I unwound his arm from my waist, hating that I felt so conflicted when I wanted him more than any man I’d dated before. “It’s more complicated than that, and you know it.”
Denton shook his head, but didn’t try to pull me back into the warm curve of his body as I took a step back. “It’s really not.”
“You’re his business partner and . . .”you’re twice my age.
I swallowed that second reason, because somewhere along the way that issue had become the least ofmyconcerns. My father, however, probably wouldn’t be so accepting of his “little girl” dating someone twenty-three years older.
“I have to go.” I turned and pushed the door open just a crack, then looked back at Denton again. His face was serious as he gazed at me, but I saw no trace of anger when I searched his eyes. Just his usual intense curiosity, like I was a mystery he wanted to solve.
“You know how to find me,” he finally said. “When you’re ready.”
I slipped back into my store without another word and headed toward the back. When I glanced out at the sidewalk again, just before I stepped into my office, Denton was gone . . . taking a piece of me with him.
Chapter Eight
Denton
It wasn’t much—not yet, anyway, but it was home. My new home. A mostly empty townhouse in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, airy with west-facing windows. I picked up the keys yesterday, and as of today, I had a bed, a couch, and a few things in the kitchen that I’d purchased to get me by until I had more time to shop.
The house in Minneapolis was on the market, and my real estate agent expected it to sell quickly. Some of my furniture was on its way, but the rest of it—the bulk of it, really—I donated to charity. I didn’t need the hassle of shipping most of it, and I was excited to have a new place without the ghosts of my old life. Elyse had picked out almost all of my old stuff, and I was ready to leave it all behind and start fresh and new.
Maybe Marcie could help me pick out some new pieces, I thought. If I could talk her into it, anyway. She knew her own mind, that much was obvious, and I couldn’tmakeher do anything she didn’t want to do.
Not that I would ever really try. I liked that independence. If anything, I craved her even more after she walked away this afternoon. I decided I could wait a long time for her to come around to the idea of us. Of exploring the connection and attraction that sparked between us whenever we were together.
On the couch cushion next to me, my phone buzzed.MARCIE Dflashed on the screen. I waited less than half a second to answer.
“Hey, Marcie,” I said, keeping my voice even so I didn’t scare her off with my enthusiasm at hearing from her. “What’s up?”
“Denton,” she breathed, her sweet voice soft and hesitant. “I’m surprised that you answered.”
I stood up and crossed my empty living room to look out the window at the sunset. “Baby, why wouldn’t I answer?” The endearment fell from my lips as if she were already mine.
“Because—” she started, then took a deep breath. “Because of the way things went this afternoon. I’m really sorry about how I acted. It’s just that this thing between us . . . it’s so much more than I ever anticipated.”
God, I completely understood. “Marcie, it’s okay if you need time to think or don’t want to do something. You’re never obligated to do anything you don’t want to do.”
On the other end of the line, she was quiet for a second, and I imagined her looking out the window at the same sunset, in her home that I hadn’t seen. Yet.
“Denton,” she finally said. “Can I come over?”
I closed my eyes and tried not to sound too eager. “Of course you can.”
Twenty minutes later, a knock sounded on my door and I practically tripped over my bare feet as I raced to get it. I swung the door open and there was Marcie, fresh-faced and heart-breakingly beautiful, with her thick, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.
Relief poured through me as I pulled her inside and directly into my arms. I buried my face against her neck and inhaled deeply of her soft, feminine scent. Now that she was here of her own accord, I wasn’t about to hold back.
She laughed as I slammed the door shut behind her with my foot. Her sweet body melted against mine, dispelling my worry that things might be awkward between us after how we’d parted ways that afternoon.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, humor lacing her voice. “You just saw me a few hours ago.”
I brushed my lips against the side of her neck and nearly sighed with happiness. “Yeah, but I didn’t get to touch you like this,” I muttered, letting my hands drift down to her jean clad ass.
“You kissed me,” she pointed out.
I shifted her in my arms to press a long, gentle kiss on her lips. “Like this?”
She sighed, smiling up at me when I lifted my head. “It was a little different, but I liked both of them.”