Quicksilver Dreams(185)

                “Right.” I grinned, though he was still hesitant to let go. Teasingly, I added, “Good progress, sweetheart. We’ll take this in baby steps, and before long, your control-freak tendencies will be a thing of the past.”

                “Taylor...” He looked at me with a warning glint.

                “I know, I know. Someone’s trying to kill me. Blah, blah, blah. You know I’m totally kidding. I’ll be careful. I promise.”

                Reluctantly, his lips quirked. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a smart-ass?”

                “Yes. You.”

                “At least I’m consistent.”

                I noticed he’d smiled a lot more in the last forty-eight hours. Feeling like maybe I had something to do with it made me feel good. Or maybe it was knowing that he loved me. But did I love him? I hadn’t said it aloud and wondered if he recognized that. I wasn’t sure. It was something I wouldn’t say lightly, and definitely not if I wasn’t completely sure I meant it. I mean, I’d only known the guy a week. Was it possible for me to fall in love in a week?

                “I’m patient, Taylor. I’m not going anywhere.” Ryder let me know he still had access to my thoughts. I almost put up my mental shield but decided not to. I didn’t want to hide anything from him.

                “This is all new,” I stated quietly.

                “I know. I understand. I’m hoping that when all this is over with Ranik, we’ll have some time to get to know each other.”

                “Yes.” I breathed easily, though I still had concerns about his family.

                “They have nothing to do with us,” he said firmly.

                “I don’t want to be the thorn that keeps you guys apart,” I said anxiously. “I couldn’t do that to you or to them. You’ve all suffered so much as it is.”

                “Then it will be up to them to make sure we all get along.” He kissed my cheek gently, mindful of my freshly applied lipstick, before getting all bossy and directive again. “I’ll be in contact at lunch. Don’t leave the building before then and make sure your phone is with you no matter where you go.”

                “I’ll keep it with me even in the ladies’,” I assured him. I put my mental shield back up, strangely becoming accustomed to protecting myself from mind reading. Who’da thought?

                Concern for my work attire and careful coiffure had prompted Ryder to borrow Sy’s sports car. After getting out of the car, even with the threat of a Reggie-style thrashing hanging over my head, I sauntered into the building with a big grin on my face.

                Thankfully, Reggie wasn’t in sight, and I was able to get myself organized at my desk once again. Apparently, Reggie hadn’t come in the previous two days either, and there were nearly a hundred messages and voice mails to respond to. Some of them I could handle, as they dealt with business I was responsible for, and the rest I updated on the phone list, which I was eventually able to print out and place on his desk. I went through the mail, I phoned in orders for scripts to be copied and I messengered client samples from our video and script library. This was hours of catch up, during which I promised myself I would never be absent again.

                It was nearing noon before I realized that I still had not seen nor heard from Reggie. No wonder I’d been able to accomplish so much in such a short time. A feeling of strange creepiness crawled over my skin. Why wasn’t he here? And why hadn’t he called me? That was absolutely not like him. I called our human-resources manager, Elaine.