Again, it’s not pressing, so I’ll deal with it tomorrow.
The last came through about an hour ago.
Mark:
Hey, sweetheart, just checking in. Riggs has another meeting in the morning, so we’re staying another night. I’m at my hotel room. Call me when you’re free.
Shit, it’s nearly midnight there.
Not wanting to wake him, I send a quick text.
Me:
Sorry. Got lost in the zone. Just now checking messages. Don’t want to wake you if you’re sleeping.
Within seconds, the phone rings, and my heart soars like a teenager with her first crush at seeing his name.
“Hey, you.” I smile in greeting as I connect the call. “How’s your trip?”
“Better now that I hear your voice. Can we switch to a video call? I miss your beautiful face.”
“Sure.” I laugh at his eagerness.
Within seconds, his handsome face fills my phone. A playful smile pulls at his lips. “God, you’re even better looking than I remember.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, handsome,” I tease, though something settles in me when my eyes finally meet his.
“How’s your project going?” he asks with interest.
“Almost done. When I bring this client on board, I’ll travel to Bologna to get this up and running.”
Mark’s brows draw together, and the phone tilts to the side for a moment before he asks, “How soon will you leave?”
“Not for another week or so. I’m still troubleshooting a few things before I make the trip, or it will all be for nothing.”
I watch him settle onto his bed and lean against the headboard. “Will you be gone long?”
“Not sure. The last time I did something like this, I was gone six weeks. The time before, it only took two. It all depends on what I encounter when I get there.”
“Hmmm… That must be hard to plan around. Are all jobs like this?”
Shaking my head, I sigh heavily and settle onto my bed, as well. “No, thankfully. I try to limit how many clients like this I take. Fortunately, most of what I do can be done remotely, so it only happens a couple of times a year. Otherwise, I’d never be home.”
“I can certainly relate,” he says solemnly.
Something in the way he says it has me taking a closer look at his features.
His usually sculpted hair stands on end, as if he’s repeatedly been running a hand through it. There are dark circles under his eyes that I’ve rarely noticed before, and he’s looking at me with a sense of need I can’t quite describe.
“Everything okay, Mark?”
“Yeah,” he sighs heavily. “This trip is just… different for me.” Then, a slow grin spreads across his face. “For some reason… I’ve been rather preoccupied. I can’t seem to get my mind off a certain someone, and I’m jonesing to get home.”
From the suddenly heated look in his eyes, I know without a doubt he’s talking about me, and my heart does a somersault into my belly. But I can’t let him off that easily. “I imagine you miss your family a lot when you’re gone.”
“Yes, I do,” he says flatly. “But from that glint in your eye, I can tell you know damn well I wasn’t talking about them.”
“All joking aside, what makes this trip different?” I ask with genuine curiosity.
