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“Going somewhere, sir? I can bring the car around.”
“No, I’ll drive.” I pat Wes on the back who’s eating dinner at the kitchen island. “Take it easy. Maybe go on a date or watch some football, old man,” I tease him as I grab a bottle of wine from the wine cooler in the pantry.
I don’t even bother with my coat. I grab my keys and head out to the garage, calling in an order to Bistronomic to be ready for pickup in twenty. I tap the wheel nervously, adjusting the heat, then the radio as I wait for my order to be brought out to the car once I arrive.
I didn’t even text Presley to see if she’s home. Maybe this is a terrible idea. What if I show up and she has a guy there? Panic churns my stomach, but a gentle tap on my window snaps me back to the present.
“Your order, sir.”
“Thanks, Austin.” I hand him a twenty and push the doubts out of my head as I speed off to Presley’s apartment.
Chapter 22
Presley
I step into my pajama shorts, looking over my shoulder at my butt in the mirror on my closet door before pulling them all the way up. I reach back and slide my finger over the few welts across my cheeks, a smile tugging at my lips as I think about this afternoon. I reach for my shirt when I hear what sounds like the buzzer to my building.
I crane my head around the corner of my bedroom, down the hall toward the front door, listening for it again, unsure if it came from the TV that’s playing.
Who would be stopping by at seven on a Friday night?
The buzzer sounds again. I pull my shirt down as I walk toward the speaker box by my door. I press the button.
“Hello?”
“Hi.” He doesn’t have to say his name; excitement coils in my belly at just the sound of his voice.
“Oh, hi!” I say, this time with more enthusiasm. I hold the button down to unlock the door. “It’s open.” I bounce nervously on the balls of my feet as I wait the thirty seconds for him to enter the building and climb the stairs. I look down at my pj’s; it’s too late to try and change.
I reach for the door, pulling it open just as he lifts his hand to knock. “Hi,” I say again with a huge grin on my face. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Yeah,” he says slowly, still standing in the doorway, a bag of what I assume is takeout in his hands. “I’m realizing how rude it is to just show up at someone’s house unannounced. Should I—maybe I should go?”
“What? No.” I reach for his arm, pulling him inside as I shut the door behind him. “I wasn’t doing anything,” I look down at my pajamas that I’m already wearing this early in the evening. “Clearly.”
“You look—cute,” he says as he drags his eyes down my body. I blush. I don’t think he’s ever said I looked cute before.
“Is that food?” I point to the bag that smells delicious, making my stomach rumble.
“It is. I just ordered a random assortment of things. I hope that’s okay?”
“Absolutely. I was about to eat popcorn for dinner.”
“After earlier,” he says in a low tenor as he places the bag on the counter and removes his coat, “you need a substantial meal, Miss James.”
Before I can respond, he reaches out and grasps my wrist, pulling me toward him gently as his lips come down on mine. It’s a gentle kiss, sweet yet deliberate.
“Are you feeling okay?” His arms snake around me, resting on my waist as I place my hands against his chest.
“Mm-hmm.” I nod, looking up at him.
“I felt guilty again.”
My brows knit together. “Why?”
“Because—” He reaches his hand up to tuck my hair behind my ear, something he does often when he’s being intimate with me. “I didn’t reciprocate what you said in the elevator in my building the other day, about me meaning more to you than just sex, and then earlier today, I know I handled you a bit rough. I just wanted you to know that I—you’re special to me, Presley. I care about you.”
His eyes search mine and I can see the vulnerability in them. He leans in, planting a kiss on my forehead, then the tip of my nose.
