“Not when it takes me away from you.” He pressed a hard kiss to my mouth before standing. “Timer is set for dinner. I’ll try to come back but…”

It was unlikely.

With another forehead kiss, he walked outside and closed the door before calling, “Lock this damn door, Mac. And set your alarm.”

I got up and did as ordered before stretching out on the couch. I put a different show on, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I was too busy thinking about Ward. About us.

After a while, I came to a decision.

I was done fighting it.

I liked Ward. A lot.

And he liked me. Seemingly a lot.

The companionship and laughter—with the more recent addition of orgasms—had become such an integral part of my day. I didn’t particularly want to go without again. We could have all that and keep it casual. The best of both worlds.

Easy.

19. Did You Try Turning Her Off and Back On Again

CHAPTER 19

DID YOU TRY TURNING HER OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN

MAC

Well, that was an epic waste of time.

And money.

Getting out of the Uber, I forced a smile even as I internally cringed at how much more expensive it’d be once I added the tip.

I didn’t know the city well enough to navigate the buses, let alone the T. The one time I’d taken the train, I’d ended up at the hockey arena and not my doctor’s office.

Not that I looked forward to being on the road with the insane way people drove, but I eventually needed to figure out a car situation.

In the meantime, on the rare occasion I left the house, using a rideshare app worked.

For the most part.

Unless, of course, I had to take a car all the way to the electronics store on a busy Monday when traffic was insane.

It’d been for nothing, too. I’d waited around, just for them to tell me that my laptop was fine, and it must’ve been an issue with my Wi-Fi.

Which was shitty because, according to the internet provider I’d spent the entire morning on the phone with, it’d been fine, and it must’ve been a problem with my laptop.

I wasn’t awful with technology. Part of the reason meeting students online went so well was because I was tech-savvy enough to make it work. I wasn’t sharing the wrong screen, trying to talk while muted, or aiming my camera at uncomfortably close angles.

Even though I was proficient enough, I wasn’t an expert. I could turn the modem and router off and back on again. I could try different outlets. I could restore factory settings with the best of them.