Page 18 of Unraveled

It was Brazilian cherrywood and gorgeous, but it had nothing on the woman in front of me. “You’re stunning.”

My steps ate up the distance between us quickly. I had to touch her. My hand rested on her cheek in an intimate gesture.

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

The sliver of uncertainty made me think she could be convinced to make this more than a two-night stand.

“What if I told you I didn’t? And that you’re the first woman ever to be in this bedroom?”

“I’d ask you if you’re the type of guy prone to telling the truth or if you’d rather tell a girl what you think she wants to hear.”

“I always tell the truth with the hopes it’ll be something you want to hear.”

We both lay in my king-sized bed naked. She had her head on my chest and her leg over mine while we caught our breath after another incredible round of sex. If I’d thought last night had been good, tonight was better since I’d learned her body and what drove her crazy. The sound of rain pounded on the roof.

“Do you miss LA, where it’s sunnier?”

“Yes and no. Rain is so rare there that, now I’m back in Seattle, I appreciate it. How about you? Do you miss the East Coast?”

“No. I was out there for experience, but I don’t miss the weather. Especially the winters. But the falls were beautiful. All those colors on the trees.”

She expelled a long breath. “It’s on the bucket list to see someday. Fall in the Northeast.”

My hand rubbed her back in slow, lazy circles. I loved the sensation of her smooth skin contrasting with my rougher work hands. “What else is on your list?” I found myself craving more information about her.

“Mm. Traveling to Australia, Hawaii, and Tahiti. Bungee jumping, skydiving, swimming in the Iceland hot springs, learning how to knit, seeing the northern lights, learning another language, and riding a horse. To name a few.”

Damn. The way she’d rattled off everything made me wonder how often she thought about these things. There seemed to be an underlying wistful sadness in her voice. “What’s stopping you?”

“I suppose it was my priorities that stopped me. You’ve heard the saying ‘stop and smell the roses.’ I just didn’t.” There was regret in her tone.

“It’s not too late. This reset must mean you’re reevaluating?”

She snapped out of whatever she’d been dwelling on. “It’s definitely put things in perspective. Anyhow, how about you? What’s something on your bucket list?”

“I like the idea of traveling someday.” Although I’d hadn’t yet taken time off from making my business successful. “On top of the list would be building my own home. Or at least gutting a house to make it my own.”

“From what I’ve seen with this house, you do quality work.”

I snuggled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.” I certainly prided myself on doing a professional job.

Because I didn’t want this to be our last night together, I had to ask. “What do you think about dinner Friday night? I could take you out or cook one of the two dishes I’m halfway decent at making.”

Her entire body immediately stiffened. “I can’t,” she whispered.

Disappointment hit me hard. “Can’t because you have other plans or because you don’t want more than tonight?”

Her sigh echoed in the room before she spoke. “I’m leaving on Friday.”

“What do you mean you’re leaving? Are you moving back to LA?”

“No. I’m taking a temporary assignment somewhere else.”

“To do what?” I was tamping down my frustration, aware we had absolutely no commitment to one another. But why couldn’t we see where this went?

She sat up. “I wish I could tell you, but it’s confidential.”

My head wasn’t wrapping around what she was saying. “Confidential? Is it for your job?”