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“Want your cheesecake, kitten?”
“No,” I slur, because in this moment, there isn’t anything in the world I want more than to fall asleep in Ryan’s arms.
Chapter Twelve
Paige
* * *
WHEN I WAKE in the morning, I know instantly Captain’s not in the room. I’ve gotten to the point where I can feel him, no matter where he is. Rolling over, I see a note and a little butterfly flaps its wings in my belly.
Kitten,
I’m taking Mallory to meet with a wedding planner. Miles asked to walk to work with you this morning, so get your pretty ass up and get to it.
Missing you
R
PS your snore is adorable
I want to crumple up the note, but at the same time I want to hug it to my chest. How can he be so annoying and sweet at the same time?
Just like last night. He was sweet in the dirtiest way, showing me a side of him I didn’t even know was there. I like that I get that from him. Everyone else sees him as calm and cool, but I get to see something else. Like I have my own part of Captain no one else gets. Only I can draw it out of him, and he does it to me, too. It reminds me of the night he brought me home and told me he wanted the Paige I hide from the world, and I found myself wanting to give it to him.
I jump in the shower and make quick work of getting ready. When I’m out, I blow-dry my hair a little and then pull it back into a low ponytail. I knot the length around the band, making it look like I have some kind of hairstyle, when really this is the easiest thing.
I pull out a long-sleeved blue dress shirt that makes my eyes pop, and a pair of long black slacks. It’s my basic uniform of a button-up and slacks, but the fun is always in the shoes. Today I grab my royal-blue pair of Manolo Blahnik’s and slip them on. They match my shirt and my eyes, and I wonder if Captain will like it. I shake the thought from my mind.
When I walk to the front door, I see a bag on the counter. I wonder how he left to get me breakfast and then came back and set it on the counter without my waking up. I must have been more tired than I realized last night.
I open the bag and smile at the baked goods inside. He even brought me a Red Bull. I walk out the door, going to the lobby to wait for Miles to come down so I can escort him to work. When I get downstairs, he’s already waiting on me and talking to the front desk manager, and I check my watch to be sure I’m not late. I’m actually fifteen minutes early, so I wonder what’s going on.
“Morning,” I mumble around a mouthful of muffin.
“Hi,” he says, smiling and then eyeing the bag.
I hold it out to him politely in offering, but thankfully, he shakes his head. I don’t know that I could have parted with any of the food Captain got for me. Something about him getting it makes it feel extra special.
“I thought I’d come down early and we could walk to work together. Mallory wanted to meet the wedding planner first, and seems to think that it would be for the best. Something about me scaring her off if I went with her.”
“You don’t say.” I raise an eyebrow. Miles laughs, and I realize he’s never done that with me before. The strange sound is nice, and for a second I forget our history and laugh with him.
“I also thought this might be a good chance to talk.”
My smile drops along with my stomach. It’s the fear that’s been sitting in the back of my mind. Now that he has Mallory, he doesn’t need me anymore. His little spy is no longer useful. Hell, I think I actually made things worse for him since we’ve gotten to New York, even plotting to sneak out with Mal one night. I’m surprised he didn’t fire me on the spot that time.
“Let’s walk. It’s nice out this morning.”
I nod and slip my bag of breakfast into my shoulder bag. I’m not so hungry anymore, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. But better to get this over with as soon as possible and while it’s only the two of us. Mal would probably make him keep me on, and I don’t want to be here just because I’m his soon-to-be-wife’s best friend. I want to be here because I’m wanted. Not because I’m pitied.
“Paige, I’ve always known what you mean to Mallory and how important you are to her. I knew that even before she found out the truth about how I’d influenced her life. I saw the relationship you two had forged over time, and I don’t want to interfere with that. Even if at times I’m a little jealous of it.”
