Dani: I don’t now, celebrating doesn’t sound nearly as enticing as banging my head against my desk
Aiden: Can I entice you with a different kind of banging?
Dani: You’ve convinced me.
Dani: What time are you home?
Aiden: Leaving the gym now. I’ll be ready for you in an hour.
Dani: I like the sound of that. I’ll meet you there.
An hour later, I've eaten, showered, and am waiting like an excited puppy by my front door. I hear a knock at exactly the hour mark.
"Damn, you really do have good news," Dani says with a laugh when I swing the door open with a big flourish. "What the hell happened today?"
I usher her inside with an excited pat on the butt. "Come inside and I'll tell you. And then I want to hear all about your trip to DC."
She turns around with a look of surprise. "You remembered my assignment? I barely mentioned it to you last time."
Now I'm the one that's confused. "Of course. I remember everything you tell me."
That seems to make her uncomfortable.
"I mean,youseemed excited about it," I blurt, trying to backtrack. "That's what I remember."
She seems to settle at that. And when I nudge her toward the couch, she relaxes even more. "Oh. That makes sense. I guess I do get slightly obnoxious before a good assignment."
I let out a snort. "A little?"
Her eyes narrow and she shoves me playfully in response. "Ass," she mutters. "What'syourgood news? After that, it better be spectacular."
A grin stretches across my face, and I place my hands on my hips as I stand confidently in front of where she's sitting. "I'm going pro," I announce proudly.
"You got offered a fight?" she asks, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
I nod. "Six weeks. My first pro fight."
There's silence, and then…
"Holyshit,Aiden, that'sincredible!" she yells, launching off the couch and into my arms. "Congratulations!"
I chuckle and tighten my arms around her. "Thanks. I'm excited too."
She unwraps her arms from around my neck and puts space between us, as if realizing that her reaction was slightly over-eager. A small blush lights her cheeks as she steps back. "Seriously, that's incredible. You should be proud."
I let a genuine smile warm my face as I chuck her chin playfully. "I am proud. I've been working toward this for years. It's a huge accomplishment."
Genuine joy lights her eyes—she’s practically vibrating with excitement. "So how are we celebrating, then? What can we do?" She looks around the apartment with a skeptical look, as if she's just now seeing it for the first time. "I'm assuming no partying, no drinking. Healthy stuff only for the next six weeks, right? Are you allowed to do anything but train?"
Fuck, she's adorable."Yeah, I can do other stuff. Just nothing that takes away from rest or a healthy diet. But I don't necessarily have to turn into a hermit." Ilook over her with a heated once-over. "Why, what did you have in mind?"
She matches my vibe in an instant. "Well, that's not exactly the direction my brain went in, but now that you mention it… can you… you know?"
A sly grin slides across my face. "Yeah, baby, I can… you know.”
Her eyes widen at my words, since it’s the first time I’ve called her by that endearment. I half expect her to put some distance between us—it’s definitely too comfortable of a comment—but to my surprise, her only reaction is to smile as her cheeks pinken in pleasure.
I decide to push my luck a little further. “At least for the next five weeks,” I continue, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her tight against my body. Her smile only grows at my gesture.