“Oh, that’s a shame. Don’t worry, there’s someone wonderful for you out there.” Theo was someone wonderful, just not available. “Have you caught up with Theodore? Ethan tells me he lives in New York,” her mother asked, eerily prescient.
Chloe drew circles on the counter with her index finger. “I’ve seen him a few times. He owns a club I’ve been to.” It was another half-truth. She hated deceiving her mother like this.
“I’ve always liked Theo. I remember you had the biggest crush on him.” Her mother chuckled.
What? Her mother knew that too? Was her love for him so obvious? “No, I didn’t,” she lied.
Her mother snorted. “You followed him around like a puppy, and when he left Sydney, you didn’t come out of your room for a week. Is he still as sweet as I remember?”
Sweet? That’s definitely not how Chloe would describe him. There was an edge, a hardness about him sometimes that she didn’t understand, especially when he spoke about marriage and kids.
“He’s… nice.” The only word she could think of to describe him to her mother. Sexy, hot, and mind blowing was what he really was. “Divorced. Single. No kids,” she added, knowing the likely line of questioning her mother was going to take.
“You know me too well,” her mother said. “You know, this could be your second chance.” She could sense her mother smiling through the phone.
“Second chance at what?”
“To rekindle whatever was happening between the two of you before he left.”
“Rekindle what? What do you mean?”
Her mother told her.
At sunset, the city lights sparkled into life. Faint traffic noises drifted up to the penthouse suite’s balcony where Theo stood shirtless watching the busy city below. A cool breeze rustled through his hair and chilled his bare chest. He should be in the office working, but he wasn’t. It was funny how he didn’t feel the need to work all the time anymore. No longer were his days filled with reports, statistics, and the day to day running of a billion-dollar business. He’d begun to enjoy life again—at least temporarily. And it was all thanks to one person.
Chloe.
She’d consumed his mind. Every day, he wanted to pick up the phone to see her, and not just for sex even if that was pretty much all they’d done. He was starting to want more. Chloe made him feel relaxed and comfortable. She made him forget about the shit he’d been through and his day-to-day worries. She even had him even thinking that maybe his infertility wouldn’t be a problem. But then she’d tell him about something her niece, nephew, and friends’ kids had done, and he’d see the longing in her eyes for children of her own. Better to keep their relationship based on sex and friendship.
The bell to his penthouse rang, and he turned to look into the living room.
“Hello?” Chloe said, opening the door. She was dressed in a long black coat with her hair piled high in a messy bun. He’d told her not to dress up because they were going swimming. Even with no makeup and her hair on top of her head, his heart thudded hard in his chest. She was beautiful no matter how much or how little she wore.
“Hello, Theo?” she called again, setting her purse down and looking around the room.
“Out here.”
When she walked onto the balcony, she gave him a thorough inspection from head to toe. “I think I’m overdressed.” Slowly, she unbuttoned her coat, unwrapped the belt around her waist, and shrugged it off her shoulders. It slid down her arms and pooled at her feet. When she stood in front of him in a tiny yellow bikini, he almost swallowed his tongue. She gave him a sultry grin. “I’m ready to go swimming.”
From the gleam in her eyes, she wanted to do more than swim. He couldn’t get her to the pool fast enough. “Follow me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a door on the side of the balcony where he pressed a code into the pad. It clicked open, revealing a spiral staircase. Leading the way, they headed down the stairs to the “recreational” floor of the penthouse, which contained a billiards table, a small gym, a sauna, and a heated infinity pool with a corner view.
“So, what do you think?” He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and dropped his chin on her shoulder. He wanted to hold her like this forever. God, he had to stop thinking shit like that. It wasn’t possible, but he was going to cherish it while it lasted.
“Oh my God. This is so beautiful.” Chloe’s mouth hung open as she looked around the floor that held the pool. He rarely came here—he never had the time. But if she liked it so much, he’d take her here more often. “You can see the entire city from up here.” She spun around in a slow circle and looked at the pool. “This is all yours?”
“Mostly. My company owns the building, but Logan lives in the suite below this, and we share this space. The pool table is his.” He paused. “I would not recommend having sex on it…it’s been….uh…well used.”
She laughed. “And what about Blake, does he live here?”
“Nope. He crashes in my guest room if he needs to stay in the city. He’s got a house on the ocean out on Montauk. He says the surfing is almost as good as at Macca’s.”
“And here I thought he’d still be living with your parents,” she said, teasing.
“To be fair, if I didn’t have this place, I’d still be living with Mum and Dad. They have a huge place up in Mamaroneck. It’s right on the ocean, but Blake says the surfing isn’t as good.” He shrugged. “I’ve always liked swimming more than surfing.”
She motioned to the infinity pool. “And now you’ve got your own swimming pool.”
“I own the building, and technically it has two. One on the sixth floor for the rest of the residential tenants, and this one that’s just for me—Logan doesn’t swim.”
