He parked in Aubrey’s cul-de-sac, then glanced at the envelope on the passenger seat. Delivering it would change things. Alter his trajectory with Aubrey in a way he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for. And yet, when he’d copied down the lines last night, he’d glimpsed, for the first time, something more than just gooey declarations. He’d sensed something deeper within the words, some tangible force he’d ultimately decided, almost against his will, was bravery.
Nick Thacker had balls. Not just the run-of-the mill kind, but a kamikaze sort of courage that made Gallant wonder whether the guy was one egg short of a dozen, or the type who would keep everyone around him alive in the zombie apocalypse.
Whatever the case, Gallant plucked up the letter and turned it over, wondering whether this whole thing had gone too far.
Not that he didn’t want Aubrey. He did. Badly. She embodied everything he craved in a woman, at least when she wasn’t playing small-town-country-mouse at that volunteer gig he now regretted suggesting.
Yes, he wanted her sleek elegance on his arm once he moved to New York. Her trim body warming his bed at night. He wanted to cook for her and find out what she tasted like and post so many pictures on social media that everyone in a hundred-mile radius would envy them both.
But he also understood that the letter in his hand had come to him from the far side of a divide. The gulf between the man he knew himself to be and the man who had written these words stretched so wide as to be uncrossable. Not that he wasn’t courageous. He was. He would just never be so unrestrained about it. And if Aubrey wanted that,trulywanted that, maybe... Maybe...
He slapped the envelope against the steering wheel, then shut down his half-baked line of thinking and tossed it into a mental trash compactor. Stupid. He’d put in too much effort to turn back now, especially since he’d gotten within spitting distance of closing the deal.
With that sorted, he climbed out and made his way to Aubrey’s door. She answered before he even got to the second knock, like she’d been waiting.
“Hi,” she said. She’d traced her eyes with some kind of catlike liner. Between that, the purple dress, and the sleek shock of red hair, she looked like a sex goddess. One he wanted to keep up all night.
“Hi.” He bit back the instinctive compliment filling his mouth. What would Nick have said? “I... missed you. My week was entirely boring without you in it.”
Her expression melted into one of delight. “I missed you, too. I’m so glad we’re finally getting to do Chicago.”
She leaned in for a kiss, surprising him with a bit of tongue. When she pulled back, Gallant smiled. Yes, he could absolutely do this. He could practically taste her eagerness for the next step. With or without the letter.
“Let me just get my coat.” She bustled away, her heels clacking on the parquet.
He took the opportunity to step inside and set the envelope on the front hall table. Aubrey returned wearing that elegant, knee-length designer thing he loved so much, then arched an eyebrow at his offering.
“For later.” He still had no desire to watch her read Nick’s words right in front of him. Especially notthesewords. Let that emotional intensity happen in private.
He offered his arm, then opened the car door for her once outside. The whole time, she watched him with a new focus, one he recognized.
It was the look of a buyer before making an offer.
His blood warmed a degree. He hadn’t seen her in over a week, but clearly, something had happened. Some new connection had come together in her mind, and she’d decided—whether consciously or subconsciously—to give him a chance. A real one.
He slid into the driver’s seat and gave her his best rakish grin. Already, he couldn’t believe he’d ever wavered. Those wide, green cat eyes, that seductive pout, thatdress—this woman was perfect for him. “Ready? It’s a long drive.”
She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. “I’m ready.”
Aubrey gazed out the window as the Tesla slid between the regal towers of downtown Chicago. Neon reflections streamed across the hood.
The drive had passed pleasantly, and she glanced over to find Gallant smiling, in a way that bore no resemblance to Nick’s secret way. It was... pleasant. Genial.
She smiled back. He still seemed different in person than in his letters, but she’d decided to simply accept that. What mattered was that those words were in there, simmering. She focused onthem now, tying herself to the secretsbehindthe smile. After all, she’d traded away something that had no future for something that did, and she needed to remember the bargain had been worth it.
Gallant raised her hand and kissed it. “What’s that look for?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad to be here. With you.”
He grinned, administering a dose of sparkling white teeth and vivid eyes. “I’m glad to be here withyou.”
She blushed. Yes, this was good. Normal. Whatever she had with Nick—no, what she’dhadwith Nick—whatever insanity inflamed her whenever he came close, would never leave Henderson. But she would.
At the restaurant, Aubrey gorged on oysters and drank more than she had intended. Probably because Gallant looked more luscious with every additional infusion of chardonnay into her bloodstream—and he’d started off the evening as a solid nine. By the time they canoodled over a shared slice of tiramisu, she could almost believe blue eyes trumped black ones, and that she preferred expensive cologne to the raw burn of a smoking fire.
Gallant leaned in to lick a dollop of custard from her lips. The heat of his mouth zinged into her and pulled her belly tight.
“Don’t make me wait so long to see you again,” she said. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten me.”
