can live with the bed hogging,” she said. Twirling the glass on the knee of her yoga pants, she considered her own list of faults. What else did Ty need to know about her before signing on for a real relationship?
“I bite my nails,” she said. “I’ve tried for years to kick the habit, but I can’t. It drove my ex-husband nuts when we’d be sitting on the couch together watching TV.”
Ty lifted one eyebrow. “That’s the definition of a first world problem.” He scratched his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Um, I’m allergic to cats,” he said. “If things got serious between us and we wanted to move in together, we couldn’t ever have one.”
“Good to know,” Ellie said, formulating a future in her mind that included a cover-hogging, feline-free existence. It wasn’t so bad. “I’m a horrible singer,” she admitted. “But I love to sing in the shower and in the car.”
“I can be a jerk until I’ve had my first cup of coffee.”
She grinned. “I hate coffee. I’m a tea drinker.” She set a hand on his knee, delighted to be touching him. To be sitting here with him, getting this all out in the open, disclosing all the landmines.
“I’m a control freak with the television remote,” he said.
“I’m a night owl,” she said. “And I know you’re an early riser. I’m going to piss you off at some point by staying up too late and wanting to sleep in.”
“Doubtful,” he said. “I’m a workout junkie. I get cranky if I don’t make it to the gym at least five days a week.”
Ellie smiled and leaned into one impressive bicep. “I can live with that.” She sipped her wine and tried to think of more personal faults. “I lose my sunglasses constantly,” she said. “I go through at least twenty pairs a year.”
“I’ll buy you new ones.” Ty grinned down at her then rested his wineglass on the end table. “So now that we’ve laid all that out there, is this where we decide if we can live with each other’s least admirable traits?”
“I think so.”
Ty smiled. “Sign me up.”
“Yeah?”
