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The meeting continues in the same vein, lots of boring bits I can’t follow interspersed with heated arguing where they all appeal to David like he’s part-mediator and part-den mother. I’m honestly super impressed with how he’s handling all this pressure. They finally break for coffee, and David saunters up to me.
“How are the observations going?”
“Is it always like this?”
David laughs, nodding his head, his hands shoved in his pockets. “They’re not here because they’re apathetic. They’re here because they’re passionate about what we’re doing.”
“Passionate is one way to describe it,” I mumble, and David chuckles low under his breath. “I think I’ve seen enough.”
He nods, escorting me out of the room. “I’ll text you what time I’ll be ready to leave tonight.”
I hurry toward the elevators to head back down to my office. David’s eyes are on me until the elevator doors close. When I reach my office, I immediately pull up my rough sketches and continue to work on the updated logo and color scheme. I have a basic outline in mind, now I need to bring it to life. I drop my stylus and bury my face in my hands, willing myself not to cry in the office. I don’t need to observe anymore. I have all the data I need. I need to finish these designs, and I’ll be on a plane back to Chicago. My heart clenches painfully at the idea.
Not wanting to dwell in my personal misery, I snatch up my iPad and go in search of the property development department. I want to know if I can get a 3-D digital look at the offices. If I have that, I can show David and Mr. Westerhaven how the new color scheme and logo and everything will be incorporated into their main offices. It takes me the rest of the afternoon to sit with the guys as they put together what I want and send it to me. Perfect. I can’t wallow when I’m busy.
Chapter Twenty-Three
David
Shutting off the TV, I go in search of Ani. I say search, but I know exactly where she is. The same place that she’s been into the small hours every night for the last week. Ever since the board meeting.
As I thought, she’s in the home office, hunched over her iPad, her stylus moving over the screen, moving things around, choosing colors and stuff. I’m pretty sure the only reason that she’s here and not still in the office is because I’ve gone in search of her every evening and brought her home with me. I only managed to convince her to come home with me and work in the office here because I admitted I didn’t like the idea of her being alone in the office and leaving late at night.
Ani reluctantly agreed. But it’s like I never get to see her anymore. As soon as we get home, she heads into the home office. She comes out to eat dinner but disappears with a distant smile. Leaning against the door jamb, I watch her with fascination. She’s so focused on her work that she hasn’t even noticed that I’m here. I’d insist that she works less at night, but she is here to work, and I’d feel like a needy ass if I started insisting like that.
Besides, she comes to bed with me every night. Even if I’ve already gone to bed when she finishes up for the night. The first morning after I went to bed without her, I woke up with my arms full of Ani and I felt more gratified than I have in a long while. She could have easily gone to bed in her own – unused – room, but she still came to bed with me. While I felt smugly gratified as I kissed her awake that morning, I didn’t want to examine thosefeelings too deeply. I’ve never had a woman living in my space before. In my bed. Of course, I’m going to feel weird about it.
Leaving Ani with one last look, I head back to the kitchen, flicking on the coffee machine. She took a cup of tea with her after dinner, but I know that she sometimes comes out and makes herself a mug of coffee when it gets late. Setting the machine going, I drop into a chair at the small table, pulling out my phone and smirking at the argument that Max and Beau are currently having in The Boys WhatsApp chat about who was the better basketballer in high school. It’s a weird fucking thing to argue about over twelve years after they graduated, but Ryan is egging them on, so it’s starting to get personal.
My phone buzzes as Timmy throws a lit match onto the pile of dry timber when he notes that Max won more accolades than Beau did. That starts a whole other argument, where Beau insists that as a shooting guard, of course Max was going to get written up more. But as center, Beau was the most important person on that court and the team would never have won as many games without him.
I’m still chuckling over their juvenile argument, adding my own goading comments when a noise has me glancing up from my phone. Ani is standing beside the breakfast bar, fidgeting with a USB stick. I drop my phone on the table, holding out a hand to her as I smile. Ani steps closer, taking my hand. But instead of dropping into my lap like I thought she would, she tugs at my hand. Standing, I let her lead me over to the sofa. Hey, I’m not about to say no to a good old-fashioned make-out session in front of a movie. Especially since I haven’t seen much of her. I’m starting to crave her.
When I drop onto the couch, Ani crosses to the TV, plugging the USB in, so she must have a movie she wants to watch. She flips the TV on and pulls up her USB folder. But it’s not a movie that fills the screen. It’s a new logo for Haven Property, and my insides clench.
“You’ll be happy to know that I’vefinallyfinished my designs,” Ani teases me. I force a smile, my eyes darting between her face and the screen.
“Hopefully you’ll like them,” she adds quietly, and I clench my hands into fists by my sides to stop myself from reaching out to her. Ani sounds nervous, but she’s using a professional tone, so I sit patiently, offering her an encouraging smile as she flips through her designs.
My heart sinks and my lungs feel like they’re not filling properly every time I breathe in. Ani’s designs are amazing. She’s even got 3-D shots of the office where she’s implemented the new color scheme and incorporated the new logo. Fuck. Her work is perfect. It’s exactly what I would have picked for the new look of Haven Property if I had to design it myself.
I didn’t know what my favorite color was when I met Ani. I know what it is now. It’s blue. Like her eyes. The color scheme that she’s gone with is navy blue, deep red and off white. The red is almost the exact same color as the awful sweater she loves so much.
Ani keeps flicking through, losing her nerves as she gets into the swing of her presentation, enthusiastically pointing out the elements of my personality that she’s included. I feel worse and worse. There’s no way Uncle Bill or the board will have a problem with these. And I can’t kick up a fuss about themwithout looking like an asshole to Ani and a petulant child to everyone else. I always knew that she’d be leaving at some point. Hell, I was looking forward to that in the beginning.
But at some point, that changed and now I realize that I’m going to lose her – and soon – I feel like I’m drowning on dry land. Ani is staring at me, her smile frozen on her face, and it occurs to me she’s finished her presentation and is waiting for my input. Clearing my throat, I force a beaming smile.
“These are incredible, Ani.” My eyes play over the logo that is still up on the screen. “You should email them to Uncle Bill tonight. I think he’s going to be impressed.”
Ani’s eyes go wide and her cheeks turn pink. “Really? You like them? You really thinkhe’lllike them?”
She is twisting her hands in front of her. I nod, smiling again. “I really like them. And I think Uncle Bill will too. They’re perfect.”
Ani blinks rapidly, like she’s trying not to cry. She beams at me and skips off toward the home office. Probably to email them to Uncle Bill right now. I stare at the now blank TV in a daze. She’s back in a second, and I shove off the couch, my hands framing her face as I crush my lips against hers, kissing her fiercely. Ani seems surprised by the desperation in my kiss, but her mouth immediately opens to allow my tongue access. Her hands slide up my arms, gripping my shoulders, and she kisses me back just as fiercely.
Dropping Ani to the couch, I cover her with my body, tugging off her shorts and panties, and unzipping my fly. When I sink into her with a groan, I break the kiss, pressing my forehead against hers. I want to see her face. I want to look her in the eyesas I fuck her. Slowly withdrawing, I slam deeply into her and Ani moans, her fingers tightening on my shoulders as I keep up the same pattern, an agonizingly slow withdrawal followed by a hard, fast thrust in.
Ani’s eyes never leave mine and I try to use my eyes to say everything I don’t have the words for. Like, don’t leave. Don’t leave New York. Don’t leave my penthouse. Don’t leaveme. Stay.
