Page 42 of The Hook Up
Ty sat up in bed. “I’ll be out of here way before that.”
Ellie sat down on the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to run off. I was just letting you know so we wouldn’t get carried away again.”
She fidgeted with the sash on her robe, and he wondered what she was thinking. Did she have any regrets?
The sex had been amazing, no doubt. But so had everything that came after—dishing up fragrant helpings of salmon chowder to eat in bed, laughing together as they mopped the empty bowls with thick slabs of homemade sourdough. They’d snuggled and talked and then set the bowls aside to devour each other again.
It was a great night.
It was the best damn date of his life. Even without the sex, he would have thought so. Spending time with Ellie was like nothing he’d experienced before.
Ellie smiled, and the beauty of that simple gesture made his chest ache.
Dumbass. Don’t fall for her.
Ty cleared his throat. “You doing okay?”
Ellie nodded and tossed her hair, still fiddling with the robe sash. “I’m great! You?”
“Never better. I just wanted to make sure you’re still good with…well,this.”
The words sounded lame once he’d said them out loud, but as relief lit her face, he knew they were exactly the right thing.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, close, but not touching him. When she met his eyes, her sweetness took his breath away.
“I think so,” she said slowly. “This is new to me, you know?”
“Sex without a relationship?”
“Exactly. I’m sitting here thinking I want to jump you again?—”
“By all means,” Ty offered. His dick throbbed.
Ellie laughed and kept going. “But I’m also thinking this is all sort of strange. Like I’m not sure how to act around you. Do we snuggle, or is that too relationshippy? Do we spend time together outside the bedroom, or is this just a sex thing? Or right now—do I get up and make you breakfast, or shoo you out of my house so I can tidy up before my family comes home?”
The raw honesty in her words filled him with warmth, and he took a moment to savor that before answering. “You definitely don’t have to make me breakfast,” he said. “That much I can answer. As for the rest of it, let’s go with what feels right.”
She gave him an uncertain look, and Ty scooted down on the bed to place a hand on her knee. “You’re nervous about Henry coming home, so you probably want a little space and downtime to get ready. Am I right?”
Ellie nodded, relieved. “Yes. Exactly.”
“But you think it’s rude to shove me out of the house before I have my pants on, and you’re also not sure about the etiquette involved in hookups.”
“Yes,” she said, flashing him a grateful smile. “That’s exactly right.”
“Fuck the etiquette,” he said. “It’s our hookup. We make the rules.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I like spending time with you, Ellie. Not just the sex, but talking, eating—hell, fixing your sink.”
“I like spending time with you, too.” She smiled, and Ty’s chest tightened. “I like the idea of hanging out with you sometimes. Outside the bedroom, I mean.”
“That sounds great,” he said. “We’re on the same page, then.”
“But I’m also used to having my own space,” she said. “And it feels a little odd to wake up with a naked man in my house.”
Ty grinned, touched by her honesty. “Ellie, you can ask for what you want. If you want space, ask for space. If you want to know what I’m thinking, ask what I’m thinking.”
