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.”“Oh, come on, Steve, you think you love her because you’re lonely.What do you really have in common with this woman?”“We laugh a lot,” he said, his eyes growing narrow as his mouth twitched.“Neither one of us is big on going out on the town, we’d rather just…be.I can’t explain it in a way you’d understand.”“You sound like a fresh-on-the-rag suburban princess writing a letter to Seventeen.”“You know what?” he said indignantly, drawing himself up to his full height, “you might be right.Maybe she just wants to be with me because I have a decent job and a place to live.Isn’t that what women do? Don’t they look for someone to be the breadwinner? That’s just a feminine instinct, like hating your best friend.”“That’s a load of shit,” she said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.“Oh, is it? Then why are women always going on about landing a doctor? What is it you posted on Facebook about that Daniel guy who was so into you? ‘I don’t want no broke-ass motherfucker’? I do believe that was the precise phrasing you used.”“That was just a goof.”“So what if my job, if my position in the social-economic strata has something to do with her attraction to me? That can’t be all there is to it.Autumn is hot as hell.She could go wiggle her big tits at some investment banker who’s into goth and emo chicks and have a free ride.But she chose me.Seven billion motherfuckers on this planet, and she chose me.That’s got to count for something.”“Where are you going?” Susan asked as he turned away from her.“I’m going home.I don’t have an appetite anymore.”“Steve,” said Susan plaintively.“Steve…”He waved his arm at a passing taxi, boarding without a backward glance.When he slid his key into the door of his apartment, it opened up unbidden.Autumn stood in the door, a prickly grin on her lovely face.She opened the door and moved aside, revealing that his apartment was in the process of being cleaned.His haphazardly arranged kitchen gear was now neatly shelved, the counters bare and clean.The vacuum sat on the rug, its cord dragged out over the floor.“Wow,” he said, his dark mood partially dismissed.“Wow, nothing.I barely had time to get started.”“Why did you do this?”“I wanted to earn my keep.” Autumn chewed on her lower lip.“Sorry it’s not done yet.”“You didn’t have to do this.” Steve shut the door and locked it.“So,” said Autumn as he turned around, “did your sister tell you I was just using you, or did she bring out the big guns and call me a whore?”Steve sighed, walked over to one of the wooden chairs and sat down in it, holding his head in his hands.“I don’t want you two to hate each other, but if she asks me to choose, she’s going to be very disappointed.”“Don’t say that.I don’t want to get between you and your sister.I’m not worth all that.”He reached out, awkwardly grasping with his hand.She took it in her own and squeezed it.“You are worth all that,” he said, kissing her hand.“I love you.”She leaned in close to him, putting his head against her belly.Her fingers stroked his long hair as he felt her breathing and heartbeat warm against his ear.“I love you.Very much.The worst thing about getting kicked out of my apartment is that now you’re going to doubt that.”He pulled away slightly, so he could look up into her large eyes.Steve wasn’t sure if he could believe in souls, but the warmth, the depth of character that seemed reflected in her soft brown orbs made him feel luminous in spirit.“I don’t doubt it, and I’m secretly really, really happy that you got kicked out.Don’t take that the wrong way.”She smiled, holding his head to her stomach again.She leaned her head forward and kissed him softly on top of his head.“I’m going to order some Jimmy John’s,” she said into his hair, “because I can hear your belly rumbling, and open up a bottle of champagne that my roommate seems to have misplaced—”He chuckled, the vibrations tickling her belly.“—and then we’re going to bed,” she said, stroking both hands through his hair.“Are you tired?” He ran his palm along the small of her back.“Nope.Not a bit.”Chapter 10PHIL SAT WITH HIS CHIN cupped in one hand, eyes struggling to stay open.He was seated near the front end of the long meeting table, meaning he was unable to pass the time by sketching as he so often did.His boss continued to drone on cheerfully, seemingly unaware of the numerous glassy stares pointed in his direction.He lazily raised his gaze to the sleek clock hung on the wall.It was half past four, long past the meeting’s supposed end time of three forty-five.He sighed and straightened up in his padded seat, actually tuning in his boss’s voice in hopes of discovering the end was near [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]