Page 86 of To the Chase

Myheart jumped into my throat. What a question to ask. But I’d asked him the same thing weeks ago, when I hadn’t known I was talking to Tore.

Could I?

Me:I think I can.

The crazy thing was, I was pretty sure I had belonged to Salvatore Gallo a lot longer than I’d realized.

When I stepped into the conference room, Tore was already there waiting for me. Like always. These days, though, he’d given up the pretense of pretending to be working.

Pushing back from the table, he opened his arms.

I bit back a smile, ignoring the flock of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Setting my things down, I crossed the room to him, perching on his thigh. He pulled me in without hesitation, wrapping me in a tight, warm hug.

“Too many days,” he murmured into my hair. “I thought we talked about this.”

It had been over a week since I’d slid into his limo. Since then, he’d fit in a dinner, a late-night visit where we’d made out like horny teenagers on my couch, and a trip to another art gallery—that also ended with a wild make-out session. I’d been waiting for him to tell me he wasAnthony. I wanted it to come from him. But as I’d waited, I’d let myself fall.

It might have been foolish, considering he’d been keeping something so big from me, but I couldn’t help it. He’d made it impossible.

“You’re a busy man.” I tipped my head back, and he took the opening, covering my mouth with his. The kiss was restrained, a teasing sweep of his tongue before planting firm, lingering pecks on my lips.

Finally, he sighed, holding my face in his broad palm. “We’re going to have to schedule time to see each other. I live by my calendar, and you’re not on there. That has to be rectified.”

I arched a brow. “Am I a meeting?”

He didn’t take the bait, giving me an earnest answer. “You’re important, and I want to see you often.”

My chest swelled, lungs overfull. “I do too.”

We had to talk about the app, but not here, when we were both working. And not until I knew exactly what I would say. I’d had more than a week, but nothing I’d come up with had sounded right.

What he’d done was crazy, and I knew I should have been alarmed, but even after the knowledge had settled in, I couldn’t find it in myself. I’d accepted this man had become fixated on me, and in two years, that hadn’t waned. ViaAnthony, I’d said some silly, embarrassing,stupidthings that would have made any other man run for the hills.

Not Tore.

He’d stayed.

I kissed him, cupping his smooth jaw. “I’d like to see you this week. Could you come to my house for dinner?”

“I can. Tonight,” he replied. “But it’ll be on the later side.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

He rolled his forehead along mine. “There are some things I need to tell you. Important things you should know before we move forward.”

Myheart lifted. This was it. He was going to come clean. Tonight, we’d put all our cards on the table. It was exactly what I needed from him.

“Things that would make me not want to move forward?”

His thumb stroked the pulse fluttering at my throat. “No, Beatrice. Wearemoving forward. That isn’t a question.”

“Oh?”

If any other man had said that to me, I would have removed myself from his lap—and probably given his shin a kick for good measure. From Tore? My body reacted instantly. Panties flooding. Synapses rewiring. His certainty was a double shot, landing in my chest and deep in my core.

“It’s not.” He tapped my pulse. “Tonight, beautiful blue, we’ll talk.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”