David chuckled. “You have no idea.”
Sean strode off toward Ian’s office, and David felt something settle deep inside. Why hadn’t they had that talk before now?
Sean wasn’t trying to take his dad’s place. He was simply trying to find his own. Like everyone was.
He noticed Tessa was standing outside the conference room, a worried look on her face. “Hey, I thought maybe we should talk. I should explain what happened.”
He was absolutely certain she would give him the “it’s me, not you” talk, and in this case apparently it really was her and not him. The trouble was that made him think he might have a shot with her if he played his cards right. It might be time to take a chance. But he had to do this right or he would lose her again. Luckily, he knew a lot about politics, and sometimes a smart man had to know when to bluff.
He gave her a bright smile. “Hey, don’t worry. It’s all good.”
She stared at him like she wasn’t sure she could trust him. “David, I should have called or at least replied.”
“It’s not a big deal.” It was huge, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I appreciate your willingness to go with me. I was going to take the Mustang to the airport. I don’t want to leave it in the garage when no one’s going to be home for a week. Do you want a ride?”
Her eyes went wide, and he could see plainly she did. “Uhm, I don’t…”
“We’re going to be stuck in a small metal tube for nearly ten hours,” he pointed out. “If you can’t handle a twenty-minute drive with me, maybe we should rethink.” Another thought hit him, one that made him sad. “Unless you don’t want me to know where you live.”
Warm brown eyes rolled. “What would you do with my address? Send me flowers?”
“Not now since you ghosted me.”
Her lips curled up. “Fair. All right, give me your phone and I’ll put it in.”
He handed her his cell. “You’ll have to put yourself in. I really did erase your number.”
She frowned. “That seems extreme. I thought you were just saying that.”
It was good to know he could surprise her.
He intended to surprise her a lot over the next week. Maybe a book wouldn’t be all he came out of this with.
Chapter Four
What the hell was she doing?
Tessa glanced down at her watch. She was standing in front of her building ten minutes early, and there was a big part of her that wanted him to be late. Really late. Annoyingly late.
There had to be something about the man that wasn’t perfect beyond his connection to her employer.
She’d come down when she realized if she stayed inside one minute more she was going to decide to change again. Because she’d been halfway to convincing herself that she could do a fine job as a bodyguard in that curve-hugging dress that gave her so much confidence. Lots of bodyguards wore four-inch heels and a push-up bra. Yeah, sure they did.
Coming down here had saved her so much discomfort because in her line of business, slacks, a sensible shirt and shoes, and a blazer were the only way to go. The blazer hid her shoulder holster in a way that off-the-shoulder sex dress never would. And she didn’t care that Hollywood assassins could stuff any number of weapons between their thighs. Hers did not work that way.
It’s not a big deal.
The words David had said haunted her. What did that mean? It’s not a big deal. It had felt like a big deal. Not texting that smart hottie back had been a big fucking deal to her. She’d agonized over it, and he’d just kind of let it wash over him. He’d taken his shot and moved on. She had thought of nothing but him for weeks.
Or he was saving face by playing it cool and she was being ridiculous. The man was making this easy on her and she was inwardly complaining that he wasn’t making it harder. It was perverse, but then she had deeply conflicted feelings about David.
Feelings she could maybe work out over the course of this week. She could get to know him and then she would see he wasn’t as perfect as he seemed to be. Most men showed their true colors when a woman spent too much time with them. He wouldn’t be as patient as he seemed. His charm would wear off when she took charge and he got annoyed.
Yes, this could be exactly what she needed.
Especially if he was late.
A deep purr caught her ear, and she turned to see a gorgeous muscle car rolling down the road. It started to slow as though it was going to turn into the parking lot but then righted its path as the driver seemed to recognize her.
That car was a dream. Navy blue, with a wide black stripe running over the hood. David had done a spectacular job. He’d likely spent months restoring her and making her glow.
And that suddenly seemed sexual. The man was obviously good with his hands.
He pulled the car to a stop in front of her, put it in park, and hopped out.
Would being around him make him less attractive? Because a couple of weeks apart had definitely not done that trick. He was dressed more casually than he’d been earlier in the day, and the T-shirt he wore showed off muscular forearms. His hair was a bit messy, like he’d taken a shower and simply ran a towel over it and let it dry naturally into waves. Even the glasses he wore were sexy.
He was the college professor equivalent of a dreamy boy-band singer. Except he was a man, and that scruff on his well-defined jawline did something for her.
“Hey, I’m sorry. Am I late? I was going to come up and help you with your luggage.”
Of course he was going to do that because he was a gentleman and he helped people even when they were horrifically rude and ignored his polite texts.
She was definitely the asshole in this situation.
She hefted her small bag. “You’re early, and I travel pretty light. You were right about that car. She’s a beauty.”
Small talk. She could make small talk with him, and then they wouldn’t have to feel weird and awkward.
The biggest grin came over his face, and it took everything she had not to sigh. “Thanks. She’s the outcome of many, many hours of work. Although it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a way to shut off my brain. Like muscle memory. I used to help my dad work on cars. It was his hobby, and I think I feel close to him when I’m restoring a car. Sorry. I was reminded of that today. I think I told you this was a present from my mom and stepdad when I finished my doctorate. I thought it was my mom’s idea, but now I wonder if it wasn’t Sean’s. And I am talking entirely too much. Let’s store your bag and we can head to the airport.”
He moved around to the trunk and had it open in a second. She placed her bag beside his and tried not to think about how sweet it was that he’d restored this whole car so he could feel close to a father who’d been taken too soon.
But she couldn’t because she knew that feeling so well. “My dad had this vintage record collection. Like all the oldies. Elvis and Frank Sinatra and Sam Cooke. When he died all I wanted were those albums. When I listen to them I feel close to him. He used to put on a record and he would stop my mom from whatever she was doing and they would dance in the living room.”
That was how she always saw her dad—dancing in the middle of the day, his eyes closed because he didn’t need to see. They fit together perfectly. She and her brothers used to gag and make fun of them, and now she would do anything to see them together one last time.