My life had been a true shitshow for a few years there. I grew up rich, never knowing what it was like to really have to work for what I wanted. That ended the day I left my parents’ house. I worked myself to the damn bone just to survive.

But I’d done it. I’d survived it. And I ended up in a pretty awesome place when I finally came out the other side.

Now, maybe I’d get to have Will back.

The way he'd looked at me when I told him what I went through stood out in stark contrast from my memory of the way he’d looked at me ten years ago. I’d been a heartless, ruthless bitch. My own worst enemy. Tromper of feelings and breaker of the only heart I’d ever really cared about.

The bumps of Will’s tires on cobblestone brought me out of my reverie. We’d made it to Tiber City.

“Where’s your place?” he asked.

I directed him halfway down the hill and pointed out my salon as we passed. The smoky purple paint on the building never failed to make me grin.

After Will pulled his car into the narrow driveway, we climbed out and met at the bumper, and he grabbed my hand immediately. It was just after midnight and Main Street was quiet, everything closed up tight for the night. Will and I stood cocooned in the darkness, our breathing and the distant murmur of the highway the only sounds.

“Um, so do you want to come up?” I asked.

He stepped closer to me. “Of course I do.”

I led him up the metal steps on the side of my building to my apartment. I had to let go of his hand to unlock my door, but I felt him behind me, the front of his body barely skimming my back. I fumbled with my keys, my mind distracted by the urge to lean back into him, but I finally opened the door and stepped inside.

Will kicked off his dress shoes just inside the door and then kneeled down in front of me and started untying my boot.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a whisper.

He looked up and my knees weakened at the sight of him. “Helping you out of your shoes. I remember it used to take you forever to unlace these things.”

As he worked on my laces, I tentatively stroked my fingers through his silky black hair. When he leaned into my hand, I dove into his thick hair, pulling gently as I let it slip through my fingers.

“What are you doing?” he asked gruffly.

“I always loved your hair.”

He pulled my first boot off and laid it next to him. “I remember that too,” he said.

I played with the hair around his ear, just starting to get shaggy. I wonder if he’d let me give him a trim sometime.

Will pulled off my other boot but made no move to get up. He leaned his forehead against my thigh as I stroked his hair with both hands.

“That feels so good, Anna.”

The heat from his words trailed up my thighs and settled in my core. He had me ready to kneel on the floor next to him and stay down there for days, if only he’d keep letting me touch him like this. But then my stomach let out a loud growl and we both laughed.

Will spread his hand on my belly and looked up at me. “You smuggling a monster in there?”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up to standing. “Maybe, so you better watch it! I’ll let her loose.”

“We’d better feed the monster then, so she doesn’t get too hangry.”

He sauntered off to my galley kitchen, making himself right at home, like he’d been here a million times before. When I joined him, he already had a stack of food in his arms.

“How about midnight pancakes?” he asked.

I leaned my hip on the marble counter. “How are they different from regular pancakes?”

He set the ingredients on the counters and tapped my nose. “They’re made at midnight, silly. Oh, and chocolate chips.”

I giggled. “I should have known.” I watched him sift flour and baking powder—I’d never sifted anything in my life and hadn’t realized I owned a sifter until that moment. “I can’t believe you’re cooking for me. I feel privileged!”

He grinned over his shoulder. “Keep me around and it’ll be a regular occurrence.”

“Deal.” I leaned in to get a better view. “You know I’m going to be calling you for cupcakes in the middle of the night.”

He met my eyes. “And you know I’ll always come when you call.”

I squeezed his forearm, a rush of emotion filling me to the brim, threatening to spill out of my eyes. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m gonna go change.”

In my bedroom, I wiped my wet eyes, then I yanked off my dress and kicked it to the back of my closet where it would stay until the next formal event I went to. If I was lucky, that wouldn’t be for a very long time. Dresses were for the birds.

I slipped off my bra and pulled on a black tank. Since my chest was on the small side, I only wore a bra to work and high school reunions. Usually the second I got home, I whipped my bra off and let the girls breathe. Home was also a no-pants zone, but I thought I’d better not walk back to the kitchen in my lacy pink boy shorts. More ass cheek was out than was covered, and while Will would probably appreciate the view, I slipped on a pair of old, ripped-up jeans anyway. We’d save the ass cheek for later.

After pulling my long hair into a messy bun, I went back to the kitchen where Will was cooking the pancakes on my griddle.

I took a long whiff of the air. “Mmm...that smells delicious,” I said from behind him.

Will’s shoulders jumped. “Shit, Annie, you scared the hell out of me.”

I laughed. “Sorry! It just smells so good and I’m so freaking hungry!”

He flipped a pancake onto a plate and turned off the stove. “Well, you’re in luck then because they’re done.” He handed me a plate stacked with chocolate chip pancakes.

“Oh my god, I’m going to inhale this. Watch out.” I grabbed forks and the syrup. “Want to go eat on my balcony? It’s still pretty nice out.”

Picking up his plate, he said, “Sure. Lead the way.”

My apartment was pretty cozy—just under seven hundred square feet—but my balcony was spacious. The whole thing was made of iron and overlooked the river that ran parallel to the town. My boss Rachel was the previous tenant of the apartment and she told me it had been her favorite spot when she lived here. I concurred. I spent more time out here than in my living room. I’d bought a comfy chaise lounge, and a mosaic table and chair set for two. As long as the weather was above freezing, I ate all of my meals on the balcony, and on my days off, I’d been known to curl up on the chaise with my Kindle and stay there all day.

Will set down his plate and looked around. “When you said balcony, I pictured a narrow slice of space. This is awesome!”

“I know, right? They’re gonna have to drag me out of this apartment kicking and screaming if they ever want me to move out.”

He peered over the railing at the dark water below. “You might just have to do that to me.”

I stuffed a forkful of pancake in my mouth and moaned when the flavor hit my tongue. Maybe it was just because Will had made it, or maybe he had some voodoo-magic pancake-cooking skills, but it was the best damn pancake I’d ever tasted in my life. The perfect balance of crispness and softness, with just the barest hint of vanilla.

“If you keep making me pancakes like this, you never have to leave.”

“I wish you could see yourself right now,” he said, his voice all growly again.

I licked my lips. “What? Do I have syrup all over my face?”

He reached out and wiped the corner of my lips. It took every ounce of my willpower not to lick his thumb. He dropped his hand and picked up his fork before I could make a fool of myself, thankfully.