“Apology accepted,” she told him with a brilliant smile, then launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Let’s have sex now.”
He helped her get to her feet, noticing how she was favoring her bad leg. “No sex right now. You’re drunk and I’m way too sober.”
“Then get drunk with me,” she told him. “It’s fun.” She gave him a hopeful look. “How about that blow job we mentioned earlier?”
Magnus grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her. “How about we get you sober first?”
“Fair enough,” she agreed, and clung to his neck, all of her weight leaning on him. “Carry me?”
He laughed again, but he hauled her into his arms, careful of her knee. “You are way too drunk. Let’s get you to bed.” He carried her out of the bathroom and into the suite, then toweled her off while she drunkenly spouted nonsense. Then, still naked, he tucked her into bed.
She curled up amidst the pillows and then patted the empty mattress next to her. “Come snuggle?”
It was hard to resist her when she looked that cute. He got into bed next to her and lay down. She immediately put her arms around him and tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder, and then yawned right in his face.
And he didn’t even mind it.
Within moments, she was sacked out, her breathing deep and even. He didn’t move, just stroked her back. The day had been shit, but when Edie made him smile and curled up against him, things didn’t seem so bad. It was a shame she lived so far away, or he’d insist she sleep over every night, her arms locked around his waist as if she were afraid to let go. He . . . kind of liked that. He felt as if he were always chasing Levi, making demands of his brother. It felt weirdly relaxing to be with Edie and realize neither one of them made demands of the other.
It was nice. It was something he wanted every day. Without upsetting Edie’s sleeping form, Magnus reached over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He swiped his thumb over the screen and began to text with one hand, the other gently stroking her hair.
Hey, man, he sent to Hunter. You’re the real estate guru. Tell one of your guys that I’m in the market for a new apartment. Good neighborhood. Something with a view of the park, maybe. It needs to either be on the first floor or have at least two elevators.
The response pinged back on his phone almost immediately. Two elevators? Should I even ask?
Just in case one goes down , Magnus sent back. Basically stairs are a no-go for the new place . He didn’t want Edie to ever have to worry about being able to access the place. All one floor.
Hunter: Do you care what it looks like? Art style? Price?
Magnus glanced down at the woman sleeping against him, thinking about what she’d want. Then, he answered, No art style. Something that’s only a few mil, I think. Ten to twenty should be sufficient. He didn’t want Edie freaking out over the price too much. After a moment’s thought, he added, Make sure it’s cat-friendly.
Hunter: Cat . . . friendly? Was that auto-correct? Did you mean cab?
Magnus: No, I meant cat. Like meow meow. I want something with several rooms, too. And space for litter boxes.
Hunter: I see.
Magnus: I know it’s weird, man. Just put in my request.
Hunter: I have to ask. Are you . . . adopting several cats?
Magnus: Just one cat lady.
Hunter: I see. If you hear a shriek of “I told you so” in the air, that was Gretchen.
Magnus: Ha. Just let me know what you find. The sooner the better.
Hunter: I’m sure I can get something lined up for you this week. I’ll get my best guy on it.
Magnus: Thanks, man. And tell Gretchen I want this to be a surprise for Edie.
Hunter: She won’t say a thing.
Feeling rather satisfied with himself, Magnus switched out of text mode and went to download a few of the new games he’d seen at the con this afternoon. Might as well take the time to check on the competition while Edie slept.
***
When Edie awoke, it was dark in the hotel room. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and checked the clock. Three in the morning. Whoops. She glanced around, but the bed was empty. “Magnus?”
The faint sound of music caught her ears and Edie got out of bed. She was naked, so she threw on one of the soft complimentary bathrobes the hotel had left for them. Cracking the door to the bedroom, she peered out into the living area of the suite.
Magnus sat at a desk, headphones on, music blaring so loudly through them that she could make out the tinny strains of guitars. His laptop was lit up and he was typing furiously. As she hesitated in the doorway, he cursed and hammered on the backspace key. Then, he rubbed his face and stared at his screen, clearly frustrated.
Was this a thing for Magnus? This was the second time she’d caught him working late at night . . . and nearly tearing his hair out in the process. Did the man ever rest? He had ridiculous amounts of money, but he was driven to somehow produce a new game instead of resting on his laurels. She padded toward him and touched his arm to get his attention.
Magnus looked up at Edie, then pulled out his earbuds. The music blasted a bit louder. “Did I wake you up?”
“Nope,” she told him. “Your rage was utterly quiet.” She gestured at the screen, which looked like nothing but lines of code. “What’s all this?”
He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “Just more fucking coding. I was looking at a few other games and noticed they’re all extensively using multiplayer co-operative play, and I’m wondering if that’s something we can do while still in an app versus a console game without breaking the entire system. But the problem I have is the same one I’ve been having—the different nations get over-powerful too quickly.” He raked a hand over his short hair again, rubbing through the bristles. “It’s not working. There’s something wrong with the concept and it’s inherently flawed. I just can’t get it to work. I need Levi.”