tomorrow, if you wouldn’t mind taking the reins during the day…”
“No problem.”
“I’ll give you girls a ride,” he offered, stepping in as if there was not any other option. All the while from the ride to Brenda’s friend’s place and afterward, he questioned his solicitous behavior. Yet, annoying as it was to not have answers, he realized he couldn’t not give Alice his assistance. After all, the type of care she gave Cara went far beyond monetary compensation. “We’re going to my place, Gordon.” He instructed his driver through the intercom.
Alice frowned. “What? Why?”
“I don’t think you should be alone tonight. You’re exhausted, jet legged, and stressed out. Come back to my place. You can have a hot bath, and I’ll order some Chinese.”
“I need to wake up early tomorrow to be at the hospital.”
“You will. I promise,” he said. At this point, that was the only promise he could offer.
Chapter Eleven
Alice wrapped herself in a fluffy robe. She stepped out of the shower and sighed. The powerful jets had washed away all the problems in her life. Almost. She had texted her mother to make sure everything was okay, and it was. For now. She knew every time her sister experienced problems with switching meds, the process was complicated and time consuming.
A cloud of steam whirled around her, and she glided into Lorenzo’s Gucci slippers. How crazy was this? She was in his home, in his bathroom of all things. He had said, “Go upstairs and make yourself comfortable,” after they had eaten Chinese. There were other rooms, of course, but she had just walked into his. Like it was the most common thing on earth. How was that for denial?
Technically it was Sunday, so the weekend wasn’t over. She glanced at her watch. A few more minutes and Monday would roll in. She cinched the robe at her waist and returned to the airy master bedroom. Sure, it was austere and minimalistic. Sliding her hand over the nightstand, she contemplated the shape of the modern lamp and bit back a smile. This was his room, his territory. As much as she wasn’t a part of it, for a moment she could pretend that—
“Alice?”
She followed the sound of his voice, her gaze darting to the door. He leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed and eyes intently watching her. Oh, God. Please tell me he just got here. That he hasn’t been watching me touch his things like I’m some kind of desperate stalker straight from the Lifetime Channel. “Coming here was a bad idea, wasn’t it?”
“Coming to my place or to my bedroom?” He closed the distance between them.
“Both,” she said, finding it impossible to keep from admiring his gorgeous lips.
She smoothed her hands over the robe, the soft material teasing her clammy palms. This would go away, right? This…thing that tore at her core, that provoked the throbbing in her clit. “Listen, thanks for the support. I know it will be okay. It has to be. Now, I should probably go to sleep in the room next door. Or maybe call a cab. Or better yet, I should visualize a hole under my feet and maybe it will come true. I read The Secret twice, and I’m sure when you want something bad enough—”
He pulled her into his arms so violently, it was like a giant wave slamming against the shore. He plundered her mouth with his. Thousands of little currents charged within her, and she leaned into him, wanting to give him all she had—even if for the last time. It was still the weekend somewhere in the world, wasn’t it? Time zones had to count for something, for crying out loud.
She hugged him, excited to feel his strong muscled chest against her—the hard ridges of the body she had come to know so well. His powerful erection poked at her, and she fidgeted against him until they were lost in a perfect mold of an embrace. His breath heaved against her, and she eventually came up for air.
“I—”
“Don’t,” he growled.
They stumbled through the room as he got rid of her robe, and she set him free of his shirt. By the time they fell onto the mattress, with him on top, she gasped. He pulled down his pants and boxers and stared at her with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
Her body hummed, and she could feel her clit had swollen. Sensitized. Pulsing. Aching for him. He nipped her neck, and she arched toward him, unwilling