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“Not dressed like this,” she said, straightening from having put her boots on.
“We can drive through a Starbucks. Mocha and a scone?”
“You know my vices too well,” she said, pretending her world didn’t feel as if it were coming undone.
“I’m hoping to add a few more to the list.”
She smiled, but it was halfhearted.
“Ready?” He glanced around to be sure they had everything in the bag before zipping it shut.
They left the room, checked out of the hotel then headed for the car. Fog hung low and the day was unseasonably cool. The clouds matched her restless mood. His promised discussion loomed, making her uncomfortable.
“There’s a seat warmer if you need to turn it on,” he said.
The leather was cool on the backs of her thighs, but she replied, “I’m fine.”
He shot her a glance, but she made a show of looking at her cell phone for the coffee shop’s address.
After giving him directions, she sat back.
Kelsey told herself that she should be euphoric this morning—they’d had amazing sex, a mind-blowing scene at the club. But all of that contributed to her discontent.
She was in danger of falling in love with him.
There was a good possibility he was preparing to discuss how they would resume a normal work relationship beginning on Monday. A worse option was that he’d want to continue as they were, with him dominating her every evening.
They had only been intimate for a short amount of time, and despite her best intentions, she’d allowed herself to become emotionally attached to him.
There was no way she could go back to a normal boss and employee relationship. Saying goodnight at the end of the day and going home alone, or maybe watching him move on and start dating someone else, would slowly eat at her.
And if he wanted to continue as they were, she’d lose what was left of her heart. There was no way she could stay with Nathan without falling the rest of the way in love. When things eventually ended, it would take a piece of her soul with it.
Too late, she realized she should have never given in to the temptation to find out what she’d been missing.
The drive-through lane had several cars waiting, and the lobby looked empty. “I could go in,” he said. “Faster that way.”
Her phone chimed with an incoming message. “Sounds good.”
“What kind of scone?”
“Maple. And fair warning, I’m not sharing. This is not like chocolate cake. I can and will eat the whole thing.”
“After last night, I need something with more protein.” He parked then, after turning up his collar, jogged through the gentle drizzle that had started falling from the fat clouds.
The effort to behave normally cost her, and she allowed her spine to relax against the seatback as she checked her phone. She grinned when a picture of Andi showed up.
Wish I got to see Mr. Hottie Boss beat your ass. Was it good?
She typed in a quick reply.
Amazing.
Knew it! Ha! Happy for you.
Andi had added half a dozen smileys, hearts and fist bumps.
At a loss, Kelsey didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure what to say…share her doubts? Revel in how astounding the night had been? Her emotions were so conflicted that she didn’t know how to unravel them.
He returned to the car and offered the drink.
“And the pastry, mister.”
“Not sure which one is yours.”
She pulled both bags from his hand.
“Never get between a woman and her scone,” he said. “Lesson learned.”
After she had broken off the end of the scone and popped it in her mouth, she gave him the other bag.
He took a few bites from his egg-and-something-that-smelled-delicious sandwich before indulging in long gulps of coffee. “I may survive until I get you home,” he said.
Freeway traffic was still light, and they made it back to her house faster than she’d expected.
“Would you like to come up?” She was only half hoping he’d accept the invitation.
He nodded.
Fortunately Mr. Martinez and the shocked hamster were nowhere in sight.
Once they were in her condo, she wasn’t certain how to act. Did he want to spend the day together as if they were a couple? And what would that mean? Running errands, doing laundry, cooking?
She removed her jacket. Then remembering his directive from the first time he’d visited, she offered to take his.
“Thanks.”
Because she was chilled, she turned on the fireplace. She was surprised when she turned back around and he was right there.
He captured her bare shoulders in his hands. “It’s time we had that talk.”
Her tummy twisted into a dozen knots.
“I want you to move in with me.”
