“What is our first course?” I ask.
“I’ll be bringing out smoked salmon blinis with dill.”
“Fabulous,” I tell him. “Let’s start there.”
“Very good.”
He moves off, and I pick up my champagne flute. “Are you okay?” I ask her, taking in the vision of her laughing, her eye makeup a little smudged, her leaning back in her chair, completely relaxed. She’s so damned gorgeous.
She’s sobered a bit and wipes under each eye, then picks up her flute as well. “I’m fine. This is just so…” She shakes her head and tips her flute back, draining the champagne in one long gulp. Then she meets my gaze. “I’m having the most romantic dinner in a gorgeous hotel, in one of the best cities, on the most romantic day of the year with a guy that I’m absolutely, completely, crazy about, who is also crazy about me, and no matter how hard I resist, no matter what Isay, the universe just keeps sayingnope, you’re going to be with this guy.”
My heart squeezes hard. “Ginny, I didn’t mean for?—”
She leans in and pins me with a look. “So, I’m just thinking,fuck it.”
I stare at her. My heart squeezes again. “What?” I ask. “What does that mean?”
“It means, fuck it.” She shrugs. “We’re in New York City on Valentine’s Day. We’re done with work. There’s no way you’ll get away with firing me for…anything. And I trust you. I do. I’m not worried about you changing anything about my job because of our relationship.”
I definitely won’t do that. It’s notherjob I intend to change.
I nod. “Good.”
“So…fuck it. Let’s eat this amazing meal, enjoy time together the way we’ve been resisting, and then let’s go upstairs, and just…get this out of our systems.”
I realize I’m gripping the delicate champagne glass too tightly and force myself to let go of it. But I lean in. “Getwhatout of our systems?”
“This urge to tear each other’s clothes off and fuck each other’s brains out, Everett,” she says. “Thatis what we need to get out of our systems. And this is actually the perfect chance.”
CHAPTER 15
GINNY
I’m lying.And I know Everett knows I’m lying.
There’s no getting over this. There’s no getting this out of our systems. And I know that actually sleeping with him is going to make my feelings for him even stronger.
But I just don’t care anymore.
I can’t fight it. And the truth is, I trust him. I trust that my job and professional integrity are secure, and that we can both keep them separate.
He’s not like my past bosses or boyfriends. In fact, he’s not like any man I’ve ever known. Except maybe my dad and brothers. He has integrity and honor, and he truly loves me. He won’t hurt me.
I believe that.
And that is why I am willing to step over this final line. For better or worse.
Everett doesn’t say anything. He just lifts his hand in the air, summoning the waiter.
“I’m sorry to do this,” he says when the man approaches. Then he shoots me a glance. “Actually I’m not sorry at all. We are going to need to take our dinner to go.”
The waiter looks from Everett to me, then simply nods. “I will package everything up when it’s ready. What room can I have it delivered to?”
I grin. The man just scored himself an enormous tip.
Everett looks at me. “Which room?”
“Yours.” My suite was supposed to be for Graham and Margot. It’s beautiful and romantically set up, but it’s notours. I want to be in Everett’s room.
