I wasn’t upset, not really. At least, not with him. I knew this was the end, but I didn’t want it to be.
“Sumner.” He caught up to me, pulling me aside so I was trapped against the metal railing. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Talk to me.”
I didn’t want to talk, so I gripped the lapels of his jacket as if I could hold on to him. Keep him. He tangled his fingers in my hair, angling my head, and I could barely stand or remember my name. He kissed me until I’d forgotten that we were temporary. Until I’d forgotten about anything but him.
Chapter Sixteen
“If we keep this up, we’re going to miss our flight,” I said, though the words lacked any heat.
I was more focused on the feel of Sumner’s naked body wrapped around mine. Her hair brushing against my skin. The fact that I didn’t want this to end.
Sumner’s green eyes peered into mine. “Would that really be such a terrible thing?”
No.“Yes. I have meetings, and…” I lost all train of thought when she rocked her hips against me. My heart was racing, and I was still trying to catch my breath from our latest round.
She laughed, and I breathed her in, closing my eyes as I tried to memorize everything about her. All the while, knowing this was the last time. The last time I’d hold her in my arms or kiss her. The last time she’d be mine.
I was tempted to stall. To miss our flight back. To do anything for more time with her, but I knew that was foolish. It would only be delaying the inevitable.
“Come on.” I slapped her butt before rolling us so that I was on top. “Let’s shower.”
I climbed out of bed and paused, pressing my lips to her bare shoulder. She was beautiful in the early morning light, the sun warming her skin through the slit in the curtains. The sheet draped her body, revealing her curves and making me want to sink my teeth into her skin.
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and hurried out of bed. “Crap. It’s even later than I realized.” She shoved my clothes at me, scrambling to pick up her own. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in thirty.”
I was so tempted to follow her to the bathroom, to join her in the shower like I had our first morning together. But when my phone buzzed with a text from the car service, I knew she was right. It was time.
It was also time to clarify where things stood between us.
I was buttoning my shirt when she returned to the room, riffling through her suitcase.
“No one can ever know about this. You understand, right?” She nodded, her movements rushed like my thoughts. “We go back to how we were. As if this week never happened. Because if anyone…” I scrubbed a hand over my face considering all the ways this could go sideways. “This has to be our little secret because the optics would—”
Her sharp intake of breath gave me pause.
“Optics, right,” she repeated, though I didn’t understand the edge in her tone. “Of course. I understand.”
I hesitated a moment, then asked, “Are we good?”
“Yep. Fine.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
I took a step forward, tempted to follow her. To press her. But another glance at the clock had me thinking better of it.
“Okay. See you downstairs,” I called out before the door shut behind me.
When my phone buzzed with a new email, I frowned and hurried down the hall, my mind already back on work. Back on the things that needed to get done, many of which I’d put off this week to be with Sumner. One of the permits had been rejected on an office building, and the client was freaking out. In the past, I would’ve spent most of the ride to the airport responding to emails on my phone. But I now had more confidence in my team thanks to Sumner, and I was pleased by how they handled the situation.
When I glanced over at Sumner, her shoulders were tight, lips drawn. I assumed it was because of the impending flight and her nerves.
“You okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Yep.” She continued typing on her phone as she had been before. “Just catching up on work.”
“Same,” I said, feeling as if both of us were using it as an excuse. It made me question whether we were even capable of going back to how things were after everything that had transpired this past week. The idea of returning to how things had been made my gut clench with dread.
When the driver pulled up to the airport, Sumner shot out of the car before he could open the door. He unloaded the bags, and she grabbed hers before I could. She struggled with her tote and her bag, the tote continually falling off the side.
“Here,” I said, holding out my hand.
