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It also got him in the right frame of mind for going home at the end of the week.
So while the feeling of leaving Dani in a few days would be akin to his chest being ripped open, the thought of Birmingham helped ease the ache. There was a possibility the school would need to put protocols in place for his return, with the fervor surrounding his increased profile. It was unfortunate, especially after all he’d done during the initial hiring process to convince the dean that he wouldn’t be a distraction. He was amenable to reducing his schedule or just lecturing upper-level courses until it all died down. Whatever they required, he would do if it meant getting back to work.
***
The drive back to the house had taken a little more than two hours and it was only in the last twenty minutes or so that the echo of the flashing lights had disappeared from behind his eyelids, the click of the shutters and the yelling from the photographers receded from his ears. Would he ever get used to that experience, one it seemedhe was destined never to escape? He’d spent so many years avoiding that situation, swearing he’d never live in the hot glare of the spotlight, and yet in the past few months he’d been burned by the almost constant exposure.
Jameson nodded to his PPO, then entered the large house that he and Dani had been occupying for the past few weeks. He’d initially thought she owned it, but she’d corrected his assumption.
“I do well, but notthiswell,” she’d said, laughing. “Bennie thought it might be better for us to rent something versus risking the chance that one of my neighbors would sell us out to the tabloids.”
Placing his phone on the circular glass table in the middle of the foyer, his gaze strayed to the floor-to-ceiling windows and the magnificent ocean beyond. He found it remarkable that one could live and have access to this type of view, white puffy clouds dotting an endless blue sky that seemed to meet azure blue waves somewhere in the distance. During his time here he’d gotten used to spending his evenings on the stone patio off the main bedroom, watching the glorious sunset produce trails of orange and purple on the water’s surface.
He needed certainty and routine, craving the sense of calm and organization it brought him. But loving Dani was akin to setting a bull loose in the china shop of his life. Sure, he could try to stop it, but it would be useless. Instead, he gave in to it, his anxiety soothed and repaired by the consistency of her affection. No matter the craziness they would have to deal with—and given the nature of their lives there would be a lot—he knew they’d get through it together. Because she’d earned his trust.
Such a sentiment would’ve been unfathomable not too long ago. But Dani had changed that for him.
She’d changed everything.
“It’s about time! Where have you been?”
Speaking of magnificent views...
Dani stood in the doorway, lovely in a purple cropped T-shirt and ripped jeans, her hair in big puffy curls.
She took his breath away.
Every.
Single.
Time.
He crossed the distance between them in three strides, pulling her into him and fusing his mouth to hers, his eyes closing as shards of pleasure splintered throughout his body. Kissing her was more than lips touching and tongues tangling. He breathed her in, allowing her essence to seep into his bones, reminding him that with her, he’d found his forever.
He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “I had the speaking engagement at Berkeley. I told you about it.”
“I know.” She shuddered. “But that was over hours ago and I’ve been texting you!”
“You have?” He turned to look accusatorially at his phone.
Right. He’d switched it to airplane mode before the presentation to make sure it didn’t go off during the event. And on the drive back to the house, he’d been so lost in thought he’d forgotten to turn it back on.
Her hands gripped his waist. “When was the last time you talked to your family?”
“I spoke to my mother yesterday.” Other than her and Rhys, he had no reason to talk to anyone else. “Why?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Fear skittered down his spine. “Is something wrong? Is it my mother?”
She cupped his cheek. “Calanthe is fine. But something has happened.”
“What? Love, don’t keep me in suspense.”
She pulled him into the spacious, wide-open living room and over to the enormous sofa they’d spent many an afternoon lounging on.
Moisture fled his mouth, but he kept trying to swallow, wondering what she had to tell him.
