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“Really?”
“Yes,” he nods. Then his blue eyes go dark and he cups my hands in his own before pressing them to his heart. “I never told you this, Katy, but I’ve wanted you for a long time as well. For a few years at least, but I knew it wasn’t right, so I stayed away. I made myself keep my distance, but it was hard honey. You were always so beautiful and flirtatious, and I basically had to put myself in a mental straitjacket in order to keep from breaking the law.”
I stare at the handsome man. I want to kiss him so bad. I want to jump up in his arms and get lost in him, but this isn’t the place so I just smile.
“Really?” I murmur through my tears. “I thought you hated me for always teasing you and trying to get a rise. Well, not hate maybe, but at least you thought I was annoying.”
He shakes his head, his expression amused as he tucks a golden tendril behind my ear.
“No sweetheart, I was never annoyed at you. I was just trying to resist the luscious temptation that is Katy Mellon, and I admit, the moment you turned eighteen, my control broke. After your birthday, I was scheming to find ways to be alone with you.”
A gasp.
“Are you serious?”
He nods with a flicker of a smile on his face.
“Yes. It’s good that you called me that night because I was probably going to ravish you the next time we were together. Even if was in an office setting,” he adds.
I giggle at that.
“Oh you!” I murmur, already feeling better. But then Brad’s handsome face goes serious as he takes my hand.
“Let’s go face the music, okay honey?” he asks. “It’s going to be fine, I promise. After this is all done with, I’ll treat you to lunch okay? There’s a new pasta place over on 72nd that I hear has a great lasagne.”
Taking a deep breath, I nod and follow him into my dad’s building. My heart’s going a million miles an hour, but Brad squeezes my hand and throws me a reassuring smile over his shoulder. That’s when I relax a bit because my man will make things right, no matter the cost to himself.
The elevator ride to my dad’s penthouse on the top floor usually feels like it takes forever. But of course, today, we make it to his door in record time and I gulp heavily. Oh god, butterflies are dancing in my stomach and I hope we get this over with sooner rather than later.
But when the door slides open, Brad takes my hand and we stroll together to my father’s apartment.
“Are you ready?” he asks once we reach the imposing white double doorway. I nod, wiping away the remnants of my tears.
“Ready,” I say.
With that, my boyfriend raps authoritatively on the wood, and the door swings open almost immediately. Joseph doesn’t say a word when he sees Brad and me side by side, but I don’t miss the way his jaw clenches likes he’s working hard to hold his temper.
“Come in,” he says in a curt tone. Silently, we move into the living room of the airy penthouse. To be honest, my dad lives in a palace. He doesn’t make much as a politician, but fortunately, he inherited his grandmother’s estate upon her death, and one of her assets was this five thousand square foot apartment overlooking Central Park. The main floor includes a living room, kitchen, and dining room, while upstairs, there are four bedrooms, all with attached bathrooms. I suppose it’s going to be mine someday, but I haven’t thought that far, to be honest. I’d be happy living with Brad in a humble apartment, if that’s what it takes to stay together.
Meanwhile, Dad sits in one of the chairs before the fireplace and gestures for us to take a seat on the large couch. Brad and I obey, careful to maintain a decent distance between us. My father frowns, looking a bit like a Roman emperor with his proud profile and regal bearing, but then he leans forward and pierces us with his eyes.
“Now which one of you is going to tell me what’s going on?” he demands.
I jump right in without thinking. “Dad, it’s not what you think. We’re just friends, I swear. Brad was helping me calm down after I had a little bit of an anxiety attack at the event last night. You know how my anxiety sometimes spikes during public events? Well, yesterday was my first Town Hall ever as an intern, and I just wanted to do well, so I tried really hard and everything got away from me. But you can’t blame Brad because he did nothing wrong,” I continue in a rushed tone. “Again, Brad was just calming me down after realizing that I was freaking out.”
