She looked back at him. “I could have made something.”
“I know. But I didn’t want you to do anything but relax. Mondays are always hard.”
“Actually, today went pretty smooth. Yours didn’t?”
He pulled into his spot under his building. “It went fine. It just seemed to drag because I couldn’t be with you.”
He li
fted her out of his SUV and grabbed her hand.
“I missed you, too.”
He stopped and stared down at her. “Really?”
She nodded.
“I like to hear that, baby.”
He pulled her against his chest after they stepped onto the elevator. He set his briefcase down and cupped her face with his hands. He tilted her head back, lowered his, and then took her lips like he was starved for her.
The ding of the elevator pulled them apart. He stared down at her for a long moment before he picked up his case, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his condo.
She walked away when he set his case down. “I should have had you take me home. I don’t have any other clothes here.”
He looked a bit sheepish. “I took care of that. I ordered a few things and had them put into our bedroom.”
She spun toward him. “Wait. What?”
“I ordered a few outfits. Some comfortable ones for the home and some for work.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked, clearly confused.
“Because I want you to feel comfortable here.”
She turned and walked away to stand in front of the window. “I’m afraid.”
He walked up behind her and clutched her shoulders. “Why, baby?”
“It’s going so fast.”
He turned her to face him. The worry in her eyes made his stomach cramp with fear. The thought of losing her was unacceptable to him. “The last thing I want to do is freak you out.”
“I’m afraid it will ruin everything between us if things happen too fast, and I don’t want that to happen.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. It’s part of my personality. If I want something bad enough, I tend to bulldoze my way to it. I’ll try to slow down. Keep telling me if I’m pushing too hard.”
He didn’t want to tell her having her wear clothes he bought her was becoming an obsession. He wanted her to depend on him for everything.
She exhaled and let him pull her into his arms. He held her tightly against his chest until the door buzzer sounded.
He took a step back. “That’s our food. Let’s eat, and we’ll talk about our next step. All right?”
****
She saw his large body and handsome face in the reflection of the window, and she had to bite back a shiver of need her body craved, but she knew she wasn’t ready for.
Aleena watched him walk off with mixed feelings. When he’d told her about the outfits, she’d been thrilled at first. She liked that he wanted to take care of her. But then a seed of doubt took over. What if she gave herself over to him, and he decided he didn’t want her? She’d never been in a relationship before and didn’t know how to handle it.