Then her look turned serious. “It was a good idea, Harrison.”
Harrison was pleased to hear it.
“Did all of that work make your headache return?”
He smiled again. “Are you kidding? That was the best work I’d ever done,” he said as they both began laughing. “Bar none,” he added. “My headache is gone.”
Then he pulled her against him. She laid her head on his chest, and they both felt the weight of their activity and the draining effects of it. “Good night, Jayda,” he said to her.
Then she looked up at him. “Does anybody call you Harry?”
“They’d better not,” he said, and she laughed. “In that case,” she said, “good night, Harrison.”
He pulled her closer against him, kissed her on the top of her head, and closed his eyes. He was no spring chicken anymore. He was exhausted.
And something remarkable happened to Jayda. Although she had hoped she wouldn’t end up giving away her milk for free again, she didn’t feel like she usually felt afterwards. She didn’t feel that sense of regret and mistake. Being with him didn’t take her comfort away,her homeaway, but just the opposite happened. She felt more comfortable, more at home afterwards. She felt as if she was exactly where she should be. Which astounded her.
But for the first time in her life she didn’t overthink it. She just let nature take its course. She closed her eyes and relaxed too.
He held her. He held her even when he fell asleep. He was still holding her when she fell asleep and woke back up, early that Saturday morning, with a smile on her face. His arms were still around her. His arms felt like home too.
And she couldn’t stop staring at him as he slept so peacefully. And in that moment, as she stared at him, the truth was revealed. She had been telling herself all night that she could one day fall in love with this man. But who was she kidding? As crazy as it seemed to her, and as improbable as it could probably ever be, that one day had arrived. She was in love with this man. She was already there.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Harrison woke up the next morning alone in bed. He leaned up on both elbows, and focused his eyes. But she wasn’t there. He turned, about to get out of bed to see if he could find her, but then he saw a sheet of paper folded down, with his name on it, on his nightstand.
He grabbed it and opened it.
I’m scheduled for work today. I never miss a day. Will go by the pharmacy lol. See you Thursday! And it was signed simplyJ.
He smiled. That little efficient note had so much of her personality in it. And he leaned back down. She had to know that he could give her the world, but she still was determined to go to work? Now that was a lady of character if he ever met one, and with a wonderful work ethic to boot. Somebody he could not only respect, but admire. And the way she refused to accept cash for her assignment, but just wanted a decent-paying job impressed him too. He didn’t even promise her a major role in his company, just a small one. But that was good enough for her. As if somehow she knew she would rise up that ladder to the top on her merits alone. And somehow he knew it too. He was going to enjoy watching her rise.
But he would be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge that sense of alarm and dread he was also feeling. Because after last night, and all those emotions he could no longer deny, he felt an enormous sense of responsibility for her. As if she was now his problem. Not thatshewas problematic – he didn’t see her that way at all. But the way she made him feel was the problem.
Because after last night, there was no way he was going to be one and done with her. And if love wasn’t in the cards, and it still wasn’t as far as he was concerned, then what was this? Why was he looking forward to seeing her again on Thursday? Why was he craving, not just her body, but her presence too? Her entire essence too?
And why did the idea of being around her again give him such a sense of peace and comfort and excitement that he could barely contain it? Could it be he was falling in love?
Ridiculous!He didn’t even believe in love!At least notthatkind.
But if it wasn’t love, what was it then? Like? Did he like her? Even he knew that the emotions he were feeling for her were far stronger than that.
He looked at that note again, rubbed his finger across the words again.
Then he closed his eyes in anguish. Because he knew. If he were to be completely honest with himself for once in his life, he knew. He was in love with Jayda Robinson!
But the timing was a problem too. He needed her to help save his company. It was supposed to be strictly business for him and feelings should never enter into a business proposition. But they were there, and were threatening to completely take over. At a time when that kind of heavy load was the last thing he needed to be carrying, he had picked it up voluntarily and hoisted it on his back.
He was in trouble, he thought, as his phone began ringing.
When he saw that it was his Canadian office, he answered quickly. They were in tight negotiations for a startup many other firms wanted their hands on. He tried to forget his problems and reassure his investment group, who were on a conferencecall that early in the morning, that the Canada deal was not going to become a problem too.
But even as he tried to put out that fire, he couldn’t stop thinking about the fire that was burning in his heart for Jayda. He kept seeing her face. He kept feeling her body. He kept wanting her even as he knew he was treading on territory he swore he’d never tread upon.
And he wasn’t at all sure if he liked such a heavy, wonderful, burdensome, exciting feeling.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
