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“Look,” she said in her somewhat reasonable-sounding tone, though she was a bit breathy. “I’m not one for letting the cart fly of the rails when it comes to relationships, but I’m not going to renege on our date. I want to go. However, before anything gets too crazy between us—”
His brow jerked up again.
She sighed. “Okay, last night was a little wild. But I’m talking about whether or not we go all the way.”
He studied her carefully as the line slowly inched forward. Today, the patrons surrounding them were more engrossed in their own conversations or their smartphones than what L.L. quietly said. So Tague didn’t feel the need to temper his response.
“You don’t think it’s inevitable?” he challenged.
“Nothing is inevitable,” she countered.
Tague’s gaze narrowed. “You can say that after what happened at the club?”
L.L. gnawed her lower lip a moment, then released it and gave a sharp nod. “Good point, counselor.”
He smirked. “I’m not debating a point, but arriving at a critical juncture. I know what I want.” He leaned in close and asked, “What do you want?”
She was rendered speechless for several seconds.
His gaze didn’t waver as he waited patiently for her to answer.
Finally, she said, “I feel as though I should repeat that I need to know you better first. But now that feels hypocritical or something. I don’t know. I was willing to give into a lot more last night than I imagined I would and that makes me a little nervous. Again…like I—we—should be sensible about this.”
“Is there such a thing when two people are this hot for each other?”
She sighed. “Why am I suddenly certain you never lose a case?”
“I do. But only when there are circumstances I have absolutely no control over mitigating.”
Staring up at him, she asked, “And because you’re Tague Mason, you think you have control over this?”
With a pointed look, he told her, “I’m interested in more than just a one-time hookup with you. I’m interested in doing a hell of lot more to you than I did at the club.”
She pulled in a deep breath.
Tague continued. “I don’t need to know you any better to accept how incredible we’ll be together. But I also see how there could be some concerns, given how powerful the attraction is between us. So the fact that we aren’t all that well acquainted could pose a problem. I, for one, am willing to tackle that issue.”
He had Japan to consider. Definitely an issue that would have to be reconciled between them. He’d be leaving New York shortly. And though he’d be returning every quarter at a minimum, if the office became a permanent mainstay for the firm, he wouldn’t be in Manhattan on a regular basis…or when she might need him.
Tague didn’t shy away from the possibility of something more serious with L.L.—not after what they’d experienced the previous evening. Not just how sexually charged they’d been, but how emotionally connected they were because of their past pains and current ambitions.
At the same time, he had dreams and plans he wasn’t willing to alter, so he wasn’t wholly sure of the concessions to be made, beyond making a conscientious decision to fly back here at least once a month, instead of three.
Which prompted him to tell her about his impending trip to Tokyo. Lay all his cards on the table so that he didn’t blindside her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but it was their turn at the counter.
Tripp gave L.L. his undivided attention as she asked for her usual.
Before the barista could get a word in edgewise, Tague recited the order, not missing a single ingredient.
L.L. stared up at him, her jaw slack.
He gave her a cocky grin. “Don’t think for a second that I don’t hear everything you say, baby.”
Her eyes grew wide.
“I understand,” he told her with conviction, indicating her need to know him better before she slept with him, before they got in too deep with each other. While she visibly reeled, he shifted his attention to Tripp. “Regular coffee for me.”
