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“We’re letting him do this?” he asks.
“Yes,” I nod. “But only as an investment. I can’t take it for free, Tom. He’s given so much already.”
“He has,” Tom agrees. I spend the rest of the afternoon with my brother, and my mind kept wandering back to Ethan and the look in his eyes when I pulled back from our hug.
I dare to think of it as desire and longing. The only problem is with Ethan’s track record.
I can’t fall for it this time.
There’s the chance that he looks at a dozen other women the same way.
Chapter 10
Ethan
The next evening, I’m spending my time in my office, hoping I can finish taking a look at the merger documents before permitting my lawyers to send them to Nelly’s team.
After I explained in detail my plans to help Nelly, my grandfather agreed to release my trust fund, and now every plan is set in motion.
I take a sip of my lemon iced tea and comb my fingers through my hair. Even work doesn’t stop me from thinking about her, and I’m reluctant to go back home.Because it’s becoming harder to stay away from her.
She’ll be working too or relaxing after eating dinner. I can imagine her focused on work, or humming to herself in thekitchen while fixing a cup of coffee. The thing that I’m sure of is that my house feels less empty with her in it.
My life feels less empty, too.Before now, there'd be no reason to go home early, but even as reluctant as I feel, I keep glancing at the clock, anticipating when I’ll finally see her again.
I relax in my chair and rub a hand over my chin.Would she like to celebrate?We’ve achieved an important milestone, and soon our companies will merge. She should be feeling relieved and excited, right?
I consider asking her to dinner, and I spend the next few minutes pondering on that decision. “Would you like to go out with me?” I mutter, practicing what it would sound like.
A few minutes pass, and I’m still at it, trying to figure out why I feel so nervous about asking. I decide to head home and figure out the rest later. While driving, I consider picking up flowers but decide not to because it might send her the wrong message.
Gifting flowers and asking a woman to dinner is a romantic gesture. Nelly is supposed to be off-limits, and I can’t think of complicating things now.
The struggle in me continues until I arrive at my house. The scent of something crispy wafts through the air to reach my nostrils even before I enter the kitchen.
Nelly beams once I walk in, and once again she steals my breath away with those eyes and the smirk on her lips.
She’s holding a pan, her hair is a mess, and the stains on her apron prove that she’s been trying hard at dinner. She sets everything down when I enter the kitchen, then walks over to meet me.
“What are you doing?” I question in a light tone, smiling with ease as I lower my briefcase onto the table.
She looks too cute, and I wipe off the stain on the tip of her nose with my finger. It’s a reflexive act, and I don’t know why I did it, but the second my skin touches hers, that now familiar spark comes alive in me again.
“I uh … I made dinner.” She raises both her hands in the air before I can say anything. “I know what you’re going to say about me making dinner or breakfast or trying to be homely, but I just thought we need to celebrate tonight. You saved me, Ethan, and I can’t thank you enough. This is just a little something we could do to celebrate.”
My throat tightens with the vibrant rush of emotions. I realize it’s easy for her to melt my heart because she’s the most genuine woman I’ve ever met.
“I didn’t do it for you,” I whisper before she can say anything else. My hands move to the side of her face, and I stroke her cheeks. She whimpers once my skin touches hers and the impact also leaves me with shivers inside.
“Your parents were like parents to me too, Nelly,” I say in a voice thicker than expected. “The crash was an accident, and thecompany has suffered enough. You wanted help, and this is the best way to do it. Once we merge, we will rebuild the company together.”
Tears moisten her eyes and the reaction shocks me as she lays her hands on my arm and inches closer to me.
“Thank you,” she whispers again, her voice shaky. “I thought I was going to lose the company, and then you swooped in and saved the day. You’re my knight in shining armor, Ethan, so when I say thank you, just accept it. Okay?”
It takes some time for my heart to stop doing the crazy dance it’s doing before I nod. “You’re welcome.”
Nelly shocks me when she lifts herself on tiptoe and presses a kiss to my cheek. My throat tightens, and a lump forms. She pulls back, turns, and says. “Sit … We’re having dinner together tonight and celebrating.”