face. My knees go weak as I take him in. He’s dressed for work in a black suit and no tie, his shirt open at the neck and showing off his tan skin against the stark white of his shirt.
My mouth starts to water as I ogle him shamelessly.
“Fuck, it’s getting hot in here.” Claire nudges me, breaking my stare, and fans herself dramatically.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Shaw comments.
“I’ll get my things and meet you at the desk.” Claire breezes by, leaving us alone.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I brought you some breakfast. Thought I’d take you home before I head into the office. Evie told me you two had snuck off in here, so I came to find you.”
“That was really sweet.” I walk to him and rise on my toes to kiss the underside of his jaw. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He leans down and kisses me again then tugs at my ponytail, urging my face to his. “How was your first shift back?”
“Long, but good.”
“I missed you last night.”
“Missed you, too.”
“Didn’t sleep for shit.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You ready for me to take you home?”
“What about my car?”
“I’ll bring you back at seven.”
“Claire’s coming with us. She’s gonna crash at my apartment and wants details of our weekend.”
“What kind of details?”
“You know, dresses, dinners, and dreams coming true…”
His thumb brushes gently across my chin, barely touching my bottom lip. “I like the sound of this conversation.”
“I want to tell Nicky, and everyone,” I blurt out and watch his face closely. He doesn’t show surprise; instead, his lips tip up in a mischievous grin.
“Good thing I invited my brothers and parents to dinner Saturday night.”
“You didn’t.”
“Absolutely did.”
“What about waiting? You promised me we’d do this my way.”
“We did, and by the time Saturday rolls around, it’ll be almost a week since I got my first taste of the sweetest pus—”
I cover his mouth and peek over his shoulder to make sure we’re still alone. “Stop.”
He opens his mouth, touching his tongue to my fingers, and my body zings to life. All exhaustion is gone, and I wish like hell we were at home, so I could show him exactly how much I want him right now.
“Y’all ready?” Claire interrupts my thoughts, handing me my purse. “Because I’m pretty sure whatever you’re talking about is highly inappropriate for this floor. Remember, children are around the corner.”
Shaw kisses the fingers still against his mouth and lowers my hand, squeezing it lightly. “We better go.”
“No, Mom, you know this won’t be a problem. Why do you always ask?” I roll my eyes at Claire who’s giggling at the conversation.
My mom’s maternal instincts must have kicked in because as soon as Claire and I finished eating and dissecting my entire weekend, Mom called wanting to hear about the trip. I glazed over the romantic details but filled her in. She praised Shaw for his kindness and generosity, offering to make him dinner one night next week.
Unfortunately, with my schedule, next week wouldn’t work, so instead, I invited my parents to Nicky’s game this weekend, reminding her Shaw’s company suite had room for everyone. Of course, she jumped at the idea, but now is questioning whether it’s okay. She does this every time, knowing Shaw always has enough tickets and space for them.
I try to end the conversation but give a little yelp when Claire kicks me in the shin, mouthing to me to ‘tell her’.
“So, Mom, I need to tell you something.” It comes out like a croak and I swallow, trying to calm my nerves.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I wanted to tell you, I’m seeing someone.”
“You are?”
“Yes, it’s still new, but I think it’s pretty serious.”
“Okay.” She goes silent, waiting for me to say more.
“He’s amazing and wonderful. I think you and Dad will approve.”
I’m met with more silence, which makes my palms start to sweat.
“Well, the thing is, you know him. Pretty well.”
“Crenshaw Bennett finally see the light?” she guesses without further probing.
“H-h-how’d you know?”
Her laughter flows through the line so loud that Claire joins in.
“Baby, there is no one, I mean no one, I’ve ever seen you look at the way you look at him. I used to wonder if you and Nicky would ever move beyond friends, but the first time I saw the way you looked at Crenshaw, I knew which brother you loved.”
“Oh my God.” I slap my hand to my forehead. “Was I that obvious?”