Considering how short a walk it was to the elevator, he expected her back in a minute or two. However, a good ten minutes passed before Leah returned.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone so long.” She tried to sit next to him, but he lifted her onto his lap instead. “We got talking,” she explained.
He’d never enjoyed simply holding a woman the way he did Leah. They didn’t need to be doing anything else. Just having her close filled him with an emotion he couldn’t quite identify.
“She wanted to know all about Mr. Hottie waiting for you in here, right?” He tried not to smile, but couldn’t manage it.
“You heard her? How?”
Gavin traced her ear with his fingertip. “I have excellent hearing.”
Leaving her ear, his finger made a path down her neck and toward the neckline of her V-neck T-shirt. When he reached the lowest point of the V, he moved his fingers under the fabric until his skin brushed against her nipple, already straining against her bra. He teased the nipple for another moment before pulling her shirt up until it cleared her breasts.
Kissing her forehead, he cupped one breasts. “I missed you.”
Leah tugged the T-shirt off and let it fall to the floor. “You already told me.” She reached behind her back and unclasped the lacy, fire-engine-red bra she was wearing. One he knew would match the lacy thong her shorts were covering because she always wore matching lingerie. “How about you show me?”
***
With his head in her lap, Gavin closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of Leah’s fingers going through his hair. Soft music filled the room, and unless a fire broke out, he didn’t plan to move from this spot on the sofa anytime soon. He didn’t know what time it was and didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was he was with her again and would be until tomorrow morning.
“How was your visit with Curt?” She’d informed him of her plans before he left for California but hadn’t mentioned it so far tonight.
“Exactly what I needed,” she replied.
How do I interpret that one? “That’s good,” he commented.
Leah’s nails gently scratched his scalp before moving down his neck and back up again. “The house still needs a lot of work, but what he’s done so far is amazing. I didn’t know he’d gotten so good at renovating houses.”
“You’ve never seen his other ones?” Considering the close relationship she shared with her brother, he assumed she’d taken the time to check out his previous projects.
She shook her head. “Only the first one he worked on. He wants us to come and visit. I told him Erin was arriving this week, so it might be awhile before we get there.”
As wonderful as the massage felt, if she continued he might fall asleep, so he reached up and took her hands in his. Bringing them to his lips, Gavin kissed her knuckles before settling them on his chest.
“I want to run an idea by you. You said Erin loves art, and I do too. What do you think about her and I spending an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art? If you think there’s something she’d rather do, I’m open for suggestions. I thought a day doing something we both liked would be a good way for us to get to know each other.” Leah didn’t give him a chance to reply before continuing. “But if you don’t want us to go on this visit I understand. You haven’t seen her in a month. We can do it the next time she comes here.”
It took him a moment to fully digest Leah’s words. None of the women he’d dated since Erin’s mom had showed any interest in even meeting his daughter, and here Leah was proposing she take Erin to an art museum so they could get to know each other.
His chest tightened with emotion and the word love entered his thoughts. “She’ll love it. And it’ll save me from another museum visit.” He took Erin to every museum she mentioned, but he didn’t share her interest in art. It was something she inherited from her mom.
Since they were already on the topic of his daughter, he said, “If you can, I want you to come with me when I pick her up at the airport on Friday.”
An expression bordering on surprise crossed her face. “Uh, I guess, but wouldn’t it be better if you go alone so you can…” She paused for a moment, as if searching for the right word. “…tell her about me.”
With the conversation turning serious, Gavin moved into an upright position. “During one of our conversations, I told Erin I wanted her to meet someone special when she got here.”
“Oh.” Leah rolled her lips together before continuing. “And how did she react?”
“She thought I had finally gotten a puppy. She’s been after me for a while to get one. She has a cat at Amber’s apartment but really wants a dog.” He loved animals but didn’t have the time for one. “I explained there wasn’t a puppy waiting for her and told her a little about you.”
“Talk about a major disappointment for her,” Leah commented.
Gavin touched her cheek. “Maybe a little at first, but it passed. She knows the chances of me getting a dog are nonexistent right now. I think she asks more out of habit.” He freed her hair from the complicated braid it was in. While she looked great no matter how she did her hair or dressed, he preferred it when she left her hair loose and skipped the makeup, like she had today.
“So will you come on Friday?” he asked again.
This time Leah didn’t hesitate to answer. “Of course.”