He rests his hand on the back of my stool and leans in to kiss me. It's a sweet kiss, nothing naughty about it. I suppose he's being polite, holding back in front of my brother, but I like the kiss. Sometimes simplicity is the sexiest thing.
Kyle flips a pancake. It sails through the air only to smack down right where it started, only now its cooked side faces up. My brother is an expert pancake flipper, and I've always envied him that talent. I can't flip a burger without it sticking to the griddle.
"Very impressive," Chance tells Kyle. "You're quite the cook, aren't you?"
"Nah." Kyle flips another pancake, since he has four of them on the griddle. "I can do basic stuff like pancakes and fried eggs." He points his spatula at me. "Elena's the real master chef around here."
"Don't listen to a word my brother says," I tell Chance. "He's a massive liar. I'm no better at cooking than he is. Kyle's trying to make you think I'm amazing so you'll be horribly disappointed when I finally cook for you. Little brothers are obnoxious that way."
Chance kisses my cheek. "I doubt Kyle is exaggerating your skills, but I know what younger siblings can be like. I have two of them."
"What? How come you haven't mentioned them before?"
He shrugs. "Never came up in conversation."
"But I told you about Kyle over lunch the other day."
"True." He scratches his jaw, eying me sideways. "I suppose I should've said something then, but I love listening to you talk."
Kyle bursts out with the phoniest guffaw I've ever heard. "Damn, you've got it bad. Don't you, Brit boy?"
I aim an exaggerated scowl at him. "Be nice. Chance is my boyfriend, so don't be obnoxious."
"Boyfriend?" Kyle looks smug again, but his closed-mouth smile is aimed at Chance this time. "If you're dating my sister, that means I get to razz you big time. Know anything about NASCAR?"
"I've heard the term," Chance says, "but that's about all. It's car racing, isn't it?"
"Yep." Kyle grins with wicked glee. "Let me tell you all about it."
Kyle proceeds to recite every moment of the last NASCAR race while Chance pretends to listen when he's really massaging my thigh. I have no doubt he's not hearing a word of Kyle's monologue. My brother doesn't care if nobody's listening. He can babble away about stock car racing for hours.
After that, Chance and I head to the office via taxicab. During the drive, we discuss Raisa.
"I'm thinking we should wait," I say, "before telling her about us. I thought about it a lot while I was dreaming, and I realized you're right. We need to make sure this thing between us is going somewhere before we go public."
"You thought about it while you were dreaming?"
"Uh-huh." I glance at him sideways. "Don't you do that? Work out problems in your dreams?"
"Not really." He lets his head fall back against the seat. "I'm glad you've seen it my way. We only met twelve days ago, after all. It makes sense to get to know each other better before outing ourselves. That would also give Raisa more time to accept she can't win me back."
"So we're agreed? Keep it on the down low for now?"
"Yes."
I realize what he said and have to ask, "You've been keeping track of how many days we've known each other?"
"That's right. Every day with you is worth counting." He kisses me, long and slow and sexy as hell. "Sneaking around could be exciting."
The way he says those words, with his voice a smoky murmur, excites the hell out of me.
I nibble on his lower lip. "How long do you think we need to wait?"
"Two weeks. If I'm not head over heels in love with you by then, it'll never happen."
His statement sounds innocuous, his tone so casual, that I think it must mean something different in British. I stare at him, my pulse suddenly throbbing faster, and wonder if he means what it sounds like he means. Does he think he's falling for me? Or that he might very soon?
I like him a lot, more than I've liked anyone in a long time. But could I fall for him?
Deciding I might be reading too much into what he said, I change the subject. "Tell me about your siblings."
"I have two brothers, both younger. I'll be seeing them---" He shuts his eyes, groaning. "I forgot. I'm flying home next weekend, leaving Friday afternoon."
"Guess it pays to be the boss's ex. You started work last week, and Raisa's letting you take off early next Friday?" I shake my head. "She'd rip me a new one if I asked for ten more minutes on my lunch break."
"I'd planned this trip months ago. When Raisa asked me to work for her temporarily, I said yes with the condition that I don't have to give up my holiday."
"How long will you be gone?" I already feel a little queasy knowing he won't be here for a while.
"The weekend," he says. "Back at work on Monday morning."
I don't know what to say. Not seeing him for a weekend shouldn't upset me, but it does. I'll miss him. We'll have this coming weekend together, so it's dumb for me to wish he'd stay here instead of going home for a few days.
Chance kisses me again, tenderly this time, and only for a second. "Come with me."
"To England? I can't. Raisa won't give me the afternoon off."
"I'll rearrange my plans. We can leave right after work on Friday."
"But---I---" His suggestion has me so off-kilter I can't speak an entire sentence. We hardly know each other, and he wants me to go away with him for the weekend. When I manage to form a sentence, I ask, "Are you inviting me to meet your family?"
"I guess I am."
He sounds as surprised as I feel.
The thrill of knowing he wants to take me home to his family lasts about three seconds. Then I moan miserably. "I can't go. We lowly paralegals must slave away all weekend, you know. I'm sure next weekend will be no different."
He twists his mouth into an annoyed slant and rubs his eyes. "Forgot about that. Can't you get all your work done during the week? I'll help."
"You want to do grunt work? That's my job, not yours."
"Let me pitch in. Please."
"You want me to go with you that badly?"
I expect him to change his mind, but instead he says, "I know it's early in our relationship, but I absolutely do want you to meet my family. My parents and my brothers. If it's too much too soon, say so. I won't be offended if you'd rather not."
For several seconds, I hold perfectly still and consider the question. Do I want to meet his family? He's met mine, but then, my only family is Kyle. Chance has parents and siblings. I assume they all met Raisa, multiple times.
"Does your family like Raisa?" I ask.