After our all-too-brief kiss, I guided her out of the courthouse. “Where did ya park?” I asked.
“I took a cab. I didn’t want to navigate down here.”
Class. Perfect. “Come. My car is waiting.”
“You have a driver?” she asked, incredulous.
“Aye. Hired for today, not full time.” I led her toward the town car then assisted her inside. Once settled, I gave the diver the name of the restaurant where I’d made reservations for us. “A small wedding celebration,” I told her.
“Congratulations, sir, ma’am,” the driver said as he pulled into traffic.
We thanked him, and I held her hand whilst we sat thigh-to-thigh in the backseat. Please with myself, I played with the rings I placed on her.
She followed my gaze to her finger. “They’re really beautiful.”
“They were my grandmother’s.”
“What? Are you crazy!” She moved to pull them off.
I covered her hand. Fuck no, she wasn’t removing them. “They’re yours. Meant to be on your finger.”
“Finnigan,” she whispered. “I… You’re sure? These are special.”
“And they’re exactly where they’re supposed to be. On a special woman’s finger.” I meant every word. My campaign to win her over was officially started now. “Ya cannot ken how happy I was that ya agreed to marry me.”
“On paper. Until April at the latest.”
“Or maybe, we can see how we work together.”
She gave me a quizzical look as if trying to figure me out. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, the car pulled up the restaurant. We both stayed silent, me planning my defense, and Gia regarding me speculatively whilst we went inside and were shown to the private section I’d reserved.
“What do you mean ‘see how we work together?’” she asked as soon as the waitress had left with our drink order.
I captured Gia’s hand, gratified that she didn’t try to pull away. “I like ya,” I confessed. “A lot. And I want ya. I’ve wanted ya as mine since the day ya wanted into my office. So I want us to see how we connect together. To see how we get along.”
Her eyes narrowed. “We could have just dated. You could have just asked me out.”
“I really do need a wife. But there’s no one I want besides ya.”
“This is more than I expected.” Her brow furrowed whilst she examined her placemat, her finger tracing the line of her silver. I noticed her breathing had increased when she looked up at me, the pulse throbbing low on her throat. I wanted to lick at it, suck it, taste her skin.
I swallowed hard, gathering myself. “But?”
“Apparently I’m crazy, but there’s no but.”
“Are ya…willing to explore this?”
She lifted her left hand and wiggled her fingers. “I’d say I’m kind of locked in right now.”
I studied her, my expression serious as I captured that hand and brought it to my lips. “There’s being a couple, and then there’s being glorified roommates for a time.”
“I’m willing to be a couple.” Her gaze shifted away for a moment, color flooding her cheeks. “Maybe, not jump right into bed. ”
“When and if you’re ready.” I didn’t mention that the board had hinted that I should seriously consider children, and soon. They weren’t going to dictate my life more than they already were. First, I needed to court my wife. Anything else could wait.
She nodded.
“Since we’re not expected back to the office until Monday, perhaps after lunch, we can nick some of your things from your apartment and bring them over to my place. Ya can start to get settled in before we leave on our trip. When we get back, I’ll arrange a flight, try to get on yours or rebook us both on the same.”
“Sounds good. We should probably know each other better before my family interrogates us. I mean I know a lot about you because of work, but…”
“Aye. I want to know everything about ya.”
“You know…” She shook her head, and I braced myself for her to take me to task. Her head tilted, her red hair spilling over her shoulder, and she lifted a delicate brow. Her lips quirked. “You could have just told me you were interested. I was interested in you, too, you know?”
“Ya never said anything.” Ruthlessly, I beat back my urge to round the table, bury my hands in her locks and give her a far better kiss than the one we’d shared in the judge’s chambers.
She huffed a quick laugh. “And get fired? I heard what happened to your last assistant.”
“Fair point. And I never wanted to be the pervy boss ya would report to HR.” Hiding my feelings the past months had about killed me. How many times had she almost caught me staring at her legs or her ass or the way her hair teased over her slim shoulders? Her intelligent green eyes captivated me, making me lose my train of thought an embarrassing amount of times. She was a siren who could lead me to my death.
“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
I blinked at her, realizing she’d done it again. “Quite.”
“So what now?”
Now, we go home, and I never let ya leave me. I’d convince her, somehow. And since she was apparently attracted to me, maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as I’d originally thought. Of course, she didn’t know the part where the company wanted me to be a family man. Or the part where they wanted to relocate me from Chicago to California.
I pushed that aside to deal with later. If I got her to fall for me, it would be okay, right? “Tonight, I date my wife. Go out with me?”
Irritated with myself, I pushed away my guilt, too, promising myself that once I got Gia on board with everything that I would always be truthful. Because I pretty much disliked myself for keeping secrets right now.
Once she discovered it… Well, we’d cross that bridge later. And she still had an out, which I hated, but hopefully she’d forgive me.
“A date? This isn’t a date?”
“Naw, this is a celebration.”
“Hmm…I’ll have to check my very busy schedule and consult my husband.” She smiled playfully and I covered her hand with mine, linking our fingers and winked quickly.
“I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”
“In that case…it’s a date.”
Chapter Four
~ Gia ~
I fiddled with my new rings as I sat on my new bed in my new home while I contemplated my date with my new husband.
So much was new. Everything seemed new. My head spun from the day. I looked around the bedroom—a guest room across from Finn’s room. A lot of my personal things were boxed and against one wall of the walk-in closet. Movers had come to my old place today and packed me up. All my furniture and household goods had gone into storage. The rest of my stuff was here. I didn’t have that much, as I really hadn’t accumulated lots of stuff since moving to Chicago a couple years ago.
I’d spent the afternoon unpacking my clothes and hanging them in the spacious closet while Finn had worked downstairs in his office. I’d been surprised when he’d brought me to his place after we’d gotten married. His home—our home—was a two-floor apartment within a high-rise complex. I’d never considered what he must make at the company, but apparently, it was a lot to afford this kind of space in the city.