Leah was delighted to come with me to see one of our listening stations, the one that measures the height of the splash of a stream over an outcropping of rocks. She seemed fascinated by the way the measurement gets digitized and then reduced to a number between zero and nine before getting fed that into our security algorithm creator.
“I still think it's super wholesome that you run a tech business with your brothers.”
"Good. I'm glad. Wholesome was exactly what we were going for."
"I guess you are pretty settled here on the mountain, right?" Leah stops walking, looking up at me shyly. "Like, you probably never leave Old Hemlock Valley?"
"Are you kidding?" I burst out laughing. "Mom is drawing straws right now to see which of us has to go to New York tomorrow. And then in a couple of weeks, one of us has to go to…" I turn to my left to ask an oak tree. "Is it London, or Dublin? Or maybe Barcelona – no, Barcelona was four months ago."
Leah is barely holding back laughter. "Are you serious?"
"About not remembering? Yes, although I'm 99% sure it's London. About all the travel? Also yes."
I pull out my phone to check, but no text from my mother has come in yet. "I'm pretty sure it's either my turn or Kellan's. We could never keep track, so we left it to Mom. Otherwise we'd all just make excuses to get out of it."
Leah's face falls. "You don't like traveling?"
"Travel, I love. Presentations, not so much." I slip an arm around Leah, holding her close. “To be precise, I don't love presenting in person. Video chats are a lot easier. I only have to give the talk itself, not schmooze with dozens of strangers before and after."
"So you do like traveling for the scenery and the restaurants…"
"And the museums. And for some reason I love checking out grocery stores in other countries." Leah feels so good in my arms, and we shuffle an inch closer to each other. "Plus, there's always that weird little place that one of the locals tells you about. Like a tiki bar where it rains indoors, or a food cart that'sbeen in business for seventy years and they’re still using great-grandma's recipes.”
Leah seems relieved as her hand slips up to trail along the back of my shoulder. "My mother always said that she was allergic to travel. She just couldn't stand anything unpredictable." A dark cloud passes over her eyes. Then they fly wide.
"Oh! I totally forgot! That was what I meant to do today. The library. They must have printers there, right? I wanted to print some maps of the main mountain highways in case my phone signal ever goes out.”
I revel in the feeling of her soft breast pressing against my chest as I snuggle her close. “Of course they have printers. You're also welcome to use mine." I want to tell her that she could use anything of mine whenever she wanted. That she should park her RV in my driveway and never move it again. That she should move in with me immediately and let me shower her with comfort.
I dip my head to catch her lips against mine, the longing between us instantly taking hold. My heart sings from how she instantly breathes in sync with me, molds to me, clutches my back with her fingers as if she truly wants me.
I'm so hard it’s a wonder I can think straight. I want to grind our bodies together so she can feel how much I need her, but we met less than twenty-four hours ago. That she's kissing me with this much passion should be enough for now.
My phone pings with a text, and we both groan at the interruption.
"Shit," I mutter, holding the phone out so that Leah can read the screen.
Mom: It's your turn to go. They want you to present at 8 PM tonight, so you won't have time to drive. They’re sending a chopper to pick you up in the town park at 4 this afternoon.
Leah's mouth falls open. "A helicopter?"
"The closest place to jump into a private jet is Charlotte, and that's almost a two-hour drive away. So once in a blue moon, if it's a huge rush, a helicopter is the only way." I shrug. "It's their fault for booking us on such short notice. Maybe we’re a last-minute replacement or something."
We head for the truck, my admiration of Leah’s hips somewhat curbed by my mental checklist of what I'm going to have to pack.
"I can drive you to the library," I offer. But then, instead of helping Leah get into the truck, I pin her against it, slipping my hand under the back of her t-shirt to caress her back, her silky skin turning my cock to stone.
"I don't want to go. I’m going to miss you so much," I murmur against her mouth, kissing her passionately. Finally, I step back. Leah doesn't seem upset, still smiling sweetly.
"This is really exciting for you," she says brightly, before I race around to jump into the driver’s seat. Once we're on the road, she reaches over to squeeze my hand. "This is an amazing opportunity for your company. Think of how much free publicity you'll get!"
It hits me again that Leah clearly thinks we're still just a startup. I'm not sure how to correct her on that.
As soon as we’re back in town, where cell service is reliable enough for a phone call, I'm going to be checking some very important details.
Maybe I won't have to miss her after all.
6
