Locke had made a sincere apology, and he’d held dinner for me. Was it pathetic that I was touched by those things?Yes. Was I allowing it to do that toxic thing where you ignored all a guy’s red flags?Also yes.
Because I wanted him enough to be with him despite the red flags. In fact, I wanted to have sex with him, even if he was covered in the damned things.
Give me all the red flags.
I spent a healthy amount of time in the shower and bathroom, prepping on the off chance he’d finally round all the bases with me. Then I changed into one of the outfits his shopper had selected.
I chose to skip the undies, fasten fewer shirt buttons than recommended, and dab on a little lip gloss—the kind a straight guy would never notice unless and until he kissed me and tasted it there.
Then I sauntered out to the suite’s sitting room in time to see one of the night staff setting out our food while Locke wrapped up the call to take a dinner break.
It was already late. Past eight our time, which meant his team in New York was due for a late lunch. Once he’d closed the laptop, he stood and stretched. His clothes were rumpled, and the only reason the table wasn’t littered with coffee cups and leftover snacks was because he had diligent household staff cleaning up after him.
“C’mere,” he murmured, holding out his arms.
I walked into them happily but then acted awkward and confused. “What’s this? What is this thing you’re doing with your arms?”
“Smart-ass.” His arms tightened around me in a hug.
“I didn’t think you knew how to work one of these things. They’re awfully complicated.”
The smell of him made me want to climb him. Instead, I tucked my nose against the warm skin of his neck, catching a glimpse of the attendant as he flushed pink and hid a smile.
Even though Locke Maris was old-school about claiming his sexuality, his family seemed to have been good at hiring accepting people. The thought reassured me.
“I’ve been taking hug lessons,” Locke said. “They’re very expensive, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.”
I pulled back and flashed him my biggest smile. “Worth every penny, though, right?”
He cupped my face and smiled, the kind of smile that suddenly made him look younger, more relaxed.
Happy.
“Worth every penny.”
And then he kissed me.
When our food came, I strategically didn’t eat. I had big plans for later that night, and I didn’t want anything to upset them.
“Are you feeling okay?” Locke asked when he noticed my still-full plate.
“Yep,” I said. “Very okay. And I’m looking forward to making you feel very okay as well.”
He crinkled his forehead, clearly a hundred percent clueless about why I would forgo a meal before having sex. That was okay—he didn’t need to understand the ins and outs of prep to reap the rewards. And I could always sneak into the pantry later and steal shit from the fridge if I was hungry. There was a reason you were always nice to the person in charge of the kitchen.
When he finally finished his meal, I stood and moved toward his bedroom, crooking my finger at him.
“I have more calls,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Give me half an hour,” I begged. “Your employees aren’t even back from lunch yet.”
I could tell he was tempted, and sure enough, he stood and followed me into the bedroom.
Once we were behind another layer of privacy, I started pulling off my clothes, keeping my eyes on him. “Fuck me.”
Heat blazed through his eyes, but instead of a hearty “Hell yeah,” he shook his head. “Not now. Not when I can’t take my time with it.”
I shucked off my pants and stepped toward him, completely naked while he was still fully dressed. “After your call?”
