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He holds four stuffed animals under his arm, his hands thrust in the pockets of his trench coat. It was an unusually warm day today, so he left his sweater in the car, his gray t-shirt visible under the open coat.
“What do you want to do now?” he asks.
I tuck my hand in his elbow, and he gives me that slow smile of his that makes something flutter in the pit of my stomach.
“Well, we’ve tried most of the rides,” I say, glancing through the map of the park. “And it’s getting kind of late. My flight’s tomorrow afternoon and I have another meeting with George over breakfast.”
“Over breakfast?” He frowns, not able to hide his displeasure at the idea. “That’s oddly intimate.”
I shrug. “Well, he did say he wants a more hands-on approach. I think he plans on working alongside my team.” I kick a random pebble on the ground. “Guess I’ll be seeing a whole lot of him over breakfast, lunch, dinner, depending on how things go.”
“You’re making him sound more like a boyfriend than a client.” Ian’s voice is a little stiff. His annoyance makes me happy. It means I am getting under his skin.
“Well, you never know. He might grow on me. We will be spending a lot of time together.”
I feel his muscles tense under my hand, and suddenly the weather seems all the more enjoyable.
However, I drag him out of his sulky mood by distracting him with a few more stalls. We drink spiced wine, and I can feel myself getting a little drunk. Ian has a higher tolerance for alcohol than me, and while he looks happily buzzed, I realize that I am edging more towards tipsy, which is not a good sign.
“One more round?” he asks, grinning at my flushed face. I scrunch up my nose.
“That’s it for me. I have to be alert for my meeting in the morning.”
“But you landed such a huge account today. We should be celebrating!” Ian persists, his warm breath on my neck as he stands next to me, making my pulse quicken. He stands so close to me that I can almost count the gold specks in his eyes.
I dig my nails into my wrist, the sharp pain bringing me to my senses momentarily.
My voice is firm. “It’s getting late, Ian. I don’t want to screw this account up just because I was busy getting drunk to celebrate it.”
Ian sighs. “Would it be so terrible to—” When I narrow my eyes at him, he hastily backtracks, “Sleep it is. I’ll take one for the road, though.”
The drive back isn't that long, and I find myself feeling a little reckless. The whole drive back, I recite a mental list of everything that can go bad if I act on my impulses. The more time I spend with Ian, the harder it is for me not to just put my mouth on his and see what happens.
We walk into the hotel together, and I yawn. “I’m going to go to bed. I want to be up at six.” I shrug off my jacket and bat when Ian takes it from me.
“I’ll help you carry everything.”
Grinning, I enter the elevator after him. “We sure did win a lot of things, today. I’ve never seen so many stuffed animals. I usually give them to Jake and Ryan. I just like the winning part of the games.”
Ian walks me to the door. “If you want, I can take them back with me.”
As I unlock my door, my eyes fall on the small black and yellow giraffe peeking out from the pile of stuffed toys in his arms. I pluck it out. “Not this one.”
He studies it. “Why not? You like it that much?”
I shrug, not wanting to reveal too much. “No, I mean, I just want to keep this one. You won it for me. It’s going to go on my bed.”
“Agatha,” Ian’s eyes grow dark, and I feel something quiver inside me with need.
I don’t say anything, just watch him, unable to tear my gaze away from the hunger in his eyes. My breath catches in my throat when his eyes go to my lips.
I know if something happens right now, there is a possibility that it’ll go south. He’s not ready to accept he harbors more than feelings of friendship towards me.
I can’t let this situation get out of hand.
I swallow. “Ah, it’s late. I mean, George won’t like it if I’m—”
I am not expecting his eyes to blaze with jealousy, and when I take a step back, he takes one forward. My heart is racing in my chest.
