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Chapter Twenty-Five
Luke
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In the weeks leadingup to the competition, Meg was working nonstop. I'd never seen anyone as dedicated as she was. Not evenIwas like this. She’d earned the respect of the whole team. We all practically had to chase her out of the office, I more than anyone else. Between all this, she’d also helped me finalize everything for Paisley’s treehouse. Her birthday party was last Saturday, and she’d been thrilled with the gift. Meg took the day off to celebrate with us but then spent the entire Sunday working.
I had a good plan to help her relax. I believed in hard work, but I was also a strong believer in balance. And right now, my woman was heading straight to burnout. I wasn't going to allow it.
On Friday evening, one week after Paisley’s birthday, she and I were one of the last ones at the office. I planned to throw her over my shoulder and take her away from here if need be.
At seven o’clock, Jonathan poked his head into my office. “Boss, I’m leaving. Are you coming too?”
“No, I’ve still got a few things to do.”
Jonathan winked at me.Winked. I cocked a brow at him.
“I’m out. Have a great weekend,” he said.
“You too.”
I listened intently until I heard the elevator doors. Then the entire office was completely silent. Turning off my computer, I stood up, heading straight to Megan.
She was in the same spot as usual, by the window. The only light was coming from her screen. Tomorrow was the deadline for sending the digital presentation to the committee. She also had to drop off the physical model at a designated address.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said.
She startled, looking over her shoulder. “I thought I was the last one here.”
“There’s no one else except us.”
I walked to her, eyeing her raised shoulders. She was tense. I put my hands on the sides of her neck, pressing my fingers in her flesh.
She gasped. “Oh, this is good.”
I brought my mouth to her ear. “I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and take you home. Just so you know.”
She laughed throatily. “You’re welcome to do that, but I’m going to work on the presentation at home too. And the physical model.”
“Yeah, but I get to take care of you in between, so it’s still better than staying here.”
She glanced at me sideways, sighing. “You’re amazing.”
Turning to look at the computer, she said, “Okay. Let’s go.”
At home, she stayed up late, obsessing over the physical architectural model.
On Saturday morning, I woke up with a plan, then immediately realized I couldn't put it into action because Meg wasn't next to me. She was an early riser, but it was 7:00 a.m. This was far too early for her getting up on a weekend, but today she had to take the physical architectural model to the committee. The competition was in two weeks, but the committee wanted time to decide and review everything.
I only put on jeans, commando and without a shirt, then walked into the living room. She was lying on her belly on the floor, hovering over the physical model. She was gluing bits of fake grass near the front door.
"Megan, did you sleep at all?"
She looked up at me, yawning. "I tried, but then in the middle of the night, I got an idea, and I came back here to do it. But now I'm done.” She sat up on her ass, looking at her work.
“Good, because I've got plans today.”
She glanced up. I extended a hand, helping her to her feet. She looked damn tired. Her ponytail had fallen apart. She had dark circles under her eyes and was pale.
