He leaned forward and squeezed my hand, thick, warm fingers intertwining between my smaller ones. “I do.” He lowered his voice. “After ten years, nothing about my feelings for you have changed, sweetheart. Even if it means we have to be discreet and can only see each other outside of work, I want to see you again and again.”
“You mean, another night together?”
He tilted his head to the right just a little bit and considered. “Maybe more than just one?”
“So, like, two nights? Two Friday nights? We see each other for two weeks then?”
Desmond leaned over. “Do I need to give you a checkout date in advance?”
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. “Sorry, it’s just a habit. I’m not good with?—”
“Uncertainty,” he said with a smile. “I remember. You’d ask our high school teachers to give you lists of courses that were safe because you couldn’t risk failing.”
I laughed and pulled my hand away, feeling both embarrassed at my teenage self and excited that Desmond remembered so much. A thrill snaked up my body at the idea of meeting Desmond again and again. So much for this being a onetime thing.
Desmond reached for my hand again. “And by the way,” he said with a quick look up at me, “I bet you’d know the right answer when it comes to deciding between chardonnay and pinot noir on a hot summer day too.”
I laughed at that. It had been years since I had gone out with a man who I knew would always hold me in high regard. I would certainly miss that when Desmond was gone.
“I have a feeling I’d need to see you a great many times before I could get enough of you,” he said, his voice deep ashe looked at me in a way that made me feel the intensity of his words.
My heart began to race as I felt the excitement at the idea of the weeks ahead. The two of us, back together, in the privacy of our homes. We didn’t need anything else really.
I intertwined our fingers together and said, “I can’t imagine anything better.”
25
AVA
When I woke up in the morning, I heard the soft, even breathing of Desmond next to me. He was lying on his stomach, face inclined toward mine. I leaned over and put my hand on his back, and he muttered something in his sleep. I looked at him and smiled. Waking up next to Desmond was a luxury.
This could’ve been something more, I thought,if only we hadn’t gone down this path once before.
I shifted in place, feeling surprised at the intensity of my longing, and the movement woke Desmond up.
He blinked, and when his eyes rested on me, he smiled. “Well, hello, beautiful,” he said, and my heart leaped.
“Good morning,” I said, leaning over to kiss his temple before grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around me.
“Where are you going?” he asked, hand on my wrist in an instant before my feet could touch the floor.
“For a shower,” I said, looking back at him with what I hoped was a naughty expression. “Want to join me?”
His hungry expression said a lot as he reached for me, but I stepped away from him with a laugh.
“Trickster,” he called out as I jumped out of reach and made for the bathroom.
“It’s a weekday,” I called back, shutting the door and looking around.
The bathroom was expansive and luxurious. A lavender smell pervaded the large white space, and I saw a huge Jacuzzi at the far end of the room and a spacious shower with glass walls and smooth, pebbled stones at the bottom. He even had plants in here—three large ferns dotting the length of the wall—and a large counter with two sinks.
The bathroom was almost as big as my apartment. I stepped into the shower and turned it on, standing under the warm cascade of water when I heard the door click. I turned around and saw Desmond walking in.
“What’s your pants size?” he asked, and I froze.
“I don’t want you buying me anything more,” I said.
“Well, I’m still sure you don’t want to go back to work, wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday.”
