“It’s okay,” Shane said, voice low and soothing, his expression friendly. “He’s done the same to me. More than once.”
“Well, I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t come inside until he calls and tells me he’s in the parking lot.”
“Good idea.”
I sat there, silent, watching the exchange, noting the familiarity and comfort in their banter, the smiles on their faces. My insides twisted, and suddenly the thought of eating anything made me feel a little sick.
Yes, Shane had told me that she was an old friend, nothing more. I believed him when he told me he wouldn’t ever entertain the notion of having a relationship with Alexis. Even if we broke up. She wanted him for only one thing—his bank account. She’d never even tried to deny it.
But still it was clear to me that she was trying her best to make him rethink his stance on her.
What made it more awkward was that they had so much to talk about. I had absolutely nothing to add to the conversation. They spoke about people I didn’t know, charity events I had no part in, and business matters I didn’t know squat about. By the end of the meal I was feeling like the third wheel.
Shane paid the bill and escorted us both out. Alexis sashayed over to a sleek little black Porsche, parked in front of the building. Shane, being the gentleman, always the gentleman, opened her door for her. She beamed a thank you, said she would talk to him later, and gave me a little side-eyed glance before waving at him one last time.
Finally Shane turned his full attention to me. “That was hell for you.”
“Hell is such a strong word,” I said.
“Then you enjoyed it?”
“I wouldn’t say that either. It was… unpleasant.”
“Unpleasant.” Stopping next to his car, he moved to block me between the vehicle, which was now behind me, and his bulky frame in front of me. “I’ll have to make it up to you then.” A wicked gleam shimmered in his eye.
Oh, that meant I was about to be rewarded. Rewarded well.
Leaning in, he caught my hair in his hand and tugged, pulling my head to one side. “Let’s go home,” he whispered as his teeth grazed the uber-sensitive skin of my neck. “I don’t want to make you wait for your justly-earned reward.”
I shivered. It was a combination of the goose bumps that were tingling all down the right side of my body and the heat I heard in his voice that made me do that. “Sounds good to me.” I wriggled against him. Just as I was about to say something, a pair of blinding headlights illuminated us. Instantly, I reacted, jerking back against the car, thinking we’d been caught groping in public by the police.
A car door swung open, and a shadowy figure came closer. As it moved toward us, it became clearer.
That was no police officer.
“Sorry if I…” Alexis’s flinty gaze raked up and down my body. “…interrupted something,” she practically sneered. “But I need to speak with Shane for one moment.”
He closed his eyes for a second then turned pleading eyes my way. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before stepping back.
That had better be one hell of a reward. I had something extra special coming after this.
I yanked open the door, sat and then slammed it shut. The brilliant lights cut off, so I sat there, in the car, in the dark, for what felt like ages. A quick check of my phone made it clear my estimation of time had been off by at least a millennia, but still it was a long time. Shane returned to the vehicle after just over ten minutes. He sat, stuffed the key into the ignition. “I’m sorry. I’m going to have to sit Alexis down and have a long talk with her. It’s my fault. I’ve been avoiding it, which is inexcusable.”
“You’re a busy man. And you’re trying to keep the peace, since the two of you work on so many projects together.”
“Yes.” His gaze locked on mine. “That’s exactly right.” He flipped his hand palm up and rested it on my knee. I wove my fingers through his. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve a woman like you.”
My cheeks burned at the compliment. “I’m nobody special.”
“Yes, you are. You are special. Very special.” The passion and conviction in his voice made my insides light up. In that magical moment, I felt like the most appreciated, cherished woman on the planet.
“I think you’re special too,” I told him. Something else, three words, popped onto my tongue. I wanted to say them. I wasn’t sure if I had the courage. I wasn’t sure what he would say if I did summon it up.
I stared out the window for a moment. As I sat there, his hand gently cradling mine, I swallowed those words. Once, twice, three times I gulped them back down. It was too soon. He wasn’t ready to hear them. I wasn’t ready to say them yet.
By the time we’d made it to his place, those pesky words were safely wedged deep inside. As always, he opened the car door for me. We walked up to the building side-by-side, rode the elevator up to his floor. He opened his condo’s door for me, and I stepped inside.
Once again, I marveled at how gorgeous his place was. A converted factory, the building was old, with a history that showed here and there. The massive windows and brick walls and soaring ceilings. In contrast, the furnishings were all modern and super stylish and sleek.
We had been seeing each other for a while now, and this was far from my first visit to his condo, and still I hadn’t gotten used to the place. It felt more like a museum than a home to me. Perhaps I would never get accustomed to it. Perhaps it was better if I didn’t.
Rather than escort me directly to the dungeon like I expected, Shane directed me toward the living room and invited me to sit. “Drink?” he asked.
Now, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time in Shane’s private playroom, aka the Cave of Wonders, but I did remember that he generally didn’t take me there if I’d had any alcohol. As I recalled, he’d once told me it wasn’t safe to play if I had been drinking. And so, when he offered me something to drink, I responded with, “Some diet cola would be great. Thanks.”
“I thought you would appreciate spending some time just…relaxing,” he said as he went to the open kitchen area to pour some cola into a glass. He returned with two full glasses, set them on the coffee table then picked up the remote, which had at least twice as many buttons on it than mine did at home. In an instant, the room went from cozy to romantic. A fire ignited in the fireplace, the lights dimmed to a sultry level, and some soft music played from hidden speakers.