But it’s no use. He’s already hung up. I hurry upstairs, let myself in, and immediately begin shedding clothes. My shoes come off first, tossed just inside the door, then I unzip and shed my skirt, leaving it in a wad by the kitchen.

My blouse and bra are flung next, one ending up on the couch, and I have no idea where the other went.

I’ll pick them up later.

I hurry into a sports bra, tank and yoga shorts, and Blake bursts through my front door, just as I’m lacing up my shoes.

“You’ve gotten messy, Leash.”

“Eff you. You didn’t give me any time.”

“Are you going to pick your clothes up?”

“I will later.” I sigh and wave him off. “I have to take them in to be dry cleaned anyway. Are you really going to make me run?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winks at me and wraps his arm around my neck, kisses my head with a loud smack, and pushes me away.

“Why do I have to go? Can’t you go running without me and just come back here when you’re done?”

“God, stop whining,” he says and rolls his eyes. “It’ll be good for you.”

We leave my condo, ride down the elevator and walk out to the sidewalk, then break out into a slow jog.

“This is as fast as you’re going to go?” Blake asks me with a smirk.

“If you don’t like it, go by yourself.” I sniff and already hate the way it feels to run. I’ve always hated it. “How’s Emily?”

“Why do we have to talk about this?”

“So it takes my mind off the fact that I don’t want to be running.”

“So, let’s talk about your love life”

“Hell no, you’re the one making me run. So start talking.”

He sighs and stares out at the water, watching a boat drift by. “We’re good.”

“Well, that was informational.”

Blake laughs ruefully. “One of the things I love about you is that you don’t take my shit.”

“You don’t need me to take your shit. You have enough people in your life who do that for you.”

“True enough.” He picks up the pace, just a bit, and I growl at him, making him laugh again. “You’re kind of a weenie, Leash.”

“Emily.”

“She’s great.” He sighs again, not because he’s out of breath, but because he doesn’t want to talk about this with me.

I don’t care.

“She’s funny. Smart. Has a banging body.”

I shake my head and look up toward the heavens. “Seriously.”

“She seriously has a banging body.”

“Does it always go back to sex with men?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” He seems to give this some thought and then shrugs. “So I enjoy sex. Sue me.”

“I enjoy it too, but that isn’t in the top three things that I talk about when I discuss who I’m dating.”

“Okay, what are your top three things?”

“He’s smart, sweet and funny.”

“What’s number four?”

“He’s amazing in bed.”

He laughs long and loud, then high fives me. “You’re funny.”

“I know.”

“I really enjoy Emily,” he says, serious now. “She’s fun to be around, and she also doesn’t take my shit. If I cook something she doesn’t like, she’s honest about it. She’s sweet.”

“She is sweet,” I agree. “I’m glad it’s going well.”

“You are?” he asks, surprised.

“Of course. I want you to both be happy.”

“When we were at Dom’s, you didn’t seem so convinced.”

“I admit, I always imagined you’d be happy with someone other than each other,” I admit with a shrug. I’m breathing harder now, and that pisses me off. “But you’re adults.”

“How are things with Dom?”

I grin before I can stop myself, and Blake being Blake, he catches it.

“That good, eh?”

“I like him.”

“Thank you, captain obvious.”

I laugh and elbow his arm.

“He’s nice to me.”

“He’d better be, or I’ll kick his ass, friend or not.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Out of morbid curiosity, what do you like about him?”

I frown and ponder the question, running in step with him, our feet pounding the pavement. We pass an older man walking his dog, and a young mother with a baby in a stroller.

“I respect him,” I begin. “When I first met him, I thought he was just a player. Some charming Italian who melts panties off women with just a few pretty words, and works his way from bed to bed.”

“Wow, you got all of that from meeting him at family gatherings?”

I shrug and keep talking. “But he’s not that person. He loves his family fiercely. He’s proud of his business. He’s so damn good to me.”

“I’m glad.”

I glance over to find Blake watching me with serious eyes.

“You deserve to be happy too, you know.”

I nod and then laugh. “And as ridiculous as this sounds, I think I’m in love with him.”

“Oh, I could have told you that.”

“What? How?”

“You should see the look on your face when you talk about him,” he says with a grin. “You’re such a girl.”