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They'd also allowed me to work, which was how I met James. Granted, they'd taken fifty dollars out of every one of my paychecks—some bullshit about a favor surcharge—but them letting me get that job resulted in my having a life I'd never dared to dream of.
I'd never really thought about how being unwanted had affected me until Allie said she missed me. Yes, I had friends who cared, but it wasn't the same.
"Thank you, baby. That means more than you know."
After we hung up, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wished I could go to Chicago to be with her during the shoot. I knew I would miss her when she left, but what I hadn't realized was how acute it would be. I thought about her dozens of times over the course of the day.
She'd only stayed with me for a week, so it was crazy that after work, when I got to the house I'd lived in alone without any issue for nearly two years, it somehow felt empty without her. A lot had changed for me in a short period. Where once I'd kept women at bay, with Allie, all I wanted was to be closer.
I couldn't wait for the following weekend when I'd be able to see her in Chicago. I was counting down the fucking minutes.18AllieIt had been amazing to see my words come to life over the past two weeks, but they’d also been some of the longest days ever. And it wasn’t just because of the hours I’d been putting in. I missed Vaughn so freaking much; I almost couldn’t bear it some days. Even as short as they were, our daily calls had been my lifeline. With him working his ass off in the office, starting early in the morning, and me on set until midnight most nights, making time for each other wasn’t easy. But we’d managed it each and every day, which said a lot to me about Vaughn’s commitment to building our relationship.
Whoever first said that distance made the heart grow fonder was spot on. I hadn’t seen Vaughn for twelve days, but my feelings for him had still somehow grown by leaps and bounds during that time. I was so excited to see him again that I had braved the craziness of O’Hare airport to meet him after he got off the plane.
Standing in the baggage claim area, I was holding up a sign that had his last name written in block letters. It covered my face and most of my upper body, and I was hoping he wouldn’t realize it was me until he was close enough for me to be able to reach out and touch him.
About ten minutes after I’d gotten a text letting me know he’d landed, another one came through.
Vaughn: Almost to baggage claim. I’m meeting the driver there, right?
Me: Yup! Someone’s there waiting for you. Just look for the sign. See you soon!“Sooner than you know.” I giggled to myself, tucking my cell back in my pocket. Gripping the paper tightly, I barely refrained from peeking around the sign to look for Vaughn. A couple of minutes later, I let out a squeal when I was lifted off my feet and into a bear hug.
“You should’ve told me you were the one waiting. I would’ve walked a fuck of a lot faster,” Vaughn growled before claiming my mouth in a deep kiss.
I flung my arms around his neck, and the sign fell to the floor. Not that I cared. I was too busy kissing him back to worry about anything other than how long it would take to get back to my place.
“Get a room!” someone called out, and Vaughn dragged his lips away from mine.
“That sounds like a damn good idea to me,” he rasped before bending down to pick his bag and my sign up off the floor.
I took the poster board from him and folded it up just small enough to shove it into a nearby garbage can. Then I grabbed his free hand and led him toward the door closest to where the limo I’d hired was waiting. As soon as we got into the back, the driver pulled away from the curb. The privacy screen was up, so I didn’t hesitate to climb onto Vaughn’s lap. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“You’d better believe it.” His hips jerked up, pressing his hard length between my legs. “Since I’m the only man who gets to be this close to you.”
I slid my fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair. Tugging lightly to tilt his head back, I nipped at his bottom lip before whispering, “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” he agreed. “Remind me to book a private jet for the next trip. I lost at least an hour with you by flying commercial.”
