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I ran my gaze over her long legs and exposed midriff. Her damp hair woven into a braid. The new freckles on her cheeks from all the time we spent outside on the ranch.
She made my place look good.
“Are you spoiling for a fight?”
“Maybe. I’m feeling a little vulnerable from that trip. Lashing out at you seems like a good idea right now.”
Leaning over, I slid my hand under her knees, twisting her body sideways so her feet were on my lap. They were soft, her toes painted pale pink, pretty like every other part of her. I took them in my hands, rubbing the tops and soles.
“No lashing when I’m giving you a foot massage,” I said. “Tell me why she’s like that.”
She blew out a long breath and wiggled her toes. “She’s always been that way. Exacting. But when she and my dad were together, she was softer. When I wanted to take belly dancing lessons instead of ballet, she started to get pissed, but my dad wrapped his arms around her, kissed her cheek, and said, ‘Come on, Lil. Everyone does ballet. Our girl has to dance her own rhythm.’ That was all it took. A snuggle, a kiss, and some soft words, and she was giving in.”
I shook my head. “They really loved each other.”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t enough to surmount their fundamental differences. My dad bent for her until he couldn’t anymore. Then he did the unforgivable thing, and my mother has never been the same. Neither of them has been.”
I pushed the pad of my thumb down the center of her arch, and her eyelids fluttered closed on a sigh.
“How’d belly dancing go?” I asked.
Her eyes stayed closed, but her mouth lifted into a grin. “Awful. I was terrible and dropped out after three classes.”
“Damn. I was looking forward to a demonstration.”
Her feet vibrated in my hands as she giggled. “If you want to witness the least sexy thing you’ve ever seen, I can make that happen. I still remember a couple moves.”
“I find it hard to believe anything you do isn’t sexy.”
Her eyes opened and landed on me. “That is quite the compliment, Luca. I’m not going to list all the unsexy things I do to convince you otherwise.”
I dug my thumb deep into her foot. “Thank you for that.”
With a yelp, she stole her feet from my lap, tucking them beneath her. “That was way too hard, but this is nice. We never do this.”
I kicked my legs out, resting my feet on the ottoman. “What?”
“You know, hang out. You’re either at work or disappearing to your mystery locations.”
“You’re right. My schedule is hectic. We’re in the initial phase of an internal audit. I’ve been vetting a new company since my father has used the same one for his entire tenure, and Clara and I felt we should bring in someone new. Then there are the countless meetings, video conferences, emails to return. It leaches most of my time and energy.”
“That’s understandable. I don’t fault you for that. I don’t really know what life was like before you took over as CEO, but I get the sense it was nothing like this.”
“You have no idea.”
“You’re right. I don’t. This is the most you’ve told me aboutanything, including what’s going on with you currently.”
I met her curious gaze. “I don’t keep secrets, Saoirse. You’ve never asked me where I go at night.”
Nodding, she swallowed hard. “The night after our wedding, I fell asleep in here. You came in and picked me up.”
“I remember.”
“You came home freshly showered.”
“Did I?” The things I remembered had to do with her. The flower in her hair. Her dress. The ring she gave me. What I did and where I went were only vague memories I’d stored away in the back of my mind.
“You know you did. And since you go to the gym in the morning, I made assumptions I didn’t want to have confirmed. I don’t ask because I don’t want you to say it.”
