“Sorry, I lost track of what I was about to say. And you still haven’t answered my question. Are you dating Stuart Duchenko?”
“For now, yes.”
“No way! That’s great!” Piper beamed from ear to ear. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Don’t go making a big deal. We’re having fun together, that’s all. It’s nothing serious.”
Of course she still hadn’t mentioned the other thing. After Stuart distracted her yesterday—not that she’d fought too hard—there hadn’t been another good moment. Then again, when was there a good time to share something so humiliating? It wasn’t exactly something you could blurt out. Hey, Stuart, by the way, dancing naked wasn’t the only thing in my past I didn’t tell you about. There’s also this little police matter...
She switched the subject back to Nigel Rougeau’s sister and hoped Piper believed her.
At least one of them should.
“And this,” Stuart said, “is the firm library. Home away from home for any decent first-year associate.”
He snuck a kiss to Patience’s temple while pointing out the shelves, causing her knees to wobble slightly. Not because of the kiss but from the intimacy it implied.
“Was it yours?” She pictured his dark head bent over the books late at night.
“Are you kidding? See that desk by the window? If you sit in the chair, you can still feel the imprint from my butt cheeks.”
Patience choked back a snort, causing a pair of heads to look in their direction, only to return to their work as soon as they spied Stuart. “Don’t look now, but I think they’re afraid of you.”
“Well, I can be pretty scary, you know.”
“I know I was terrified when I first met you.”
“I could tell by the way you sauced off.”
“That’s not even a real word.” Giggling, she slapped his sleeve. One of the heads looked up again, and she couldn’t help indulging in a moment of smug pride. That’s right, she wanted to say, your boss is entertaining me.
It was an illusion, of course, this image of being a couple, but she was willing to let herself enjoy the fantasy for as long as it lasted. Later today, Ana would be coming home, and soon after Stuart would be moving out, bringing an end to their affair. When that happened, she would confront the emotions she was fighting to keep buried.
Until then, she’d let the illusion have control.
“The partner’s dining room is next door,” Stuart said. “Would you rather eat in there or in my office?”
That’s why she was here. With Ana returning home, Stuart had invited her to lunch to discuss what she needed to do to get the brownstone ready. “You’re the host. I’ll let you decide.”
“My office it is. That way I can ravish you after we eat,” he whispered in her ear.
Patience’s knees wobbled again. The way his voice grew husky, she could listen to his whisper all day long. “Sounds good to me.”
“What part? The eating or the ravishing?” Either. Both. She welcomed the privacy, too. Previous moment aside, she felt uncomfortable walking around Stuart’s law firm. Although she’d exchanged her jeans for an ankle-length skirt and tank top, she still felt out of place amid the power suits. “What are you talking about?” Stuart had remarked when she’d mentioned her fears. “No one expects my date to look like she’s heading to court.”
“They would if she was a lawyer,” she countered.
“But she’s not. She’s you.”
He had no idea how his response made her heart soar.
“Bob was looking for you,” a woman called to them when they reached his office.
“I know,” Stuart replied. “I got his emails. If it’s about the Peavey case, tell him to send the brief directly to John Greenwood.”
“He said this was about another project. A report you asked him to assemble.”
There was a sudden stutter in his step. While they weren’t touching, Patience could still feel Stuart’s body tense. “Oh,” he replied. “Tell him I’ll talk with him later.” Even his voice sounded tight.
“I’m keeping you from something important, aren’t I?” she asked.
“Nothing that can’t wait.”
But she was. His whole demeanor had changed on a dime. Lighthearted Stuart had disappeared behind a shadow. All of a sudden, he was frowning, the playful gleam gone from his eyes.
“Seriously, if you have work to do, I can—”
“No.” He practically shouted the word. For some reason, it made the hair on her neck stand on end. “Whatever Bob has to say can wait.”
“But if he’s trying so hard to talk with you...” Multiple emails and personal visits—it had to be important.
