Love Nouveau by B.L. Berry Read Free Book Online

walk through the doorway into the living room.
    “Well, well, well, look who decided to join the land of the living. It’s Ivy, of the Wrigley Field variety!”
    Shit.
    It’s him.
    Beautiful, perfect, quirky him. And, of course, he’s sitting there looking like a shiny new penny while I unequivocally look like hell. I should have searched for mouthwash in the bathroom. I would give anything for a breath mint right now, or better yet, a brown bag to put over my head.
    It’s clear that I wasn’t wearing beer goggles last night because Phoenix in the light of the morning sun is infinitely sexier than Phoenix after a keg of Wisconsin’s finest cheap beer. I didn’t notice the slight copper tint to his hair last night, or the playful dimple on his right cheek. He’s wearing a vintage Led Zeppelin shirt from when they played Knebworth Festival back in ’79, and it takes all of my willpower not to throw myself at him right here and now.
    “Come on over here, Cubby Bear,” Phoenix teases, patting the spot next to him on the couch.
    “Oh God,” I groan. “Please don’t call me that.” Rolling my eyes, the motion sears deep inside my head.
    “Not feeling so hot?” The dimple on his cheek mocks me as he smirks. How the hell he doesn’t feel the same way I do is baffling. I give him my best ‘don’t fuck with me’ stink eye as I collapse next to him on the faded leather couch. Surprisingly, there is little evidence of last night’s party, save for a few garbage bags full of red cups in the corner.
    “So … um … what happened to you last night? You seem like the kind of girl who can hold her liquor, but one minute we’re having fun, and the next I’m carrying a passed out chick.” The look in his eyes tells me that was not how he had hoped our evening would end. God, even in disappointment this guy is hot as shit.
    “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
    A tiny worry crease flashes in between his eyebrows.
    “We didn’t …” I don’t know how to put this politely, so I give him a questioning look. “You know … did we …” Not that I would have minded, especially with him, but if I’m going to have a romp between the sheets, I would at least like to have the decency to remember the occasion.
    “No, no, no. We didn’t do anything. In fact, I was a perfect gentleman.” His smile melts my insides and he marks the letter X over his heart. “After you passed out, while dancing no less, I carried you into the spare bedroom, took off your shoes, and tucked you in. I even slept on the couch after everyone left. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable arrangement,” he says, rolling his neck around. I notice the heap of a blanket on the floor with a spare pillow and suddenly find myself appreciative of the gesture.
    “And they say chivalry is dead.” I beam back at him, the smile hurting my eyes.
    Phoenix adjusts himself on the couch so he’s turned, facing me. I refrain from reaching through the space between us and brushing his dark shaggy hair away from his eyes. Fresh bed head is a striking look for him.
    The stench of stale alcohol has aired out and the mouthwatering aroma of coffee wafts through the air. Phoenix sits up from the couch and walks into the kitchen to pour a cup.
    “Want some?” He lifts the fresh pot into the air as I nod.
    “Oh God, yes.” The words slip out in a seductive groan and the sexual intonation is not lost on either of us, but caffeine is exactly what I need to start to jump start my body today.
    “Sugar?”
    “No, just black, please.” I never understood the point of diluting coffee with sugar, creamers and flavored syrupy shit. Coffee should always be bitter and unapologetic, much like me.
    Phoenix presents me with my morning brew in an oversized mug reading “World’s Greatest Teacher,” then sits back down next to me. We sit in comfortable silence as I blow over the coffee, a feeble attempt to cool it off. He chews on the inside of his cheek and