the way to my heart was through my stomach, and that was enough for me.
By the time we got to his place, and after our commitment of love declarations to each other the first night in Palm Springs, I thought Jim and I reached a mutual understanding that he didn’t have to thank me for anything. I loved being with him, and now I was having to pull it together while getting ready on Monday morning for work, knowing we’d both be going our separate ways.
This was going to be my last morning here at his home. I had to think about Addison in all of this. I had to make sure Jim and I were solid like he said we were. We needed much more time together before I made any dramatic changes with Addison.
A lot of this stemmed from my own trust issues, not of Jim, but myself. Derek seemed to be great in the beginning too. I was blinded by a lot of things when I thought I was in love with him. The way I felt about Jim was more than anything I’d ever felt for Derek, though. That was a fact. Maybe that had me a little frightened too. I don’t know. I just had a gut feeling we needed to try our hardest to take our relationship slow.
I was single—but a single mom. If I was hurt, Addison did feel it. No matter how hard I tried to hide it from her. She was already dealing with a fuck-up for a dad, and the last thing she needed was her mom prancing around, acting spontaneous and free-spirited. Stability and security didn’t come free in my experience, and that was for fucking sure. I hated feeling this way because all I wanted was to be with Jim, but I had to be cautious. I knew how the world worked, and it didn’t change overnight just because I did.
“Yeah,” Jim said as soon as I finished sliding my lipstick over my lips, “your new position is in my office.” He smirked. I had no idea how long he’d been leaning in the door frame, looking handsome in his three-piece suit.
“Firing your personal assistant?” I teased.
Jim stood up straight from leaning against the doorway. “You wouldn’t be half wrong about that, but Summer had nothing to with dropping nearly the entire event in my lap last minute. It’ll be my events planning team who will hate the hell out of me today when I’m done with them. Them and the two PAs who have been assigned to this for months.”
“Jesus Christ. I’m not going anywhere near your office today.” I laughed, packing up my makeup. “I didn’t think anything was wrong.” I shrugged as I cleaned off his bathroom countertop from any makeup residue I may have left behind. “It was all badass.”
“The reason I couldn’t even introduce you to Joe and Clay, and the reasons for another company not showing up at all yesterday, was all their responsibility. Apparently, they were having cocktails by the pool while my goddamn phone was being blown up.”
I walked up to the tall man whose face was hardened now, pissed for reasons he hid well from me. “Shall we fuck before you head to work?” I thought I’d tease him and knock the look off his face with my proposal.
It worked. I was taken by one of Jim’s arms, that lighthearted expression was back, and his lips were on mine. He pulled away and brought my free hand to his hard cock. “That gets to stay with me while I wait it out all week until we’re together again.” His eyes were pleading, “There’s no way—”
“Jim.” I smiled, scooting past him and trying to get to my bags I’d packed up. “We discussed going to the beach with everyone this weekend. Addison hasn’t even seen the new car that her friend Mitch bought her. Let’s start with that. Sleepovers, however.” I started laughing as he grabbed me from behind, and I spun around in his arms. I put my palm up against his hard chest and arched an eyebrow at his beautiful expression. “They have to wait.”
“Then I have to have you now. Perhaps during your lunch?”
“You are one very naughty CEO,” I said, walking into the room and zipping my makeup bag into my duffle. “You have to wait.”
“After you get off work, then?”
I smirked at him. “With those cameras in your office? Yeah, I’ll pass.”
“Shit.” He chuckled. “I