“I love you so fucking much,” I whispered against her sweat-drenched chest, while she caught her breath.
I wished we could stay here forever, but sadly we both had places to be. Playing hooky probably wouldn’t look so good in my first week.
Forty-five minutes later, I was in the kitchen pouring coffee into to-go cups when Lowe walked in, pushing her fingers through her thick hair then twisted it, fastening it all with a black band on top of her head. A lump stuck half-way in my throat, trapping my breath and any hope of oxygen getting to my lungs.
It might have been the simplicity of the moment, the intimacy of seeing her clean, bare face first thing in the morning; it might have been the jeans and black Lions hoodie that she was wearing, the one I’d brought over for her this week. It might havebeen the scent of her hitting my brain, the one of sunshine and summer gardens, that reminded me so powerfully of those years where I’d longed for her but knew I’d never get her, that made my knees nearly buckle.
I didn’t know. I didn’t care.
“Oh, is one of those for me?” she asked, looking at the coffee and then me, tipping her head to one side. “What?”
“Nothing. I’ve just never seen you look more beautiful. And I’m so fucking lucky.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her flush to my body, then bent and gently kissed her.
She smiled softly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I handed her one of the cups. “Are you ready, Mrs. Michaelson?”
“I sure am, Mr. Michaelson.” She picked up her bag from the kitchen counter and we walked out of her apartment together, holding hands.
I pressed the elevator button, and stepped in when the doors opened. “You know you don’t have to work in that office building; you have your own private office at the stadium.”
She nodded. “I know, but I need to concentrate today, and it’s a distraction being there sometimes.”
“A distraction? Don’t know why you’d think that.” I winked at her as the elevator reached the lobby floor. Nodding to the doorman, we stepped into the grey September morning, but before she could walk off, I wrapped one arm around her and pulled her to my side, “What time will you finish?”
She shrugged sadly. “I don’t know. I was supposed to meet Lauren for lunch today, but I guess that’s not happening so I’ll probably be done early.”
I stopped my jaw from grinding at the anger I had toward my sister; anger and annoyance, something I fully intended to have a little chat with her about.
I brushed a lone strand of hair away from Lowe’s eyes, wishing I could also brush away the sadness in them. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just being pissy but it won’t last, and you two will go back to being inseparable again.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she replied, though it wasn’t convincing, especially when her eyes glistened with tears again.
“Lowe, baby, I promise it’ll be okay.” I cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb across her soft skin. “I won’t come between you and Lauren.”
“I know.” She tipped her head up a little further and I met her with a kiss. Her mouth opened instinctively, and I swiped my tongue against hers, hot and sweet.
It was as I pulled back and pressed my lips to her temple that I noticed a lone figure walking in the opposite direction. From the way her coat had flicked it was clear she’d just turned around. I’d recognize that coat anywhere, mostly because when she’d bought it, I’d asked if she was auditioning for the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood and received a pinch on my arm in response. One I still had a mark from.
Lowe stepped back. “Okay, I’ll see you later. You’re giving Beulah a tour?”
“Yep. And a pop quiz,” I grinned, which made Lowe smile genuinely wide, and the tightness in my chest loosened a little. I smacked my lips to hers a final time. “Okay, Mrs. Michaelson, I’ll see you later, but I’ll probably call you in an hour just to check in.”
She rolled her eyes and walked off with a little backward wave. I stayed there watching until she was out of sight, then pulled out my phone and shot a text to Beulah letting her know I was going to be an hour later than planned.
Something else had taken priority as my first order of business, and I took off down the street at a determined pace.
It didn’t take me long to reach the children’s clinic, and I pushed open the doors with more force than I probably should have, seeing as several waiting parents all stared up at me. It had been a while since I’d visited Lauren here, mostly because the place was always teeming with sick kids, and never a good location to hang out. Plus, the décor was enough to give a person nightmares.
The receptionist behind the glass wasn’t one I recognized; her narrowed eyes and suspicious glare told me she had no idea who I was either.
“I’m here to see Doctor James,” I announced, giving her the name my sister used for all professional business matters so that she could never be accused of nepotism in the Shepherd Holdings health division. It wasn’t something I’d ever given a fuck about myself, seeing as I’d worked my ass off harder than most people I knew, so nepotism was disputable.
Not that it had got me anywhere.
“She’s busy all day,” the receptionist snapped. “I can offer you something two weeks from tomorrow.”
I gave her the smile which always got me exactly what I wanted, because I had no plans to come back two weeks from tomorrow.
