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She would make the choice again and again for as long as this odd and unexpected relationship held together. It might take glue and tape and twine, but Harry was hers. For now.
He tried to draw out the pleasure, but they were both ravenous. He rolled again and set her beneath him, claiming her swiftly and thoroughly until they both cried out.
When they could breathe again, his face was smashed into her wildly tangled hair. “Do you still want food?” he asked, the words barely audible.
“Too late,” she said, curling into his side. “Let’s sleep.”
Thursday morning dawned clear and sunny and hot as the first level of hell. Since Cate was ensconced in Harry’s comfy bed, none of that really mattered. Except that her lover had disappeared.
When she opened her eyes, yawning and stretching, his studly body was nowhere in sight.
It was hard to squelch the feeling of disappointment. She had imagined an early morning of lazy lovemaking.
Instead, she tiptoed back to her own bedroom, showered, and changed into a tiny khaki skirt and a teal camisole with a built-in bra. She put her hair up in a ponytail and finished packing her suitcase.
When she was all set, she went to the kitchen to scrounge for breakfast. The bowls of uneaten ice cream still sat in the sink. She frowned. That didn’t sound like her host. He had removed them from the counter but not rinsed them out? She took care of that and put them in the dishwasher.
The coffeepot was still warm with half a cup at the bottom. So he had definitely been here at some point.
After she drank her juice and ate a banana, she tiptoed halfway up the stairs toward his office. She heard the low rumble of his voice. Who was he talking to? Not that it was any of her business.
She had hoped to be on the road by ten, but Harry probably wasn’t even packed. He didn’t need much for three nights.
While she hovered halfway up and halfway down, the office door opened suddenly, and Harry strode out, still wearing nothing but his gray robe and a different pair of underwear. His hair was damp.
His face lit up when he saw her. “Sorry,” he said. “I tried not to disturb you. I showered early, and then I had a text from the office. Since we’re leading up to the long holiday weekend, they needed me to sign off on a couple of things.” He came down to stand on the step below hers, so they were eye to eye.
“Is it always this hard for you to take a break?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve never minded the extra hours. It’s my company. Other guys might coach Little League or take their wives to Paris. I don’t have those distractions.”
Something about that explanation bothered her. “And you don’t regret missing baseball and the Champs-Élysées?”
“Nobody can have it all, Cate. If they tell you they can, they’re lying.”
“I see.”
He tipped up her chin with his finger and kissed her. It was probably supposed to be a good morning kiss, quick and sweet. Instead, the kiss went deep. He backed Cate up against the wall of the stairwell and ravaged her mouth until they were both panting.
Cate knew she was on dangerous ground. She unwrapped her arms from around his waist. “Good morning, indeed.” The flirty tone was supposed to show Harry she could handle sex without feelings. She touched her lips, surprised to feel they weren’t puffy and swollen.
He didn’t look as happy now, nor as openly glad to see her. In fact, he had trouble looking her in the eye. Fine with Cate. She didn’t know how to handle thismorning aftersituation.
Harry glanced at his watch. “I know you must be itching to get on the road. I can be ready in twenty minutes.”
“No big rush. Take your time.”
In the end, it was closer to forty-five minutes before they exited the apartment. A second work call slowed Harry down.
As she waited for him in the living room, Cate wondered if there really was a crisis, or if last night had spooked the commitment-phobic Harry. Maybe his big speech this morning about work was a not-so-subtle warning.
It wasn’t at all necessary. Cate was very clear where she stood.
Despite the rocky start to the day, things improved as they traveled. Harry professed himself fully able to drive, so Cate didn’t argue.
When they entered the outskirts of Blossom Branch, it was clear that the weekend was gearing up. One out of every ten historic houses in town was a B and B. Cate saw license tags from all over the eastern US.
They stopped at Peach Crumblefor lunch and then went on to her grandparents’ house. Cate carried her suitcase upstairs. Harry followed right behind her. When they met back in the hall, he lifted an eyebrow. “What’s the schedule?”
