I opened the envelope and flipped the card open. Inside was a simple Hallmark Valentine’s Day wish, but Laila had also written a note herself.
Storm,
I can’t believe how much has changed in a short month’s time. I never expected something like this to happen for us, but I can’t imagine spending Valentine’s Day with anyone else. You make me feel like I can be totally myself and you’ve made me so much more comfortable in my own skin. Thank you for seeing me. I’m so proud of you and grateful that I was lucky enough to see your growth. I hope you believe me when I say you are a better man than you believe you are.
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Xoxo, Laila
PS. You’re still the most annoying person I know.
I ran my thumb along the edge of the card as the punchline at the end spared me from the surge of emotions her words brought forth. The tightness in my throat disappeared as I laughed, and she swept to her feet to take the card from me and kiss me while she held my face in her hands.
“So what do you say?” Laila pulled back, and her hazel eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “Are you up for a lazy day on the couch with junk food and movies?”
“Hell yes.”
Laila giggled. The sound made me deliriously happy. She took me by the hand and led me to the sofa, which she’d already set up with blankets and pillows.
“Oh, shoot!” She spun to face me. “I forgot one important rule for the day.”
I stopped short.
A sneaky little smile curled her lips. “No clothes.”
Slowly, tantalizingly, she undid the buttons of my shirt, exposing her beautiful breasts and tummy. She let the shirt fall and she sat down on the sofa, inviting me to join her but nodding pointedly at my sweatpants.
They had to go.
I dropped them without needing to be asked twice, and Laila and I curled up under the blankets, skin to skin, and turned on the TV.
Just as we began scrolling through our options, my phone started going off.
I groaned. Here we go.
I leaned over the side of the sofa and pulled my phone from the pocket of my sweatpants. Notification after notification rolled in, but I didn’t care so much about those. It was the back-to-back calls from my head office that made me concerned.
Laila frowned. “Do you think they’re freaking out about you firing Garrett?”
“Probably.”
“Should you answer them?”
The phone rang again. It was Monday afternoon, and my board knew I’d been busting my ass to make the fashion show go off without a hitch. They had no business calling me like this unless it was an emergency.
“Do you mind?” I held up the phone. “I just want to make sure nothing is wrong.”
Laila nodded. “Go ahead.”
I lifted the phone to my ear. “Yes?”
Anita’s voice was full of guilt. “I’m so sorry for calling you like this, Storm. I just… I thought you should know that the board is, well, trying to stage a coup.”
For some reason, I started laughing. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m worried. Garrett is here claiming that you don’t have the company’s best interests in mind. I don’t think he has the whole board convinced, but there are a few members who seem to sympathize with him. I didn’t want you to come into work tomorrow and be blind-sided. You should know, me and all the other employees are behind you one hundred percent. We’ve never liked Garrett, anyway.”
“Does anyone?”
Anita laughed kind of nervously. “His mother, maybe.”
I chuckled. “Thank you for the heads-up, Anita. I appreciate it. If they want to have a little bitch session in the board room, let them. I’ll be taking out the rest of the trash tomorrow, and if they want to go ahead and make those choices easier for me? That’s their prerogative. I’m going to turn my phone off for the rest of the day, but if things feel like they’re getting too uncomfortable, you’re more than welcome to call security and have Garrett escorted off the premises.”
“You trust me to make that decision?”
“Absolutely. You’ve never let me down, Anita. Speaking of which, let’s talk about your future with Thornton Enterprises sometime this week. I think it’s about time you got a raise, don’t you?”
Anita floundered on the other end. “Mr. Thornton, you’re too kind. I’m so thankful. I know you have a lot on your plate right now and I have no intention of going anywhere. We can talk whenever your schedule permits.”
“This week,” I said firmly. “It’s happening. Good luck today with the board. Oh, and Anita? Happy Valentine’s Day. Feel free to use the corporate card to order everyone coffees or chocolate or something. Whatever you think is best.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sir. I’ll make sure not to order anything for Garrett.”
I laughed and we ended the call.
While I powered my phone down, Laila stroked my chest. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is more than okay. Garrett is scrambling, and he’s doing me a favor. If any other board members want to cast their lot in with him, they can hit the road, too. Now,” I said, dropping my turned-off phone on the floor, “let’s pick a movie. There won’t be any more interruptions today.”
Laila wanted to watch something sweet and funny. We bickered back and forth about what was worth watching and what wasn’t before settling on something neither of us had seen.
By the time the movie ended, we still couldn’t say that we’d seen it because we spent almost the entire length of the film tangled up in each other with our hands and mouths on each other’s bodies. While the credits rolled, Laila lay breathless beneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist, her cheeks flushed with lust as I moved inside her.
After, we took a break to indulge in the croissants, followed shortly by the pot brownies, which kicked in after about half an hour and left us gasping for air as we laughed our asses off. Laila rolled on top of me, her breasts crushed between us, and stroked my jaw with delicate fingers.
As I gazed into her eyes, I realized I couldn’t keep my feelings to myself anymore.
“I have to tell you something.”
Laila wiggled her hips, teasing me. “Oh? What’s that?”
There would be no beating around the bush. I knew the truth in my heart and soul, and this felt like a perfect moment to share it.
“I’m in love with you.”
Laila blinked. Her shocked expression morphed into the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face. “You are?”
“Yes. I love you with everything I have.”
She kissed me between giggles and rosy-cheek smiles. “I love you too, Storm Thornton. Oh my gosh, do I ever love you.”
EPILOGUE
LAILA
One Week Later
For the first time since Storm and I made our relationship official, I got out of his car without him opening the door for me. I walked all the way around to the driver’s side and leaned over to knock on his window.
He rolled it halfway down. “Yes?”
“Are you coming?”
“In a minute.”