Curtis gave her a firm look that was more parental than older brother. “Can it, Al. She doesn’t want to marry me.” He sighed. “I’ve come to the realization that she’s like every other woman I’ve gotten close to outside of the family, except for Faith. She likes me for what I can do for her, the prestige and opportunities that come with hanging with a Knight.”
Ally shook her head. “No, bro. Shelikesyou. Have you seen the way she looks at you? And has she ever been nice to anyone you dated?”
“No, but then again, in the end, none of them deserved her or me to be nice to them.” His jaw ticked. “I’ve had enough of this conversation. Let’s eat.”
Jack and Ally stared at each other. I tended to agree with Ally, but I was keeping my mouth shut. As much as I didn’t like Queen B, I couldn’t blame her, and what torture it would be to work alongside Curtis for years and not have anything romantic happen.
Curtis turned to me. “What would you like?”
“Is that Szechuan chicken, and are they pork ribs?”
He grinned. “Yes, and yes.”
“I can’t believe you like common-people food, Mr. Penthouse,” I said with a smile. Teasing him was an enjoyable pastime.
“It helps me understand the little people better, which is crucial in advertising.” He winked.
“Whatever the reason, I’m grateful because Szechuan chicken and pork ribs are my favorites. Fill me up!”
Jack and Ally shared a “look.” Jack grinned. “Did you know they’re both Curtis’s favorites too?”
“No. I’ve never had to order him Chinese for lunch at the office.” I’d say it was a joke, but I didn’t detect any trickery. Imagine that—we really did like the same things.
Curtis smiled. “Serendipity.”
Ally placed a hand on her heart. “Oh my gosh, you two are perfect for each other. Wait till Mom finds out.”
Curtis gave her a stern look. “Not until after the meeting. Promise.”
“Of course. I won’t say anything until the week after next. Scout’s honor.” She held her hand up in an okay symbol, which was nothing like the three-fingered thing the scouts did. I laughed.
Curtis rolled his eyes and turned to Jack. “This is all your fault.”
Jack was chewing, but it didn’t stop him saying a muffled “How do you figure?”
“If you’d been a girl, Mom would’ve stopped at three, but no. You had to be a boy. Such a disappointment.” Curtis’s eyes gleamed. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that trash talking his siblings was one of the things that made him the happiest. And the funny thing was, that whatever made him happy, made me happy.
I was in so much trouble.
CHAPTER 31
FAITH
It was Monday morning, and I was sitting at my laptop in Curtis’s study across his desk from the man himself, who was focusing intently on his computer screen. At least that made one of us. I was doing my best to concentrate, but the weekend kept replaying in my head.
We’d done enough work to be two days ahead of schedule. I wasn’t sure if I should be worried we might have less time together. The way he’d been treating me, I didn’t think he’d end things when this campaign was done.
Curtis, who was turning out to be Mr. Romantic, insisted we spend Sunday lunchtime getting street food and taking a walk around Central Park. We spent an hour wandering, holding hands, and stealing kisses when no one was watching. It was risky, considering we didn’t want his father finding out, but Curtis assessed the chances of anyone he knew seeing us as being low, and he said he couldn’t help wanting to be close to me. To behonest, I couldn’t stop touching him either. Being with him felt way more right than it should, considering we were from two different worlds.
And as for all the sex we’d been having. We’d more than made up for the time I’d gone without. If we didn’t last, my vibrator was not going to cut it. Talk about ruining my life.
Curtis raised his eyes, his gaze meeting mine. His forehead wrinkled. “What’s wrong?”
I bit my bottom lip. I hadn’t been planning on bringing it up, but I needed to know what to expect, and until I did, my focus was about as useful as a donut backstage at a catwalk show. I ignored the nervously accelerating thrumming of my heart. “I know we haven’t talked much about us and our shelf life, but will we still be seeing each other at the end of this project? I mean, I don’t expect anything, but I just want to know so I can prepare myself. No pressure or anything.”
He stared at me for a beat before gliding to his feet—yes, I said gliding. The way he moved was self-assured, capable, and fluid. He probably could’ve been a ballet dancer. I’d pay to see him tights. I’d just managed to finish that thought when he was kneeling in front of my chair, staring into my eyes with an intensity that rivaled last night when he was inside me and it had felt like we were destined to be together. And if that wasn’t a red flag as to how gone I was, I didn’t know what was.
Curtis cupped the side of my face and put his other hand on my thigh. The tenderness in his eyes was like the warmth of a hundred hot chocolates spreading through my stomach, chest, and limbs. “Yes, Faith. I’d like nothing more than to keep seeing you. If I manage to keep my job, I won’t have a lot of time, but whatever spare time I have, I’ll gladly spend it with you. You’re like no one else I’ve ever met, and Ilikeyou… a lot. To be honest, I didn’t see this coming or plan to get into a relationship at this stage of my life, but being with you has changed my mind. I want to see where this goes. What do you think about making this official and being exclusive?”
