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“What are you doing?” he demands.
“I was going to get Connie to pick it up.”
“No. Connie doesn’t know about this. No one knows.”
“Not even Connie?”
“Not even Connie.”
“She’s worked for you for ten years?”
“Yes. She has.”
“Okay. I won’t comment on that while you have a migraine. On to Plan B.” I try to turn again and he holds me still. “Reid. Let go.”
“What are you going to do now?”
I reach out and cup his cheek. “I know you don’t trust easily. I see that now more than ever and I even understand it, but on this small thing, I’m asking you to trust me. You said you don’t want anyone to know this, and they won’t.”
He shuts his eyes and draws a breath before looking at me and giving me a tiny nod that actually makes him grimace. “Okay,” he murmurs.
“I have Excedrin,” I say. “Let me start by getting that down you. I’ll be right back.” I step into him and kiss his temple before I can stop myself.
He catches my hand and looks up at me with hard, unreadable eyes and then to my surprise, he flips my hand over. His lips press to my palm and those unreadable eyes are suddenly etched with pain that he allows me to see when moments before he had not. He lets me see. He chooses to be human, to trust me, and it steals my breath. “Hurry back,” he orders softly, releasing my hand.
“I will,” I say, rounding the desk and heading out the door, my knees wobbling slightly with the impact of whatever just happened between me and this man. What did just happen? He happened. That’s the answer to every question in my life right now. Reid Maxwell happened.
Chapter thirty-two
Carrie
Ihurry out of the office, avoiding Connie’s gaze. I can’t invite her questions when I’m trying to answer my own about me and Reid. About Reid. About what he’s making me feel that I can’t even name. He’s not stone. He’s a man hiding beneath stone and I just saw a little piece of that man. It was enough to convince me that I want to see more, not that I needed much convincing.
I stop at Sallie’s desk, certain that she will help me without any unwelcome questions. “It’s going to be a long night, and I have this sudden sinus pain in my face that I was hoping would go away. It’s not.”
She perks up, eager to help. “What do you need?”
“Advil and some Sudafed would be great.”
“What about some sort of cold medicine?” she offers.
“I called my doctor earlier and he said Advil and Sudafed should work.”
She grabs her purse. “I’ll go next door and get it.”
“Thank you. Just set it on my desk. I’ll sneak out and get it soon. We’re about to be on a conference call.” I hurry into my office, reach in my desk and grab the Excedrin and pour a few in my hand for fear the bottle is too obvious. Snatching up the bottle of water on my desk, , I hurry out of the office and back toward Reid’s.
“Everything okay?” Connie asks.
“Seems his normal asshole self to me,” I say, “but I haven’t known him ten years like you. However, the asshole part of him wants me to review some paperwork now.”
She laughs. “Now is one of his favorite words. Maybe he is normal today after all.”
“Wish me luck,” I say, entering the office without giving her time to ask another question, and shut myself inside.
Reid’s still behind his desk, on the phone. “Monday,” he says. “Ten AM. Be ready for all hell to break loose.” He pauses a beat. “Saturday night? Doubtful. In fact, no. Call me Sunday night.” He disconnects as I round the desk and hand him two Excedrin. He pops them in his mouth and I offer him the water.
He downs them and I pull open his top drawer and stick about ten more inside. “I didn’t bring the bottle. I thought that would be obvious.”
