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“Was today a good way?” We only scratched the surface about our new relationship, his brothers, his mom. There’s still so much I want to know.
His gaze flicks between my eyes, seeming to choose his words carefully. “It seems like every time I’m with you, I end up discovering something. About you, about myself. Today more than any other time, I think. In a very good way.”
I hide a smile behind my hand, thinking about all the different sides of him I’ve discovered. The ones I’m fairly sure he doesn’t let anyone else see.
The relaxed and happy side watching a sitcom together.
The vulnerable and unsure side embarking on this new relationship.
The caring and protective side who’s made sure I’m okay repeatedly. Welcoming me in his home. Working things out after I ran away from his office. Assuring me he wouldn’t leave me at the silent auction.
And the incredibly sexy side, our encounters together hotter than anything I’ve ever imagined. And if it’s this good before we’ve even had sex, what will it be like when it actually happens?
He kisses me again, ignoring the people passing by on the sidewalk, those waiting outside the restaurant to get in, the cars behind us in line angling for James’s spot. “I’ll see you tonight?”
I nod, already looking forward to what this evening brings. With everything out in the open now, there’s no reason to pretend like I’m not dying to be with him. “Tonight.”
There’s a quick flash of heat in his eye, and he gives me a devilish grin as he opens the car door for me. God, I love seeing that look on him.
I watch him as the car pulls away from the curb until he disappears from sight, so handsome in his tailored suit, a relaxed lightness to him I rarely see. He said he wanted to talk about other things, but it couldn’t have been that important if it never came up, right?
I don’t bother fighting the smile that seems permanently etched on my face the rest of the day as I apply for grants, have a quick meeting with Wendy about a couple of staffing issues, and then sit down and seriously make a list of what I want this fundraiser to accomplish. That was so generous of Claire to offer to help too.
Lori’s gone when I return home, and despite the leftovers still in the fridge, I prepare a spiced vegetable stew for dinner, wanting to do something for Archer. I also spend a fair amount of time in the shower, scrubbing and shaving until I’m ready for what tonight holds.
I pour myself a glass of wine as I wait for him and give myself a refill at seven when he still hasn’t shown. At eight, I finally serve myself a bowl of the now cold stew and check my phone for the umpteenth time, but there’s no response to the two texts I sent asking where he is. I don’t want to come across as clingy, but he said he’d see me tonight and here it is nearly half past eight. He’s always home by now, even on the days he works late.
Thirty minutes later, my phone finally rings and the peeved part of me wants to let it go to voicemail, giving him a taste of his own medicine, but the bigger part answers it in a hurry, wanting to make sure he’s okay.
“I’m so sorry,” he says immediately, his voice weary. “I’ve been in meetings since I came back from lunch. We have a big legal issue on the project Connor’s working on and it’s all hands on deck.”
“Are you headed home soon?”
“No,” he sighs. “It’s morning there for them in the Philippines, so now we’re starting conference calls with the team there. I have no idea how late I’ll be tonight.”
My heart sinks, but it sounds like he doesn’t have much choice in the matter. “I understand.”
“I promise I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to. My department’s involved because some illegal bribes took place.” There’s a pause as he lets out a long breath. “I’d rather be home with you.”
A reluctant smile creeps over my lips. “I’d rather you be here too. I, um-” I waver for a second on whether I should add more, then decide to just go for it. “I have some new lingerie you haven’t seen.”
“Fuck,” he groans. “You can’t say stuff like that to me right now. Dad thinks I’m taking a quick bathroom break. He doesn’t allow any phones in boardroom meetings.”
“Sorry,” I grin.
“No, you’re not,” he chuckles.
My grin spreads wider. “No, I’m not.”
“Raincheck for tomorrow?”
“Of course. I-” I draw a swift breath, the notion that I can say anything I want so new. “I’ll miss you.”
“Miss you.”
They’re simple words, but they still make my heart flutter. How did I get so lucky as to finally be on the same page with him?
I stay up until my eyelids are drooping and call it quits, heading to bed with plans to save my sexy nightie for another time. I should be thankful for what the day brought me, and really, I am. But as I lie alone, all I can think about is how much I miss his warmth, his comforting presence, the solid bulk of his body. I inhale the faint scent of his cologne lingering on his pillow, not caring it makes me look like a stalker.