My chest tightened when she reached over to squeeze my forearm, like she was comforting me. Damn it. I liked it.
“Carla—she owns a small coffee cart—is growing her business and will be in need of some marketing advice. She’s starting off, so they can’t afford a full consultant, but if you could only charge half your fee, just for a month or so. I think you’re brilliant when you talk about what you did for your parents, and at the foundation. I heard Angelica tell my—me, she told me the other day how creative your ideas are.”
Nora hung on my every word with hope and pure joy radiating from her, and I made a note to have Angelica tell her good job. It wasn’t her style, but Nora needed the validation. “You think I’m brilliant.”
“Yes. I do.” I took another sip of the margarita, willing it to cool down my face. “Weird, but brilliant.”
“I’ll take it. And yes, of course I’ll help your friend slash colleague.”
“You’re teasing me,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Not very ladylike or professional, Nora Atwood.”
She laughed and shrugged, the nonchalant look coming across really sexy. “What ya gonna do?”
Damn. With the light and the tank top and the smile, I’d never want to leave her place. “Okay, I’ll let Carla know. You’ll make her year, really.”
“I’m not being a saint.” She looked a little wicked and spoke in a lower tone. “I do have an ulterior motive of seeing if we can partner up when I get my greenhouse. Once that money comes through, it’s on. I’m thinking it’ll be sooner rather than later too.”
The mention of the money deflated the balloon of happiness and hope I was naïvely living in. She must’ve emailed Anthony or figured something out. My shoulder slumped, and I hated how my gut twisted. She still didn’t know who I was, and I needed to tell her. Soon.
I took my last bite of food, preparing myself to do the right thing, when she slid off her chair and stood between my thighs. “Nora?”
Heat entered her eyes, and she unbuttoned my shirt one by one, teasing my chest with her fingers, making me forget about all the things Ishould’vedone. She straddled me and guided my hands up her thighs, going under her skirt, and when her lips met mine, and her greedy tongue slid into my mouth, lust took over.
A beautiful, wild woman wanted me? Yeah, I could hold off on the truth. Just a bit longer.
Chapter Nineteen
I ignoredthe guilt as I cleaned my place to make sure all evidence ofAnthonywas gone before Nora arrived. No photos of Gilly and me, no mail. Every time I took a part of me and hid it, a sharp pang pierced my chest. Finding the ring I bought to propose to Samantha reminded me that Nora wanting to marry me had nothing to do with who I was as a person.
To her, Anthony was just a means to get what she wanted.
She wanted Fritz for…something else. I scrubbed my palms over my face and eyed the clock.Six p.m.We agreed to watch the Cubs play and order Chinese food, another must-experience. I wore sport shorts and an old T-shirt and double-checked my hair in the mirror as she knocked on the door.
The same cheerful-like feeling that formed in my belly when talking to Carla returned, but this time it was because of Nora. She beamed at me as I swung the door open.
“Hey,” I said, matching her smile. She wore a bright-purple dress that hugged every curve of her body. Her earrings and lips matched the color, and she threw her arms around me in an aggressive hug. “Oof,” I mumbled into her neck.
“Fritz, you brilliant man. Carla! Carla!” She pressed her lips on my neck, cheek, and mouth before she pulled back and narrowed her eyes at me with pleasure. “She’s amazing. Her partner’s amazing. I can’t believe you recommended me to help them!”
I grinned against her mouth and yanked her into my unit. She tasted like cherries, and I wanted more. I cupped the back of her head, dug my fingers into her short, soft hair, and tilted her head back to kiss her deeper. She parted her mouth, matching my fervor, and groaned. She kissed so wildly, so passionately, it made a normal kiss seem boring. My blood started heading south with her mouth on mine, so I slowed down. “I like kissing you,” I said, sounding like a dorky teenaged boy.
I like kissing you.Cool. Good one.
She bit her moist bottom lip and looked at me through her lashes.Is she getting shy on me?I tilted her chin up so I could see her large brown eyes. “This is when you say, ‘I like kissing you too, Fritz.’”
“Of course I do.” She pursed those lips and ran her finger over one of my eyebrows, almost like she was studying the shapes of my face. I swore I felt her soft touch all the way down to my toes, which was silly. It was one finger on my eyebrow of all places. The least sexiest thing I could think of.
“You seem happy,” I said, finally figuring out what was different about her. It wasn’t the color of her lips or her hair or her nails. It was her vibe. The genuine sparkle in her eye. I still held her tight against me as we chatted. It would have made more sense to move to the couch. But then she could sit on the other end, and I liked her soft curves and warmth pressed up against me. I twirled a piece of her hair between my fingers and the tightness in my chest loosened.
“I might be, Fritz.” She shook her head and let out a little chuckle, like she couldn’t believe it herself. “I realized today I wasn’t counting down the weeks until I go back.”
And the tightness returned like Thanos’s hand had gripped my heart and squeezed.Weeks.She’d be gone in weeks. It wasn’t news, but I forgot to keep that fun fact at the forefront of my mind. I let go of her, needing a bit of distance. If she sensed a change in me, she didn’t show it.
We went to the barstools in my kitchen, and I slid a takeout menu toward her. “Pick carefully. My treat.”
“I can buy one of these nights, you know.” She winked at me and nudged her shoulder with mine. “If you don’t remember, I’m made of money.”
“I don’t care give a shit about your money,” I said, a bit too fast, too aggressive. My tone was harsh.
