*
Between the food,wine, toasts, and Tom’s incessant chatter, there was barely time to notice Patrick at the opposite end of the table. That wasn’t to say I didn’t notice—I did.
And Patrick noticed me.
I knew every time his eyes landed on me, and it wasn’t long until I started matching his gazes. They were momentary, and in the excitement of the celebration, no one picked up on the building tension. Shannon and Sam were busy gushing over the new properties while Patrick pretended to listen, and Riley invited himself into the kitchen to talk basketball with the servers. Tom regaled me with tales of Patrick’s endless string of assistants, and I indulged in his random questions about my interests.
“You need to try this,” Tom said, pushing a plate of tiramisu to me.
My eyes flicked to Patrick while my mouth closed over the tines of the fork. The warmth of his gaze did something to me—something electric that awoke every cell and nerve and muscle in my body, and made my insides feel delightfully restless.
At the sound of Patrick’s throat clearing, I slid the plate back to Tom. “Thanks. I’m not really into desserts.” Tom sent me a dubious look, and I drained my wine. I think it was my third but after a few hours at the table and an eager server, I lost track. Glancing around the tiny restaurant, I spotted the restrooms. “I’ll be right back.”
I felt Patrick’s eyes follow me from the table and down the narrow hallway. I wasn’t surprised to feel his hand wrap around my arm when I reached the cramped bathroom, and I was even less surprised when he locked the door behind him and turned to me, scowling.
While his gaze pinned me to the wall, I realized something.None of it mattered.The wrong, the inappropriate, the out of line. I invented all of those things, and maybe there were good reasons for them at time. None of it matterednow.
It only took one step to be in Patrick’s arms, his mouth pressing against mine with an urgency that matched the need screaming through my veins. His hands were in my hair, fisting around it and pulling, and I moaned against him.
Like clockwork, Patrick’s hands landed on my backside and lifted me, wrapping my legs around him. It was my favorite kind of predictable. When my fingers met his soft hair, I felt the remnants of my long-held tension liquefying and draining out of my muscles. He kissed my throat and jaw, and I arched into him with a whimper.
There was no denying there was something between us, something potent. It was bigger than us, and it was pulling us deeper as each day rolled by. It was intense and real, and I was finished trying to push it away.
“I want to know what you’re thinking,” he demanded.
My thighs squeezed around his waist and I brought his attention back to my mouth. Tasting and breathing him in sent tingles through my system. “I’m thinking I’ve missed you.”
“What else?” He pulled back, his head banging against the door, and stared into my eyes. “I want to know exactly what’s in your head right now.”
“And…” I studied the tendons of his neck while I attempted to bring order to my thoughts. “This is the worst idea I’ve ever had, and it is beyond irresponsible and unprofessional, but…”
“But what, Andy?”
I licked my lips and met his eyes. “I’m risking everything here… You know that, right?” He held my gaze, finally nodding and dropping his eyes to my throat. “I have sex with you in my mind. Frequently.”
Patrick angled his head and I watched him absorb the weight of my words. Eventually he asked, “Is it any good?”
I nodded vigorously. “Incredible.”
Patrick blinked twice, his eyes searching mine, before locking his arms around my waist and kissing me. The tension between us was shifting—one form of pressure released while another started building. His mouth was hard and demanding, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders to feel more of him.
“Why doesn’t this change things?” he asked against my mouth.
“You tell me what this changes,” I murmured, my lips leaving wet kisses along his neck and throat. “You’re in control here, Patrick.”
“If you only knew.” A humorless laugh escaped Patrick’s mouth, and he dropped his forehead to my shoulder. “Everything,” he breathed into my hair. “It changes everything.”
“Then it has to stay between us,” I said, my nails scratching along the nape of Patrick’s neck. “They can’t know.”
“Whatever you want. I’ll give you whatever you want.” His nose and lips teased the corner where my neck and shoulder met. “I’ve missed you too, fuck, so much, but we don’t have the best track record with bathrooms. Or Fridays.”
I laughed against him, and pressed a series of kisses to his lips before dragging his bottom lip into my mouth and biting. He wasn’t the only one with teeth. “Tell me what you want to happen next, Patrick.”
“I’m going to leave, and you can come with me, or you can stay. I’ll text you my address. I live three minutes away. I want you, but you have to decide how it’s going to be. I want you to come to me.”
Patrick brought his hand to my hair and crushed his lips against mine, our mouths moving together until I started unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled my wrist away and folded it behind my back with a pointed look, and set me on the countertop.
“It’s your decision.”
