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“Not get away so much as recharge without being on top of other people.” He takes a drink. “Tell me about books. How’d you become such a reader?” He puts the focus back on me.
“Growing up in Iowa was great,” I start. “The people are some of the best I’ve ever met. But it could get boring. Hot and humid in the summer, bitter cold in the winter, and not much in the way of entertainment, except for college sports. Books were kind of an escape.”
“What do you like to read?”
I smile, recalling some of my favorites. “The better question is what don’t I like to read.”
“Okay then, what do you gravitate toward?” Chris gets up and refills our wine before sitting back down.
“Depends on my mood, really. Nonfiction is fascinating, but it’s generally not a page turner, so reading that is intentional. I can’t just be in the mood to read something while I pass the time. Drama is also fascinating, but it can be emotionally distressing, because even if the story is fiction, it’s generally rooted in some sort of truth. I like historical fiction because I like learning about different time periods, and mysteries are always fun because I like to try to solve the mystery before I get to the end of the book.”
“What about the romances?”
Shit, I walked right into that one. Best to deflect before it goes too far. “A single girl needs a little bit of romance in her life now and then.”
“Hmmm. Well, I was right about what it says that you have them.”
“What do you mean?” I freeze, wondering what on earth he could mean by that.
“You do have a passionate side.”
I exhale, hoping it comes off as more sexy than relieved as I recall the conversation that originally prompted his comments. “Yes, I do.”
“I like that side of you.” Chris looks at me intently. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I like it.”
“What were you expecting?” I hesitate.
“Nothing bad.” He reaches for my hand and links our fingers together, gently caressing my thumb with his. “But knowing how much time you spent reading and writing, I thought you’d be a little more inhibited.”
“Then you overlooked the obvious.” I smile coyly.
“What’s that?”
“Readers and writers have a great imagination.” I take his hand and lead him toward the bedroom so I can show him just how vivid that imagination is.
Chapter 15
Chris
I sip my beer as the boat rocks gently over the waves. We’d found a nice, quiet spot along the shore of an island on the Gulf Coast where our guide seems to think the fish will be biting. They haven’t yet, but I’m too lost in my head to care.
Several thoughts are weighing me down. I need to talk to Erik about Simon, and I’m dreading that conversation. Erik will no doubt be hurt, maybe even a little pissed, when he finds out I brought someone in to poke around, and the last thing I want to do is upset my best friend. But what really has me reeling is the fact that talking to Erik isn’t the thing weighing most heavily on my mind. Lisa is.
We’ve only spent two nights together, and already I miss the feel of her next to me. Not just physically, emotionally too, sharing the things that make us who we are. Talking is something I do for work, not pleasure, so I don't usually share personal things. But with Lisa those things come easily. So easily I damn near said too much.
We were talking about Engage, and I told her I wanted Charlie to pick a different space, one more conducive to start-ups. Lisa assumed I meant that my building was a little older and not equipped to handle the demands of a tech start-up, and she’d been quick to assure me that the building meets all their needs. If it hadn’t been for that, I’d have probably mentioned how I could connect them with a facility in the heart of the start-up community, and I wouldn’t have been able to explain how I could do that without revealing the full extent of my involvement.
I hate like hell that with all we’re sharing I can't tell her about my real role, with Engage, or Erik. The only part of myself I revealed completely is that my parents, both academics, never really got over me skipping college. They’re proud of me and what I accomplished, but in the beginning they didn’t think I could do it, and even now they'd like to see me earn a degree. I told her that, and bless her heart, Lisa didn’t dwell on that one bit. She said it was unfair of parents to push their dreams on kids who had dreams of their own and that a piece of paper doesn’t make those dreams any more or less achievable.
“Doesn’t Charlie require a college degree?” I asked, pointing out how that piece of paper can matter.
“Yes, but we’re an education company, so we obviously have to promote education. Besides, as much as I enjoy working for Charlie, it’s not my dream. It’s just one way for me to try to pursue my dream. You pursued your dream and achieved it on your terms. You should be proud of that.”
I kissed her then, unable to vocalize how much I appreciated her words. It was a gentle kiss that quickly turned sensual, and when I finally entered her, we moved together slowly, building our pleasure to an intimate release. I looked into her eyes as she came and felt a jolt in my chest that stole my breath. That’s when I realized I could seriously fall for this woman. But that has its own set of challenges.
What if she realizes the extent of my wealth and wants me to fund one of her books or something? That wouldn’t make her the first person to look at me differently once they learn I have money. Or what if she finds out about Swop and how Kurt might lose everything because I fucked up? What would she think of me then? Then there’s Engage. At some point she’ll learn about the extent of my involvement and that I haven’t been forthcoming. Even though there’s a good reason for it, I’m not sure how someone as honest as she is will react to learning that I’ve hidden the truth.
The truth. I'm hiding the truth of who I am from her, the truth about her from Charlie, and the truth about Simon from Erik. How the hell did I end up here?
