Chapter Thirteen
Andrew was grateful Saturday was almost here, and at the same time he’d yet to figure out what to say to Lucas when the time came. He’d play it by ear, most likely.
He gathered his laptop from his temporary office, so he could work over the weekend, and sent Kandace a text. You free tonight?
No. Sorry. Lucas has therapy and then dinner with friends. Her message came back too quickly for his liking, especially given the content.
He twitched his thumb over the screen, not making contact. It was tempting to ask where the therapist’s office was, so he could go pull Lucas out and put his foot down over the boy ever going back.
His phone beeped in his hand, startling him. And I’m not giving you the therapist’s info, his sister texted.
I wasn’t going to ask. There went that idea. He wouldn’t mind a bit of friendly company to distract him if Susan was free. As he made his way into the lobby, a familiar voice drifted to his ears. “Dad wanted me to drop these off, so they’ll be waiting for Ian Monday morning.”
Susan. How convenient.
“I’ll make sure they’re on his desk,” Mindy said.
Andrew rounded the corner, to see the two women chatting, a manila folder on the reception desk between them. Susan’s smile grew, her eyes twinkling when she saw him, and a rush of possessiveness flowed through him. He wanted that look to be for him alone more often. He shook aside the random notion.
“Hey.” Her greeting was as bright and genuine as her look.
“Ladies.” He gave a short bow in Mindy’s direction, then turned back to Susan. “Do you have plans tonight?”
Susan raised her brows. “Is this for another lesson?”
Of course she was going to ask him that in front of a witness. He’d have to talk to her later about what Mercy doesn’t find out meant. “Nope. I’m simply looking for a dinner companion.”
“Sounds like fun.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
That was cute. And a bad sign. Odd, errant thought. “When are you free?”
“Now. I was dropping off some paperwork for Dad and then heading home for the night.”
It was early for dinner, but he liked the idea of hanging out. “Now it is, then. Have a good weekend, Candy Cane.” He waved to the receptionist, and then joined Susan outside. “Anywhere specific you’d like to go?”
“The Bistro is always nice.”
“The one at my hotel?”
“Is that where you’re staying? Totally forgot.” There was a slight pause in her step, before she resumed walking.
It was a good restaurant. “The Bistro it is.”
*
Susan was surprised Andrew couldn’t hear her heart hammering against her ribs, and shocked that she managed to keep up her half of a conversation on the drive back to his hotel. Since Tuesday night, she hadn’t been able to get him off her mind. Not only the kiss, though that had played on a loop in her head. The text from Rissa on Wednesday, teasing that Susan was friends with a porn kingpin and still couldn’t get laid and asking if she was defective, didn’t help.
What haunted her the most were his stories. How open he was about sex. The way his just-detailed-enough-to-be-tempting tales kept her company when she was alone with her vibrator. It led her to calculate a plan. It was stupid and insane, and there was no way she expected a chance to act on it, but who better to take her virginity than a guy who seemed completely uninterested in commitment, and knew more about sex than probably anyone? It was a bonus that he was kind and considerate. And on top of all that, he invited her back to his hotel.
“Since we’re here, do you mind if I stash my laptop in my room?” he asked as they entered the lobby.
This was going way too smoothly. She swallowed, to keep her anticipation and nervous excitement in check. “No problem. I’ll head up with you.” She had to pin her arms to her sides to keep from tapping her fingers against her leg on the elevator ride up.
He let them into his room and set the computer bag on a desk near the TV. She had no idea how to do this. What to say. A billion half-formed words jammed into her thoughts at once, none making sense. She closed the distance between them when he turned around, and stared at her in surprise.
“Didn’t mean to nearly step on you.” He laughed.
She managed a chuckle but couldn’t think beyond that. It was now or chicken out forever. She draped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, before she could think herself out of it.