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“Ifeel like all I do is say goodbye to you now,” I said, my head propped on my fist as I leaned on my side in my bed, looking down at Brynn.
She had that post-orgasm glow shining in her eyes and all over her skin, her lips swollen from the amount of kissing we’d done moments prior.
I swore I couldn’t figure out which way Brynn was more beautiful—lust-glowing and sated in my bed or all business in her pencil skirts and blouses. Maybe it was in her yoga pants and an oversized hoodie, because I was fond as hell of that too. It really didn’t matter what she wore, she made everything shine. Fuck, I was such a goner for her.
“Is that bad?” Brynn asked, her features shifting from blissful to concerned in the span of a blink. “Are you feeling neglected?”
I furrowed my brow, grazing a fingertip along the delicate line of her jaw. “Do I really come off as that needy?” I asked honestly.
“No,” she said, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I would’ve sucked it free and soothed the small hurt, but she looked serious.
“But?” I urged her.
“I just…I don’t want my work to get in the way of us.”
“Shit,” I said. “Is that how I’m making you feel?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe it’s me. A lot has changed for me over the last six months. Not just with my new position in the marketing firm, but with you. I’m still learning how to navigate it.”
“We both are,” I said, shifting closer and gliding my hand down to rest on her hip. “Do I miss having you around all the time, ready and able to fix any glitch in my life? Yes, I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t.” More nerves flashed in her eyes so I hurried to continue. “But that pales in comparison to how damn proud of you I am, Brynn.”
“Really?”
How could she not see it? How could she constantly doubt herself when it came to me?
You waited a decade to make a move. It’ll take time for her to trust this is real.
I leaned down, brushing a soft, reassuring kiss over her lips. “Really,” I said. “I love watching you flourish…in any capacity,” I added the last bit, wanting her to know it was as much for her brilliant mind as our impeccable chemistry in the bed. “I’ll survive,” I continued. “You’re in my life, just like you always have been. You’re just in a different role. But you’re here. That’s all that matters.”
She seemed to think on that for a few moments, her eyes churning. I would’ve drained half my bank account to know exactly what was going on in there, but I knew better than to push her. She would tell me if she needed more assurance when it came to us, or anything at all. I knew that.
Finally, the smallest smile shaped her lips. “Sounds like you might need to hire a second assistant.”
My heart immediately rebelled at the idea, but the logical side of my brain told me she was right. I needed help in the areas Brynn hadn’t been able to cover, but the idea of hiring someone new…it just didn’t feel right. It had been Brynn and me against the world since my father died, and she’d been a key ingredient to helping me not only maintain my inherited empire, but expanding it. How could anyone possibly come close to replacing her?
It’s easy. They wouldn’t. But if it would ease her mind, take more off her mental load, I was more than willing to comply.
“I’ll start searching,” I said. “No one will compare to you, but I know you have more demands in your schedule now. I don’t want you overwhelmed.”
She sighed. “The independent woman in me wants to say I can continue handling both,” she said. “But the exhausted woman in me is telling the other to shut the hell up and take the help.”
I laughed, relishing when she joined in. “We’ll figure it all out,” I assured her.
She nodded, something still churning behind her eyes, but her phone alarm rang before I could ask further.
“Time to go,” she said, kissing me quickly before hopping out of bed and hurrying into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, she came out looking like a damn vision, her business attire firmly in place as she slipped into her pumps.
“You’re heading into the firm while I’m gone right?” she asked, grabbing her packed weekend bag.
“Yes,” I said, wrapping the sheet around my waist as I crossed the room. “Seth has some things he wants to go over with me. And I have to go over the focus group responses for the early test campaigns.”
Brynn’s eyes were firmly on my waist, gazing hungrily over the definition of my abdomen. I made a mental note to add in extra workouts, because the appreciation in her eyes waslife.
“I’m sorry,” she said, eyes snapping up to mine. “I didn’t hear a word pastyes.”
I laughed, leaning down to steal another kiss. “You’re going to be late,” I said when her hands splayed over my chest. “And as much as I would love to make you late, I want to be supportive.”
