AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How about we skip it?” I ask, knowing I’d much rather spend the night with just Zoey than her and a room full of other people.
Zoey smirks, crossing her arms as she looks up at me. She’s tall in her heels, but I’ve still got a good couple of inches on her. “Is that cool? Us skipping the dinner? Aren’t you like an invited speaker at this thing?”
I roll my eyes, smiling a little as I playfully pinch her side. “It’s fine, no one will miss us.”
“Somehow I don’t believe that,” she scoffs.
“You want to go to the dinner?” I ask, chuckling. “Cause if you really do then we—”
Zoey shakes her head, a secretive little smile on her face. “No, I’m good with skipping it.”
Thank fuck.
By four, the conference is over, we’ve both checked out and are in the back of a cab on the way to my condo. It feels exhilarating and slightly overwhelming to know I’ve got this woman to myself for the next twenty-four hours and not for the first time do I have thoughts of suggesting we stay on for the weekend.
“So what’s our plan now we’re playing hooky from this conference?” Zoey asks as we pull up to the front of my building.
The doorman greets the driver, pulling our bags from the trunk as Zoey and I climb out of the car. “I thought maybe we could head over to the markets, grab some food and then eat in. Unless you want to go out?” I quickly add, wondering why I’m suddenly feeling like a nervous teenage boy.
Zoey smiles as we follow the doorman into my building. “So do you mean grab take-out or grab food to make, because just so you know, I don’t really cook.”
I laugh as we step into the elevator, the doorman following us in before he hits the button for the top floor. “I was thinking of grabbing food to make,” I tell her, catching her gaze in the mirrored reflection of the doors. “And I’ll cook for you.”
Zoey raises a brow, a smile on her face as she says, “You’ll cook for me, huh?”
“Yep,” I reply. “How does that sound?”
She watches me for a few seconds, still smiling before she says, “I think that sounds perfect.”
I return the smile before turning away, my eyes settling on the doorman’s reflection and the tiny smile he’s also wearing.
“Oh wow, what an amazing view,” Zoey says as we step into my condo and she comes face to face with the walls of glass looking out over the bay, the giant wheel at Pier 57.
“Come this way,” I say, my hand on her lower back as I steer her over to the other side of the condo and the spectacular views of the mountain.
“Oh my god,” she whispers. “How did you ever leave this view?”
I chuckle, turning to watch her, see her reaction as she takes in the picture-perfect views of Seattle I have. “I don’t know, I’ve got some pretty impressive views in Tahoe,” I murmur, my eyes never leaving her.
Zoey glances up at me, a small smile on her face as we watch each other. I want to lean in and kiss her, but I don’t, knowing that as much as I want to, this all feels like a situation I need to tread very carefully with.
“You wanna change and head out?” I ask.
“Sure,” she replies. “Sounds good.”
I step back as I walk over to our bags, wheeling them both down the hall toward the bedrooms. As much as I want to put them both in mine, I also don’t want to make any assumptions, so instead, I show her the guest room with adjoining bathroom. “Make yourself at home,” I say, as I move toward the door. “Anything you need, just let me know.”
Zoey watches me, an unreadable expression on her face as her eyes drop to my bag before lifting to my face. “Thanks,” she says quietly. “Just give me five minutes.”
I walk across the hall to my bedroom, throwing my bag onto the bed, as I let out a long exhale. This whole situation, her and I here with no one else around, feels intoxicating and dangerous, intense and oh so tempting.
The problem is, I don’t know exactly what it is Zoey wants; what she expects. I know there’s an attraction here and I know it’s mutual. I also know it’s got nothing to do with who either of us is and everything to do with this connection we share.
But what the fuck am I supposed to do about it?
Do I make the first move or do I wait for her to? She kissed me last night, but maybe it was part of the show. A ploy to get that asshole to back off.
“Fucking hell, Ethan,” I mutter as I pull off my jacket and tie. “Get it to-fucking-gether, man.”
