“Thanks.”
I slide out of the car and shake it off, force away the cold, sick feeling that I get when that memory overtakes me. Immediately, Quinn’s face swims up before my eyes, and a burst of warmth and love fills my chest.
In this moment, I make a decision.
I’m going to start by showing her the way I really live, not just that stripped-down apartment I use for hookups.
She’s so much more than that to me now.
I’m going to do this even though the thought sends a wave of cold fear through my body.
I’m deep into making plans by the time I walk through the door of my building.
I’m going to start with my place in the Hamptons.
This is where our love story really begins.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Quinn
Friday is another dry spell, by which I mean I don’t have a single meeting with Christian scheduled.
On the one hand, it makes it easier to build out my plans for him since he’s not here to distract me with those eyes and that body.
On the other hand, even though he’s not here in person, all I can think of are his eyes—the way the black of his pupil is ringed by a lightning strike of blue so light that it’s almost pure white. It reminds me of the way the ocean waves exploded outward from the shore in various shades of blue, ringing around a tropical island I once visited with my parents when I was a teenager. Christian’s eyes are a different color of blue, changing from moment to moment, depending on the light, his mood…
Now that I’m intimately acquainted with his body, that’s hard to forget, too. I’m as professional as they come, but when he’s sitting across from me, his ripped abs hidden by a crisp white shirt and topped by a slim-cut jacket that does nothing but emphasize the hard line of his waist…
I shake my head and loosen my grip on the computer mouse. It’s one thing to realize you’ve unconsciously been rubbing your thighs against one another underneath your desk at work. It’s another to completely abandon your job to go masturbate in the bathroom.
My heart thunders in my chest. It’s so dangerous to be with Christian. I could lose my job if anyone were to find out. I definitely don’t want to get fired from HRM—not now that I have no safety net back in Colorado, and not when I’m finally making big strides in my career. A ruined reputation is no joke.
But how can I stay away from him?
I bite my lip as I maneuver some of the events around on his calendar.
The answer is that I can’t.
I can’t.
I don’t want to.
And I won’t.
We’re just going to have to proceed cautiously, and not just because of my job. It seems like a long time ago now, but in reality it hasn’t been long since I had my heart shattered and then stomped on and spat on by that bastard Derek. Christian might have a tenderhearted side, but there’s no guarantee he’s good right to the core.
My body heats up at the thought of him. I’m trying to be rational, but what I’m feeling isn’t a rational emotion. I just know we’re right together—at least right now.
Day by day, Quinn. Day by day.
It’s just after 5:00, and I’m making the last few changes to next week’s schedule when my phone vibrates in my purse.
When I pick it up, the sight of Christian’s name sends my heart rate skyrocketing.
Head over heels, for sure.
Run away with me.
Right now???
I want to show you the real me.
Haven’t I met you before??
I’m waiting outside in the car. You’re not working late on a Friday
Is that a question? :)
It’s an order ;)
A shiver runs down my spine. He might be joking, but just imagining the kind of orders a man like Christian could give fucking turns me on. Even if I’m the kind of woman who’s not the sweet, submissive type. Sex is like a battle between us, and that’s just how I like it.
I’ll get my things together…
Don’t linger, my love
I stop dead at the words on the screen, my breath hitching in my throat. It’s not quite an I love you, but it’s pretty damn close.
I leave the office at a measured pace, because it’s not very seemly for a senior reputation manager to sprint out of the room, fling herself into a waiting Town Car, all while tearing off her clothes in the process, which is exactly what I’d like to do right now.
I stand calmly in the elevator as it whisks me down to the lobby, and I even take the time to tuck my access badge into my purse and put on my sunglasses before exiting the building.
The Town Car is parked right in front of the HRM headquarters. Louis stands outside the back door, waiting to open it for me. After a quick glance to the left and right to make sure no one is watching, I’m striding across the hot pavement. With a nod to Louis, I slip into the cool, leather-filled interior of the Town Car.