He wraps his arms around my shoulders. “Don’t tease me, or I’ll say ‘Yes, please.’”
“Can you say yes to something else?”
Thatcher looks at me like he’d say yes to anything I ask. The trust in his big blue eyes is more than I deserve.
“What’s the matter? Your face just went all…weird,” he says, tracing my eyebrows with his thumbs.
How can I tell him that this moment here with him in my arms, in the city that never sleeps, surrounded by strangers going about their lives, is one of the most perfect moments of my life?
How can I tell him that I am forty-six, but in all myexperience with relationships, I’ve never felt like this about anyone, even Lior, whom I would’ve married had he said yes when I asked.
How do I tell him that I’m fucking scared that I’m going to hurt him, or that I don’t know how I’ll cope if I’m the one doing the hurting?
“Pierce?” he asks, his voice tinged with worry. “Did I do something wrong? Was it the sketch?”
“Why would you think that?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I thought we were flirting, and then you kinda…stopped, and your expression changed. I haven’t learned all your expressions yet, and I don’t know what this one means.”
It means I’m falling in love with you and don’t know how to handle it.
“Will you come with me to the Mayor’s Gala? West and Drew from The Starfinders Foundation are receiving an award. It’s a charity that Noah?—”
“Yes, of course,” he interrupts. “I mean, I was already planning to go because I sometimes volunteer with them. Noah got his brothers and me into it. We helped out when they got their new premises. Wait— You want me to go with you…as your date?”
The hope in his eyes breaks my heart because I can’t give him the answer he’s looking for. “Fuck…anything I say is going to make me sound like a dickhead.”
“You want me to go with you but not openly,” Thatcher says quietly, understanding dawning in his expression.
I cradle his face in my hands and look into his eyes. “I want you to go as my date. I want to show up with you on my arm, put my hand on the small of your back, steal kisses between dinner courses. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“But you can’t.”
“We can’t. Not publicly. And that makes me feel like the worst kind of coward.” My thumbs stroke his cheekbones. “I want to give you everything, Thatcher, but I can’t even give you this one simple thing.”
“Because you’re my boss.”
“Because I’m your boss.”
He puts his hands over mine and rises on his toes to kiss me softly. “That’s enough, Pierce.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It is for now.” He steps away from my embrace and tugs me toward the park exit.
“Come on. I’m hungry, and you promised me the best Italian food in the city.”
23
THATCHER
My eyesopen to find Pierce already awake, watching me with an expression I’ve never seen before, all soft edges and unguarded warmth. His hair sticks up at impossible angles, and I have to resist the urge to mess it up even more.
“Morning,” I croak, my voice completely shot from last night’s activities. My body feels thoroughly satisfied, but there’s a hunger in Pierce’s eyes that makes heat pool in my stomach all over again.
“Morning,” he murmurs, his hand sliding down my chest. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was ravaged last night,” I admit, watching his pupils dilate. “How are you feeling?”
