A smile tugs at my lips. “I should have known.”
“Should have known what?” he asks, cocking his head to the side.
“That you wouldn’t really leave me alone like you promised in your note.”
“I meant it when I wrote it but now, I don’t know how to make myself walk away from you… it would be like losing half of my soul.”
When I glance back up at him again, his gaze is on my lips and he leans in, like he can’t hold back anymore. Truthfully, neither can I. Reaching up on my toes, I press my lips to his in a gentle kiss and he sighs, his hand sliding to the back of my head as the other presses against the small of my back. It’s more intimate than any other kiss we’ve ever shared and I swear, I can feel the relief pulsing through him. I had hoped that he was hurting just as much as I was and now I know for sure. Although, it doesn’t bring me as much comfort as I thought it would. He pulls away and brushes his nose across the tip of mine with a smile on his face.
“God, I missed you.”
I nod. “I missed you, too.”
“I have a proposition for you,” he says, pulling away a fraction so he can meet my eyes. “How about we take this slow? You don’t have to commit to anything, but you do have to stop fighting me. Sound like a deal?”
Sucking in a breath, I meet his eyes. “I think I can handle that.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Carly
Chance:
What are you in the mood for tonight?
Me:
You.
Smirking, I lean back in my chair and wait for his response.
As soon as I agreed to take things slow with him, he enforced a no sex ban on us and no matter how ridiculous I told him it was, he refused to budge. He said if we were taking it slow then sex had to be off the table since our relationship started out that way but really, he’s just trying to punish me for ignoring him for so long. Okay, so I don’t really know that for a fact, but it certainly feels that way. I missed him and I just want to lose myself in him for a little bit, remember the initial connection that made him so hard to ignore. Not that I ever forgot. My phone buzzes.
Chance:
You sound a little desperate, baby.
Me:
I am. I might even have to take drastic measures.
A lot has changed for me since I found out Chance is not married. When he asked me to take things slow, I had assumed it would take me a while to get over the heartache I experienced when I thought I’d lost him but that isn’t the case. We’ve spent every free moment we have together and it’s like nothing has changed. My pain is forgotten and it’s almost as if the whole thing never happened. Except we’re not having sex… or talking about those three little words I kind of said to him. My phone buzzes again.
Chance:
Tell you what, Princess…
You let me take you on a real
date tonight and maybe I’ll
satisfy your hunger afterward.
Is this supposed to be a compromise?
Me:
Deal.
“Hey, Carly,” Mercedes says, poking her head in my office and I glance up from my phone. “Ready to look over the timeline for your page?”
My heart skips a beat and I smile as I set my phone on the desk. “Absolutely.”
I’ve been so excited about finally getting to work on my design page and I love how enthusiastic Mercedes has been about it, too. It’s such a stark difference from working at The Times I sometimes have to pinch myself to remember that it’s real.
Mercedes strolls into the room and sits in the chair across from me before spreading some papers out in front of her. “So, I talked to Cara and she thinks, realistically, the two of you could get something designed and ready to go within two weeks.”
“Wow,” I mutter, reading the timeline. “That quickly?”
“Yes, but ideally, I’d like four weeks, at least, to advertise it and really hook some businesses who would like to advertise on your page.”
I nod. “I think I’m more comfortable with four weeks. It will give me plenty of time to come up with a few articles before the site goes live so it doesn’t look so empty.”
“I had the same thought. Oh, and I spoke to my real estate agent. There is an apartment for sale that would be perfect for an investment property if you’re still interested in overseeing it and writing about it.”
“Absolutely.” It’s still a little hard to believe that she’s willing to put so much trust in me but I’m excited to take on the project and make it the best I can. “What angle are you wanting on this? DIY stuff, managing an entire project like this, or something else?”
Mercedes purses her lips, thinking it over. “I think a mix of the two. That way we cover more readers. I’m thinking I give you a budget and you do the design and hire people to do the work. You’d document every step of the process and throw in some DIY stuff that could save our thriftier readers some money.”
I nod, anxious to get started on the project. “That sounds great.”
“Good. We can do a walk through on Monday if that works for you.”
I scan the calendar pulled up on my computer before nodding. “Yeah, that will work for me.”
“Perfect. Let’s meet on Monday morning to go over the floor plan before we see the space. We can talk design then, too.”
“You want me to have something ready by then?” I ask, panic setting in. Three days is not a lot of time to put a presentation together.
“Oh, no! I just meant we can talk about what I’m looking to do with the place and what I want…”
“Carly,” someone says from my office door, interrupting Mercedes, and I glance up, my stomach flipping at the sight of Julian Henshaw standing in my doorway. He smirks and the expression makes me uncomfortable.
“Julian Henshaw?” Mercedes asks and he turns his attention to her. His face lights up like he wasn’t just giving me the smuggest look known to man.
“Mercedes! It’s great to see you again. I didn’t realize you worked here.”
Liar.
“I own it actually. How have you been?”
He smiles and I try not to let my disgust show. “I’m great. I’d love to catch up and tell you all about it, but do you think you could give me a moment alone with Carly?”
She nods, her gaze bouncing between the two of us. “Of course. Come find me when you get done.”
“You got it.”
Mercedes flashes me a smile before leaving me alone with Julian and I drop the act, arching a brow at him.
“What do you want?”
He places a hand over his heart, pretending to act offended and I want to punch the pretentious prick in the face. “Now, is that any way to talk to your future brother?”
“You might marry my sister,” I hiss through clenched teeth. “But you will never be my brother.”
Don’t think for a second I won’t try to put a stop to the wedding.
Julian smiles, looking more animal than man and I wonder how he conned my sister into being with him. “What’s with all the hostility, Carly? Here I thought we got along so well at dinner.”