“You heard.” She saw no point in beating around the bush.
“I did. And I’m glad you think so highly of me,” he said with a sexy grin.
“Yes, well, don’t let it go to your head, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
His smirk told her it already had.
“I just wanted to let you know the guys and I were going to take the furniture over to the storage unit. The Goodwill people will be here tomorrow with a truck to take everything else.”
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
He nodded. “By tomorrow everything will be upstairs, and you can start unpacking. And by tomorrow we’ll be living together.”
She let out a long exhale and prayed for the strength to handle being under the same roof with the man she’d always desired… but could never have.
* * *
The first night in Lucas’ apartment was an awkward one. They ordered in dinner and sat through a mostly silent meal of Chinese food, making small talk. Then she excused herself to start unpacking her bedroom and listened to him opening and closing drawers and taking a shower in the master bedroom next door.
She was acutely aware of his presence and couldn’t stop imagining him lying naked in the king-sized bed she’d seen in his room. If she closed her eyes, she could envision his muscular body lying on top of the navy comforter, his sexy tattoos standing out against his skin.
She wanted to lick her way across his chest and down his arm, tracing the ink with her tongue. In her imagination she could taste the saltiness of his male flesh, and as a result she hadn’t slept well, always conscious of her tingling skin, heavy breasts, and aroused body. It had been a long time since she’d experienced such strong sexual desire.
She woke up Monday after Lucas had left for work, and she spent the day organizing her new room. By the afternoon, she had time to sit down with her laptop and send out a few more resumes. Then she searched the kitchen cabinets and fridge for food so she could cook dinner. The least she could do in exchange for Lucas’ generosity was find a way to earn her keep, and cooking for him made her feel useful.
Based on the contents of his refrigerator, he seemed like a basic-food kind of guy. She ran down to the grocery store to pick up a vegetable for dinner tonight, returned, and prepared the meal, planning to surprise him.
The surprise was on her, though, when Lucas didn’t come home on time. She supposed she should have asked him his plans, but she’d just assumed he’d arrive around the same time she usually saw him returning from work when they ran into each other in the lobby.
She debated on whether or not to call him, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated to her in any way. So she ate her dinner alone, cleaned up, put the leftovers in the refrigerator in case he hadn’t eaten, and settled into the sofa.
She pulled out her laptop and began looking through her emails for the first time since this afternoon. To her surprise, she had an email from one of the places she’d submitted her resume.
She let out a squeal of excitement and immediately emailed them back to set up an interview. She began to do some Googling and reading up on the firm, taking notes on a pad she’d brought into the room with her. She was determined to bring her A-game. She needed this job. Needed it not just for the money and life’s necessities but to prove to herself she was strong and capable on her own.
* * *
Lucas’ first day of work after Maxie moved in, he couldn’t bring himself to go home on time. Not after the night before, when they’d sat through a fucking awkward dinner and then he’d tossed and turned in his bed, knowing she was sleeping in the room next door.
The guest bathroom was outside the bedroom, and he’d caught sight of her walking toward it in a soft-looking tee shirt in light pink with lace trim. Her bare legs seemed to go on for miles, her silky hair falling over her shoulders in a sexy, tangled mess. And yeah, her nipples poked through the flimsy material, forcing him to jerk his head up and meet her gaze in order to not get caught staring.
He’d slammed the door to his room and hadn’t come out for the rest of the night. He refused to think about what he’d done in the hours before dawn. With his hand. More than just once.
Shit.
“What are you still doing here?” Derek asked, stopping by his desk and taking a seat on the edge of it.
Lucas leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. Their office, located in a renovated garage in SoHo, was an open area on the main floor for the employees, with private offices above, each boasting wall-to-wall windows with a view that reminded him daily of how far they’d come.
“Avoiding going home,” he said, honest with one of the men he trusted above all others.
“The pretty lady has you tied up in knots already?” Derek asked.
“She’s had me tied up in knots my whole life.”
A smirk lifted Derek’s mouth. “Yeah, I know. So what are you going to do about it? You could always make a move,” he suggested.