Only You by Willa Okati Read Free Book Online Page B

eye-checked him when he emerged from the bathroom on a cloud of sandalwood steam, and from the looks of the man, he’d slipped easy as you please into life as normal. Good. He’d tucked himself up in a corner of the couch and curled into his usual lazy-home pose with his feet under him and one elbow propped on the back of the couch. The only odd note to the picture was his constant ruffling at his hair, but that wasn’t hard to figure out. He’d liked pulling his hair up in a messy topknot—ridiculous but adorable—before he’d cut more than half the length off this past week. He’d be missing the usual habit.
    “How long have you been awake?” Nick asked on his way to the refrigerator. His palate wanted orange juice instead of coffee. Tart, sweet, cold. Mmm. Barrett would prefer the reverse, though. He always did. “Want me to start a carafe going?”
    No answer. Nick cocked his head for another look and stifled a chuckle. Whatever Barrett had gotten involved in on the computer had him wrapped up like a centerfold in Big Bad Bondage Weekly. The only things moving on him were his eyes, scanning text in great big gulps, and the idle skim of fingertips through hair.
    Nick snorted, amused, as he dumped the old grounds from yesterday’s brewed coffee out in the trash. He nudged their electric kettle to one side to make room and stuck a new filter in the basket, filled it with reasonably fresh-smelling Columbia, and clicked the on switch.
    After a moment’s thought, he snagged a mug off the wire tree and slipped it under the stream of coffee in place of the carafe. Barrett wasn’t big on cream or sugar. Saved time, he claimed, and since it was his tastebuds on the line, Nick had learned not to comment.
    He balanced the full mug carefully as he wandered away from the kitchen area. “Barrett? Are you with me yet?”
    “Hmm?” Barrett answered absently, still reading.
    “Dozy. I made you coffee. Here, take it while it’s hot.” Nick stopped at Barrett’s elbow and nudged his shoulder carefully.
    “What?” Barrett blinked up at Nick. He sniffed the air, and clarity snapped in to replace the glassy reader’s mask he’d worn. “God. How long have you been awake?”
    “That’s what I was asking you. Here, move your feet before they fall asleep. You’ll stand up and fall down if you’re not careful,” Nick said with a playful tug at the cuff of Barrett’s pajama pants.
    Barrett wrinkled his nose as he stretched out his legs. “ Ow . Didn’t mean to stay there so long. What time is it?”
    “Late enough, but still early.” Nick waggled his hand from side to side. “For a weekend. Anything good in the morning news?”
    “Hmm? Oh. Not reading the headlines.” Barrett tapped the tablet’s screen a few times, closing tabs. He passed the tablet to Nick in exchange for the mug of coffee, spilling a few drops over the side. “I got distracted. Here, email. You got a note from Ivan.”
    The notification status on the email said Barrett hadn’t touched it, neither to open nor read. Nick gestured at the screen with a questioning frown.
    “For all I know, it could be private,” Barrett said. He licked the drops of coffee off the side of his hand and made to put the mug aside. “Or about what happened this weekend, and, well…”
    Nick ignored the email for the moment. “You don’t want the coffee?” he asked, oddly hurt by Barrett’s dismissal.
    Barrett frowned. “I’ve already had two mugs full. Used the kettle and the French press. Didn’t you notice?”
    Nick blinked. “I guess I didn’t. Sorry.”
    “I’ll still drink it,” Barrett said. He picked the cup back up and nearly spilled the contents over himself. “No need for waste.”
    “It’s fine, Barrett. It’s just coffee. Doesn’t matter.” Only…not really. Nick didn’t usually miss a step when it came to his and Barrett’s morning routines. He didn’t like being out of sync now.
    Barrett must have noticed his discomfiture.