AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was completely caught up in him, something hanging in the air between us.
There was a look in his eyes—something I couldn’t read—and I couldn’t miss the way it felt between us.
Or maybe it was just me who felt it. Maybe I was desperate for something and imagining things that weren’t there for Banks.
Unfortunately, it was then Rhys let out a noise that sounded like a grunt mixed with a squeal, forcing both of us to tear our attention away from one another.
The next thing I knew, Banks and I were watching as Rhys made his way toward his dad’s feet. Once he got there, Banks reached down, picked him up, and kissed him on the cheek. “That was so good, Rhys. You must have been working hard with Lamise today.”
“He did,” I rasped, still having not pulled myself together completely. “But you shouldn’t be surprised. He’s good at everything he does.”
“Oh, yeah? What else did you do today?” Banks questioned his son.
“Well, despite the fact he’s been lifting his hands to his mouth and attempting to eat them for the last ten minutes, I promise he ate well today. He always eats like a champ,” I declared.
Banks returned his attention to Rhys and asked, “Are you hungry, little man?”
Rhys responded with a bunch of gibberish, forcing Banks and me to both start laughing.
“I should get going, so you two can have your dinner together,” I said, making a move to stand up.
“You don’t have to run out of here, you know. You’re more than welcome to stay for a bit. If you want, you can join us for dinner,” Banks offered.
I froze.
Banks’s invitation was completely unexpected, and it made me feel all sorts of things I couldn’t begin to process. I would have loved nothing more than to accept his invite and stay to have dinner with them.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
“Oh, man. I wish I could, but I kind of made plans with my best friend, Tabitha, tonight. She’s got a wedding to go to this weekend, and she hasn’t found a dress, so she wanted my help,” I replied.
His eyes roamed over my face. It was then I got the proof I hadn’t been making it up before. There had been something lingering in his gaze earlier. It was still unclear what it was, because I hadn’t seen the look until today, and he offered no insight as to what was going through his mind. “Okay. Well, maybe next time then.”
I nodded. “I’d love that. I usually spend most nights alone in my apartment, so it’d be nice to hang with the two of you some time.”
“We’ll plan something then,” Banks assured me.
With his promise in hand, I smiled at him and jerked my chin down slightly in acknowledgement. Then I reached out to Rhys, gave his hand a squeeze, and stood. After getting my jacket on and gathering up my things, I said, “I’ll see you both tomorrow morning.”
Banks and Rhys walked me to the front door. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Lamise. Drive safe.”
“I will.”
A minute later, I was in my car and pulling away to head to Tabitha’s place. And throughout the entire drive there, all I could do was think about how it seemed crazy I could still feel the touch of Banks’s hands on my hips.
“Oh, I love that one.”
“I’ll admit it’s the best one yet, but I’m dying to try on the blue one.”
A smile formed on my face.
It had been such a long time since I’d done this. With the exception of the shopping I’d done for a dress right before Graham’s funeral, I hadn’t gone shopping just for the fun of it since before he died.
Granted, today’s trip wasn’t necessarily about me, given that we were focused mostly on getting a dress for Tabitha to wear to the wedding this weekend, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t perused a couple of racks in the process.
I’d missed it.
I wasn’t exactly a huge shopper, but I had often enjoyed getting together with my best friend or my sister on occasion for a day out at the mall.
