Even the sound of her voice through the fuzzy, crackling intercom sent my pulse rattling. Shifting the box I carried in my arms, I pushed the door open when she buzzed me in and made my way up to her unit.
As soon as she opened the door, dressed in comfy, loose shorts and a plain white tank top, my shoulders dropped with relief. She smiled at me a little tentatively, then opened the door wider to let me in.
I set the box down and turned to take her in my arms. “Hello, love.”
She tilted her face up to mine and smiled. “I missed you.” Her voice was a little shy, as if she wasn’t sure how I would respond.
Even now, she hesitated to open up to me. Did she not realize I was all-in? How? How could she doubt me? I took her face in my hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I missed you too.”
Her smile made everything seem a little better, but the twinkle in her eyes wasn’t quite as bright as usual. It felt like she was holding something back. “What’s in the box?” she asked, turning her gaze away from my probing stare.
“Open it.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“I just wanted to buy it for you,” I said.
A little pleased smile played over the corners of Deena’s lips as she grabbed the box, testing it for weight. “No one’s ever bought me a just-because present before,” she said quietly, touching the thick black ribbon holding the box closed. It was about three feet by two feet and a couple of inches tall. She placed it on her bed—this apartment was even tinier than I expected—and pulled the bow.
As she glanced at me, I noted the dark smudges under her eyes and the way her shoulders seemed to stoop. She hadn’t rested like I’d told her. She’d probably kept working eighteen-hour days. I’d have to fix that. I’d bring her back to my place, and if she protested, I’d tie her up and throw her in the trunk. She needed to slow down. And if she wasn’t going to let herself take a break, I’d make sure she took one. She was my responsibility now. Her well-being. Her happiness. Her health. Her pleasure. All of it—mine to cherish and protect.
A gasp brought me back to the moment. Deena had openedthe box, and her fingers swept over the black jacquard fabric within.
“I showed the woman pictures of you, and she said you’d love this one,” I explained.
Deena’s eyes were wide. “You bought me a Schiaparelli dress.”
“If you don’t like it, you can pick something else.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I love it. It’s simple but stunning.” She ran her fingers over the fabric and bit her bottom lip. “I hope it still fits.”
I tilted my head at her wording. She hoped it “still” fit?
“Put it on,” I said. “I’m taking you out tonight. I closed the deal and couldn’t have done it without you. We need to celebrate.”
Deena tore her eyes away from the dress to look at me. She searched my eyes and seemed to come to a decision. “Okay,” she said. “How much time do I have to get ready?”
I kissed her lips. “As long as you need. They’ll hold the table for us.”
Deena smiled at me, bright and beautiful, and my heart cracked wide open.
There was nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman. Nowhere I wouldn’t go. She was my sun and stars, and I wondered how I’d gone through life without her. Now, I had purpose. When I came back to the city, it felt like coming home.
For the first time in my life, the future seemed bright in a way I’d never expected it to. I never thought I could be happy, that I would deserve a woman of Deena’s caliber. But she smiled at me like she was mine, and suddenly my grand romantic evening went out the window.
I banded an arm around her and crushed my lips to hers. Deena clung to me and softened, the way she always did when I held her close. She pulled away, emotion swirling just under the surface, and feathered her fingers overmy jaw.
“I…” She trailed off. “I missed you,” she finally whispered.
I wondered if three other words had been on the tip of her tongue. If she was feeling the same way I was. If she was bursting with the need to tell me that she loved me the way I was bursting to tell her. We stared into each other’s eyes before kissing once more, but when my hands wandered down her body, Deena pulled away.
“Let me get ready,” she said.
“I’m regretting making that reservation,” I replied, tugging her back to me. I’d take her out tomorrow. Tonight, we could lock ourselves in this apartment and remind each other what we’d missed all week. I didn’t care that it was small; it had a bed. It would do.
But Deena pulled away again, so I had no choice but to let her go. “We’re celebrating, remember?” she said. “And you can’t give me a dress like this and not expect me to want to put it on right away.”
I grinned, catching her hand to press a kiss to her fingers. Then I sat back and waited, resigning myself to a torturous dinner of craving the woman I loved.
