She took her phone out of her purse and tried reading on her Kindle app. It was a great story that had made the last half of her flight go by quickly. But now she couldn’t concentrate. She kept looking up at the picture of Rick on the wall and thinking how cold his office was. She put down her phone, rubbed her arms and then turned on the computer.
Instead of going right to Tumblr, she typed storm but she froze before she got to the second word. Instead, she shut the machine down, and went back to the break room, grateful to find it empty and that the coffee was fresh. She took her cup and a Danish back to his office to wait, although she wasn’t sure why she’d paid for a pastry. She had no appetite at all.
* * *
EVEN THOUGH RICK lived close to work, he was grateful to finally pull in to his garage after a quick stop at the store. Jenna had caught a chill back at the office, and he wanted everything to be perfect when she saw his place for the first time.
Relatively perfect, if you ignored the alarming number of unpacked boxes in every room.
“Your own garage?” Jenna looked at him, then at the boxes near the door that led into his kitchen. “I can’t think of a single apartment building in South Shore that offers a private garage.”
“This is Norman. The cost of living is low. Very low. But on the plus side, it’s unbearably humid in summer and freezing cold in winter. Not to mention that when it comes to tornadoes, the odds are ever in our favor.”
The sound of her laughter did something to his chest. Opened it, made it easier to breathe. “Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour.”
He got her suitcase and carry-on from the back of the Jeep while she grabbed a heavy-looking briefcase. She’d said she had a lot of work to do, and he was glad of it. He hated the idea of leaving her, but if that was the price he had to pay for having her here, he’d take it.
“It’s unlocked,” he said, then followed her inside.
“This kitchen’s great. The open floor plan, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops. Even the cupboards are beautiful.”
“And mostly empty. Sorry about that. But I guess we’ll manage.”
“I’m a huge fan of open plans like this,” she said, barely pausing as she moved into the living room. “My apartment is just a bunch of square rooms pushed together in the most unimaginative way possible. Thank God I’ve got the balcony to play with.”
“I’ve still got furniture to buy, some gym equipment to replace the things Faith kept. That’s a new couch and coffee table.”
“They’re great,” she said. “I like the leather, and the clean lines. The coffee table goes well with everything. Pity the walls are all just white.” She turned in the direction of the fireplace.
“Yeah, for a six-month lease, they don’t let you paint. At least I’ve got that,” he said, nodding at his gigantic television above the mantel. “But I don’t play with it much. I mostly watch the weather. And Game of Thrones. But mostly the weather.”
“That makes perfect sense. Weather changed the trajectory of your life. It was the single biggest motivating force you had.”
“I’m going to write that down, and show it to people who think I’m a nerd.”
“Oh, no. You’re definitely a nerd.”
“Thanks so much.”
“Where should I put this?” she asked, lifting the briefcase. “I’ve got my laptop, so I can work anywhere.”
“I’ve got a desk upstairs so you can spread out a bit. Why don’t I show you and drop off all this stuff so we can relax.”
Rick led her up the stairs. Once again he wished he’d taken the time to make the place look more lived in. Less like a storage locker. But there was an excellent desk in the spare room that he hadn’t even touched yet.
“Isn’t this your desk?”
“Technically. But I haven’t used it much.”
“Ah, right. Well, it’s terrific. I love library lamps. I’ve got one at home.”
“Look in the top drawer.”
She sat first, and kind of swooned at the chair, which had cost him a fortune. But when she opened the drawer she burst out laughing.
He’d been so sure she’d like that. Well, shit. Guess he didn’t know her as well as he’d—
“Oh, my God, it’s like you walked inside my head and took an inventory of all the things that I love. You’ve got all the great colors of Post-its, and the tabs, and the colored paper clips.”
“You like?”
She looked up at him, and he could tell from her eyes she did. And when she closed the drawer and stood up again, he knew she was about to show him how pleased she was.
He let the bags fall from his hands so he could pull her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they met with the kiss he’d been dying to give her in his office. Right now, she was all that mattered. Kissing her was like coming home. He liked how she held him as she moved her head by inches, treating each kiss like an experiment.
If it hadn’t been five thirty, and she hadn’t been exhausted and starving, he would have walked her right over to his bed. In fact...
No, she hadn’t eaten anything but coffee and junk food. Not a good way to start what he hoped would be an epic night. The grumbling of her stomach signaled that the kisses were over for now.
“Wait,” she said, her hands still on him. “I want to remember which kiss we were on.”
“You have a list?”
“It’s too small, though. I’ll need so many more to fill out the whole dance card.”
“I have no objections to that plan.”
“Good. I wish I weren’t so hungry, but your forearm is starting to look appealing, so...”
“Off we go. You like Mexican, right?”
“I do.”
Downstairs, he headed for the kitchen but Jenna wasn’t behind him. Odd. He found her at the window that looked out at the back.
“You have a yard.”
“It came with.”
“It’ll mean mowing and with those trees, some raking in the fall.”
He slipped behind her and pulled her against his chest. “I know, right? I’m crazy for getting this place. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I’ve already bought furniture...”
“You said your accountant advised you to buy a house.”
He nodded. Kissed her temple. “I think this is something in the middle. I was really tired of living like a frat boy. The old apartment was mostly an excuse for a gym. But I saw this place and thought, why not? Give living like a grown-up a try.”
“Well, that’s good, I suppose. As long as it’s really what you want.”
He nodded again. “Who knows. I might even start doing some planting this summer.”
She smiled and let herself relax against his chest. He wouldn’t be doing any planting, and he’d end up hiring someone to cut the grass and rake. Rick lived and breathed his work and had little time in his life for anything else.
16
“OH, FOR...” RICK WENT to the window, shoved it open and yelled, “I’ll be right down. Hold on.”
“It’s your own fault,” Jenna said. “You were the one—”
“I know exactly why I’m late, and I’d do it again in a minute. In fact, I’m going to just cancel my appointments for today,” he said, trying to climb back into bed. “I’ll tell the director I had an emergenc—”
“Stop,” she said, laughing and pushing him away. He was already dressed and she wasn’t going to be responsible for him missing work. “After impressing upon me how important today’s meeting is? No, you’re not going to have an emergency. Unless Antwan comes up here and drags you out by your... You’re not wearing a tie.”
Jenna was still naked and after a night of debauchery, she planned to go straight back to sleep when Rick left. But not for too long. She had a lot to do today.
The week was flying by. Every night had been different. Twice they’d gone out to eat, twice they’d had food delivered. She’d never expected to find such great Indian food in Norman. She’d worked when Rick did. She’d met him and Antwan for lunch her second day, and they’d gone to the movies on his day off.
But a good deal of their time together had been spent in bed. Going through condoms like tissues during flu season.
Damn if he wasn’t the most amazing lover she’d ever had. Last night, they’d done it twice. It was his night to call it, so the first was him in back of her, and the second was her on top. Rick’s favorite. Hers, too, now.
No wonder the honking horn had scared the crap out of her this morning. Rick jumping up to take the fastest shower in the northern hemisphere hadn’t helped her settle down again. Now he’d donned not just clothes but a suit. A really sharp three-piece that made him look sexy as hell. The deep charcoal-gray with his sky-blue eyes? Please. He could have any woman on the planet, and probably some from other galaxies.
He kissed her, huffed his displeasure, then went to the closet. A few seconds later he held out his hands, each one holding a tie. There was no contest. “The one on the right. It’s the color of your eyes.”
He tossed the loser into the closet as if it was now dead to him. “Coffee. I’ll have to stop because—”