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I wanted to drink my glass of wine. Make plans with our parents. Walk to the restaurant. Have great pizza. Come home. Have great sex. Sleep beside him.
What I didn’t want to do was get his answer, which might mean the rest of that wouldn’t happen.
Not tonight.
Not ever again.
“Hey,” he called softly. “You okay?”
Ask him now, Elsa! What is this? Where is it going? You’re offering him your heart. Does he even want it?
“I’m fine. It was just a lot…you know, with Mom and Adam and Dad and whoever he’s dating and all that,” I lied.
“Yeah,” he said gently, moved in for another kiss, this time it went longer and he held my jaw through it. When he pulled away, he suggested, “We can order takeout. Stay in. I’ll go get it. Or call Jim and have someone fetch it.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I wanna be out in the world. Take my mind off things.”
“Whatever you need, sweetheart.” His phone made a sound, vibrating on the coffee table where it was resting. “Be back.”
I sipped wine and watched him walk away, understanding something new and uncomfortable about myself.
I was a boss bitch who was willing to take risks and put myself out there to get something I wanted.
Except when it came to ascertaining if I was safe in giving my heart because, in return, I was receiving another’s.
With that, it turned out, I was straight up chickenshit.
CHAPTER22
LOVE IS MORE COMPLICATED
Hale
“Hale! Is Elsa Cohen living with you?”
“Is it serious?”
“Hale! Over here. Look over here!”
“Is she the one?”
Hale ignored all of this as he went from car to the front door of his building, Hudson and Rodrigo, their doorman, helping him push through the throng.
“Hale Wheeler!”
He had experience with this shit, but this was fucking madness.
So, at hearing a woman’s voice, which was unusual when it came to paparazzi, automatically he turned his head and saw her being jostled by the cameramen trying to jockey for position.
She wasn’t paparazzi, and she didn’t seem to mind, her eyes were glued to him.
He felt his neck tighten, but clipped at the two assholes who were pushing her out of the way like she wasn’t even there, “Mind yourselves, you might hurt her.”
Then he ducked into the door Jim was holding open.
It swung closed behind him, Rodrigo on the outside, guarding it, Jim heading back to the concierge desk, Hudson walking at his side to the elevators.
“The team had a meet today, Hale,” Hudson said. “We want to put protection on Elsa.”