Stuart shook his head. “I already know what he wants to tell me, and it’s not important at all.”
“Okay. If you say so.” No need pressing the issue, even though she wasn’t sure she believed him. “Bob can wait.”
“Exactly.”
Stuart’s office was a mirror image of him. Attractive and elegant. If this was the reward, no wonder those associates worked so hard.
She stood in the center of the room while he closed his office door and then turned to her with a mischievous grin.
“Are we planning to eat?” she asked him.
“Eventually.” Taking her hand, he led her to the luxurious leather chair that dominated the back of his desk. “First things first. I believe I said something about ravishing.”
“I distinctly remember you saying after we eat.”
“Sue me. I lied.”
She would have made a joke about being in the perfect place to do so had he not completely derailed her thoughts by slipping his arms around her waist. She tumbled onto his lap without argument.
His eagerness never ceased to amaze her. Every time he kissed her felt like the first time, passionate and needy.
She let out a whimper when he broke away. “Sadly, not being able to lock my door prevents a proper ravishing. That will have to wait until later.”
“Your aunt will be home.”
“She has to sleep eventually. And, if I recall, they’re installing her bed on the first floor, which means we can be as loud as we want.” He slipped off the strap of her tank top and nipped at the exposed skin.
Goodness, but she would going to miss this when he left. Putting her hands on his shoulders, Patience pushed gently away. One of them had to add some space; otherwise, it wouldn’t matter whether his door locked or not.
“I thought we needed to talk about Ana’s new living arrangements,” she said. Stuart groaned, but he didn’t argue.
“The medical supply company delivered the bed this morning,” she continued. “Is Ana okay with the arrangement?” After discussing it, she and Stuart had decided to move his aunt to the first floor for the next few weeks. Dr. O’Hara had been concerned about her going up and down stairs. Stuart and Patience were concerned she might trip over Nigel again.
“She’s not crazy about the idea, but I think Dr. O’Hara convinced her she was doing the smart thing. I told her you’d bring down a lot of her personal items and set up the front sitting room as much like her bedroom as possible.”
“Linens and nightstand are already down. And when I left, Nigel had taken up residence on the bed.” She’d passed the cat curled up in the center of the mattress, the same location he claimed on Ana’s regular bed.
“So long as she has Nigel, she’ll be more than comfortable,” Stuart replied. “Speaking of...have you spoken to your sister yet?”
“No. I got a message from her this morning saying she wanted to video chat, but we were unable to connect. I don’t know if she’s managed to look into Ana’s painting, though.”
“She has. I got an email from her just before you arrived.”
“You did? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The index finger trailing down her arm gave her the answer. He’d been distracted.
“Did she say if she learned anything?” she asked, ignoring the goose bumps ghosting across her skin.
A slow smile broke across Stuart’s face. “Looks like we were right. A dealer did buy the contents of Nigel’s studio right after his death—I’m guessing that’s the man Grandpa Theodore hired—but it turns out that Nigel sold at least a couple pieces before his death. She gave Piper the name of the gallery owner who brokered the transaction. Piper and her boss were going to talk to him tomorrow.”
“That’s great! Wait.” Patience paused. “Did you say her boss was helping her?” To hear Piper talk, the two of them barely had contact.
“Maybe he’s helping her translate.”
That would make sense. Piper’s French was shaky. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed the gallery owner kept decent records.”
“Fingers, toes, and anything else you can think of,” Stuart replied. “I really want to make this happen for Ana.”
“Same here.” Especially if success meant Stuart would have a smile, as well. Patience was pretty sure she’d do anything to see that.
Stuart didn’t take two-hour lunches. Not unless there was a business meeting involved. But, with Patience, the time simply got away from him. Moreover, he didn’t care. If he didn’t have work to finish before Ana’s discharge, he would have been perfectly happy to let the lunch go on for three or four hours. The woman was so damn easy to talk to.