“No, I came home from work to find them all gone.”Ugh. This was making her mom look bad. “She had my best interests in mind. She thinks I’m too cautious, wasting my time at a company where I can’t be creative.”
“What do you think?”
I think it’s none of her damn business. “I have a plan. I live modestly, so I can save up two to three years of living expenses. Then, I’ll go out on my own.”
“Is it a conflict of interest to sell your stuff while you’re working?”
“No. I mean, I wouldn’t want my employer to know. They’d probably fire me, but it’s not a legal thing. I’ll just feel more comfortable about it if I have some money and inventory saved up.” She perched her bottom on the edge of the table. “But I talked to Phinny, and she invited me to the Petticoat Rulers meeting tomorrow night, so I’ll bring a robe and get their input.” As promised, Declan had texted her the link, and she’d been so excited about the group’s resources.
“I’m surprised they’re meeting so close to Christmas.”
“Yeah, it’s actually more of a holiday party, but Phinny said they always talk business, so to just come. Mostly, I want their help with Abbott’s, but they have a couple of designers and some boutique owners in their directory, so I’d love to hear what they think about my plan.”
“Makes sense.” He came closer, fingering the material. “I like the way this feels.”
“Yeah, I love it. When I wear it, I feel like pure—” She shut her mouth before finishing that sentence.
The way he looked at her, his eyes all hot and hungry… Yeah, he knew exactly what she was going to say. He prowled closer. “I think you need to finish that sentence, Hailey. Pure what?”
The walls in the room seemed to close in on her. Her body tingled with awareness. She wanted to say it. But she knew what would happen if she did. He would kiss her, run those hands all over her.
God, she wanted that. She lived with an ache to be near him, to be filled by him. And now, he was going to be here for six weeks, so why not?
Why not?
She licked her dry lips, and he followed the path of her tongue. “Sex.”
“If you feel like pure sex when you wear that robe, you’re going to make a fortune off them.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?”
His eyes were on her mouth, while she had to force herself not to look at the bulge in his jeans. She wanted to unbutton him and pull him out, feel the hot, hard length.Hard for me. “Is it warm in here?”
He chuckled, but nothing could hide the yearning in his eyes. “I just walked in the door from training, and Leddy needs to get home. Otherwise, I’d see how hot I could make you. We’ll continue this conversation after the girls are in bed.”
He started out the door, and she panicked. “Cole?”God, let him go. Why did she need him so much? She’d never needed anyone before.
She didn’twantto need someone.
What did she want anyway? All he could give her was some really good sex.
But that’s the thing, isn’t it?It was so much more than sex.It’s about wanting someone so desperately you can’t get close enough, not through kisses, not through sex, not through anything bodies could do.
It was about souls crying out for connection.
When she didn’t say anything more, he held up his phone. “Let me get back to the PI. I’ll book the sitter, too, while she’s still here.” And then, he left.
Leaving her a hot mess.
Already in bed, Hailey heard voices in the hallway. She quickly got up and peered out the doorway to find Cole carrying Paisley to bed. She didn’t like to interrupt their private evening ritual, so she got back under the covers.
For the third time, she read the letter Abbott’s of London had sent to all their employees that afternoon, apologizing for the news report, but explaining that it was true, that their sales had been flagging over the last several years, and they were considering their options.
The group chat had gone nuts with speculation, but Hailey didn’t have the bandwidth to give it at the moment.
She heard a knock at her door. “Come in.”
Cole poked his head in. “I talked to the PI. We’re set for tomorrow.”