Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,39
went home and she hadn’t heard from him since.
It wasn’t exactly a fairy tale.
“More of a long day at the office,” Autumn told her, smiling when Ally passed her the latte. “I need to buy a new chair.” She rolled her neck to loosen the muscles, but it did nothing to relieve the aches in the rest of her body. Her thighs felt sore, as though she’d put them through a workout.
“I’ve got just the thing for that,” Ally said, pulling a chocolate covered slice from the glass cabinet on top of the counter. “It’s got oats and cherries, which means it’s fruit. Great for achy bodies, and practically calorie free.” She slid it into a paper bag and passed it to Autumn, along with her latte. “It’s on the house.”
“Stop it.” Autumn laid a ten on the counter. “You’re running a business.”
“You can pay for the latte, but the cake is on me,” Ally told her, pulling some change from the register. “We made too many.”
Autumn sipped at her coffee as she made her way back to the office, the golden sun warming her bare arms. There was a group of kids playing softball on the beach, and she had to duck as a ball came flying in her direction. It passed over her head before landing heavily on the sand.
“Sorry, ma’am!” a boy shouted as he ran to retrieve the ball.
“It’s okay.” She grinned. “You missed.” She pulled the chocolate slice out of the bag and sunk her teeth into it, groaning as the taste radiated in her mouth. Ally was right. It was full of fruit and oats, and dark-as-sin chocolate. It was a shame it wasn’t really calorie free.
She was almost at her office before she realized Griff’s boat was back. Mike had just set up the metal gangplank, and a horde of passengers wearing company logoed polo shirts and tan pants disembarked, shouting out their thanks before they passed Autumn and walked up the pier. She tried to ignore the way her chest felt all tight at the thought of seeing Griff, and instead, took a deep mouthful of coffee before opening her office door.
“Hey!”
She looked up to see Griff walking down the gangplank, and let the door close again.
“Hey.” She composed what she hoped looked like a casual smile on her face. One that didn’t give away how much she was thinking about last night. About him between her thighs. “How was the ocean today?”
“It was good.” He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. For a second, her eyes flickered down to look at his jeans, before she resolutely pulled them back up. “We saw a couple of dolphins, they started following us around. And only half of the guests got seasick. How was your day?” he asked her.
She reached up to rub her aching neck. “Long. I spent most of it pricing ideas for the charity event.” She realized she hadn’t told him about the wedding plan. “I had a couple of other ideas, too, for the longer term future of the pier. Maybe I could run them past you some time. See how you think they’ll go down with the tenants.”
His eyes caught hers. “Any time.”
“I guess I should get back to work,” she said, inclining her head at the door to her office.
“Do you have any plans for tonight?”
She looked up, surprised at his abrupt change of subject. “Nothing apart from a glass of wine and some pasta.”
“Let me cook you dinner this time. Repay the favor.”
“You’re inviting me to your place?”
He shrugged. “It’s only fair.”
“In that case, I’d be delighted to accept.” She couldn’t hide her huge grin. It felt like the sun had just gotten a little brighter.
“Good.” He nodded. “Oh, and maybe you should bring a bag.”
“A bag?” Her brows rose up.
“To carry your pajamas and toothbrush in. I have shower gel, but you might want to bring your own. And you’ll probably need some clothes for tomorrow.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Are you inviting me for a sleepover?”
“I’m just thinking of all contingencies. I felt like an asshole leaving you last night. So if you want to stay, I’d be delighted to have you. And if you decide you don’t want to, you can always carry that bag back home with you. I’ll walk you back to make sure you’re safe.”
A slow smile pulled at the corner of her lips. “You just want to have more sex with me.” She knew the