MILLIE
The dinner with Caleb and Warren had been unexpectedly interesting. It was funny to see them banter and bicker, but there was genuine camaraderie between them. Warren especially was made up of layers. He was so engaging when he spoke that I forgot about the strands of silver in his dark hair. I found myself more entranced by his flashing brown eyes with every passing moment. With that strong frame and winning smile, I knew I had to see Warren Jones again, although we hadn’t made plans. Feck, I didn’t even have his number.
Would it be strange for me to ask Caleb for it?
Yes, I knew it would be, especially since I found it harder to stop thinking about his smile with each passing day.
Caleb was, well, Caleb. With him, I felt like royalty, like he was holding me up on a pedestal and I could do no wrong. He took my hand as we hurried down the subway steps and held doors open for me anytime we walked anywhere.
Maybe it was all those southern Texas habits he just couldn’t escape, but it certainly wasn’t a bad place for a research assistant to be. Politely, he would take my directions easily, so I could work with more autonomy, and he focused more on his teaching. He would leave me to my work as we sat in the office together, and every once in a while, I got to sneak glances of his well-defined body.
He hid his muscles in tweed and sweaters. I knew there was a treasure trove of hidden gems waiting to be discovered beneath his clothing. One too many times, I watched as he would stretch back in his office chair, letting his shirt slide upward. There was just enough space between him and his desk for me to slide into his lap, and I once swore I glimpsed the V-cut pointing right down to the place that was absolutely off-limits.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I really wished it wasn’t.
Something about the way his eyes followed me were starting to give me the impression there could be something more. I didn’t know if I should initiate the conversation. There were so many lines that would be crossed, and even with Caleb’s generous nature, I didn’t know if that would extend to sharing, well, me.
I didn’t want to be bound to him, and if Caleb couldn’t accept that, I wasn’t ready to move on from our innocent-enough flirtations. I could only hope that if the moment ever came, Caleb would listen and maybe understand. Maybe Warren could be understanding too…
I smiled at the thought. Of course, they were both so much older than I was, but that made it kind of fun. Meara was out of the apartment, off with work friends, leaving me to muse in peace. It was supposed to be a quiet Saturday afternoon of furniture shopping online, but I found myself needed something entirely different.
It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself, Caleb told me in that disarming baritone.
Warren’s confident smile flashed across my vision.
I was only trying to make a cup of tea for myself, but I could feel the aftereffect of the evening before. It had nothing to do with hangovers or indigestion from the heat. No, this was a different kind of spice lingering on my tongue. My memories were consumed with haunting but heavenly thoughts. As I stirred my honey into the mug, I wondered what it would be like to let myself lick something other than my spoon.
It was wild to consider the notion of juggling two men, even if I did like the idea, but my friend Breanna was having a grand time with her different lovers back in Ireland, wealthy, charming, and absolutely smitten with her. If one woman could get a happy ending with one more than one man, why couldn’t I?
Of course, I hadn’t made a move on anyone yet.
“Hey, girl,” Meara said as she walked out of her bedroom. “What are you up to?”
“Tea and shopping,” I answered. “You?”
“Oh, meeting some friends.”
She used both hands to fit an earring through its hole, smiling at me as she did it.
“Why don’t you come out with me?” she offered encouragingly.
I guess it didn’t matter that my hair wasn’t brushed, and I was still loitering around the apartment in my pajamas. Maybe floral cotton shorts and a camisole were all the rage where she was going.
“You go. I’m knackered, and I have a long day ahead of me.”
“Oh, you and your Irish phrases,” she mused with a laugh.
“I have to find a car, and I have to look for apartments. I know you said I could stay, but I should still shop around before making a decision. Besides, I was out late last night after work.
“Yeah, how was your dinner date with the professor?”
“It wasn’t a date,” I swore before tasting my tea.
“Wasn’t it?”
Meara, grabbing some wedge sandals, propped herself against the ivory armchair as she buckled the ankle straps.
“I don’t know,” I mused. “Maybe it was. We didn’t talk about anything romantic, just got to know each other.”