As he got in his car, he wondered if Carli was still up. It wasn’t quite ten yet, and she was a night owl as he’d learned recently. He was exhausted after working for sixteen hours straight, plus every night this week. He missed her, though. If he texted, would she let him come over? He didn’t want her staying up just for him, but he needed to see her, hold her, kiss her. If she was tired, he’d do that then leave.
Decision made, he maneuvered onto Storrow Drive, then the interstate north. Traffic was light at this time of night, and he made it to her street in record time. By ten fifteen he was passing her house at a crawl. Due to the snow still piled up, there was only parking on one side of the street and nothing in front of her apartment. He passed by again, looking in the window. Her light was still on, and he could see figures moving inside. Okay, he was being stalkerish, but he wanted to know if she was home.
After parking a few houses down, he texted her.
—So sorry about tonight. Patient doing better. Are you still up?—
—I’m up. Evan is just leaving.—
The door to her apartment opened. A tall figure walked out and got into the truck parked right in front. When he pulled down the street, Blake got out of his car and walked up to Carli’s door. Presumptuous much?
—Are you up for a guest?—
Okay, he was being weird texting her when he could simply knock. But would she hear it?
—You’ve worked late every night this week. Aren’t you tired?—
—Yes, but I’m also on your doorstep.—
How pathetic was that? The glimpse of her through the split in the curtain made his heart pound faster.
When the door opened, he gave her his most charming smile, showcasing the dimples she seemed to adore.
“What are you doing here, Blake?”
“I wanted to see you. I missed you.” He shrugged.
Happiness radiated from her face. Because of him or his using ASL? Her expression said he’d made the right decision.
“Come on in.” Standing back, she waved him in, then closed the door and locked it. Good sign, right?
“I can’t believe you texted me from the porch.”
“I didn’t know if you would hear the doorbell.”
Pointing to the light on the end table, she said, “I have a device that makes the light flicker on and off.”
“Good to know. Now, first things first.” Once he’d stepped closer, he wasted no time in framing her face and kissing her lips. His fingers slipped through her hair, noticing the absence of her CIs. Made sense. It was late, and her brother didn’t need her to have them in. Probably gave her a hard time when she did.
“I hope you don’t mind that I just showed up. A full week was far too long to go without seeing you.”
Relief filled her face, and she bit her lip as she nodded.
“You aren’t mad that I had to cancel all week, are you? Because you’d have every reason to be.”
“I’m not upset with you. I just thought maybe…” Her shoulders lifted and fell.
“Thought what?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “It’s silly. I’m glad you’re here. Do you want something to drink? Or eat? Have you had supper?”
She took his hand and led him into the kitchen. When she’d faced him again, he said, “I got something from the caf a few hours ago. I’m fine. Now, what is it you were thinking?”
As she opened the fridge, she shrugged. He took her hand and spun her around gently, then pulled her into his arms. Caressing her cheeks, he gazed into her expressive eyes. The ones that were embarrassed right now.
“I thought maybe you were tired of me.”
“Tired of you? After we spent those days together last week during the blizzard? How could you think that?”
