“Although I’m with you whenever I’m stateside,” he said with a pointed look. “Always.”
Gerard clasped his hands in his lap. “I should let you two catch up.”
I started to protest but there was no reason. I didn’t want to spend any more time with Gerard, and that mess had to end here. Whether I wanted to spend time with Will was a different story.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said, standing.
“I’ll be right here,” Will called, pointing to the table.
I flipped him off as I stepped away.
“He must have so many rich stories of culture,” Gerard mused as we neared the door. “To embed one’s self in a foreign land and serve the greater good, that must be a defining experience.”
“Yeah, something like that,” I murmured. It wasn’t that I disagreed with Gerard. I just wanted to get a word in edgewise so I could kick him out of the nest and get on with my life. “So listen. You’re a smart, successful guy, and I know you’ve had a rough year with the divorce. You have so many interests and tons of knowledge, and a lot to offer. I want to make sure you find someone who brings similar things to the table. I’m not that person.”
He ran his hands down his lapels before shoving them in his pockets. “I know,” he said. “That’s why I was doing you a favor.”
“You werewhat?” I asked.
“I figured you wanted an arrangement that served your career,” he said. His tone implied that I should have known exactly what he was talking about. “You’re not going to start something traditional at your age, and you require companionship for appearances.”
“That is a truly ingenious spin,” I murmured.
“Of course, public appearance also supports my work, and you’re attractive enough and have great contacts, so it wasn’t completely one-sided.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and brought my fingers to my temples. “I really know how to find the winners,” I said to myself. “It was a time, Gerard. Best of luck to you.”
He nodded and moved toward the door. “Give my regards to the captain.”
“Yeah, of course,” I murmured. I waited while he hailed a cab, returning his wave when he hopped in. “At my age. That motherfucker.”
Shifting, I found Will staring at me from across the restaurant. He wasn’t wearing the open, animated smile he used on Gerard. He was calm yet more serious than I’d ever seen him, his intense gaze taking root inside me and curling around my bones and organs. I marched back to him, plotting how I’d torture him for these antics.
“I have many questions,” I said as I settled into my seat, “though the first must be this: how did you know I’d be here?”
Will ran his knuckles over my thumb, and I really wanted to ignore the electricity behind his touch. “An operator never divulges his methods.”
“The universe needs to help a bitch out,” I groaned. “First I get the ‘Listen, lady, you’re old as fuck but not so washed up that I won’t be seen in public with you’ line. And then it’s a stubborn SEAL who’s made a home for himself in my guest room. How is this my life? Which God did I anger?”
“Is that what he said to you?”
I shook off his question. I was done rehashing. “Let’s review the facts, William. You’ve invited yourself to my gym and dinner dates. You’re staying in my apartment. I believe you’ve been doing my laundry, which means you’ve touched my panties, and I don’t recall inviting you to do that. I can only imagine how you’ve defiled them. You’ve offered exactly zero details about your sudden appearance, and now you’re pulling the black ops card. Does that sound right to you?”
He bit into a spear of asparagus and inclined his head toward me. “Yes, ma’am.”
I waved my hand in his direction, expecting more. “This would be the opportunity to expand on that.”
“I believe that all depends on what constitutesdefiledin your book,” he said.
My hands curled to fists and I blew out a snarling breath. “You might be the most repulsive person I’ve ever met.”
“Anything for your praise, peanut.” He set his fork down and glanced at me. “I picked up the tab while you were talking to Lord of the Douches. Let’s get out of here. You can tell me about that conversation on the ride home.”
This asshole.
“You know what’s great about that comment? Its complete refusal to answer my question,” I said.
With my coat slung over my arm and my purse in hand, I stormed out of the restaurant. I didn’t want everything about Will to drive me crazy, but it was like my judgment and self-control flew out the window when we were in the same zip code. I couldn’t be near him without being a little insane, and that scared me because this man could convince me to do almost anything.
