bit surprised about his change in demeanor when it came to moving their physical relationship forward.
He’d been adamant about moving slow, making sure they were both on the same page, but that text she’d received had been the opposite of tiptoeing into a physical relationship. She knew exactly what Trigger wanting her in his bed meant.
And while Gillian had been chomping at the bit to move their relationship to a more physical level, now she was freaking out.
She stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom and tried to objectively evaluate herself. She’d put on a matching cream bra and panty set that made her feel good. But now that she was looking at herself in it, she wasn’t so sure. Walker was the epitome of hot. He had muscles on top of muscles, and even though she hadn’t seen his stomach, she’d felt it. She was guessing he had at least a six-pack, and probably those V-muscles that pointed down to his groin.
Gillian wasn’t anywhere near his league when it came to physical attributes. She had a nice set of boobs, but her stomach was a bit too poofy and her thighs touched when she walked. She burned a bit too easily and hadn’t ever found joy in lying in the sun and baking, so she was very pale.
She fluffed out her hair and had to admit that it was one of her best features. She also liked her green eyes.
Blowing out a breath, she turned away from the mirror. She was who she was. Just because she carried more weight than was deemed acceptable didn’t mean she wasn’t attractive. Walker certainly didn’t seem to see what she did when he looked at her.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and a cute ruffled cold-shoulder pink shirt. She went a little heavier on her makeup, simply because she hadn’t seen Walker in almost two weeks and she wanted him to see her at her best. He’d certainly seen her at her worst in Venezuela, and in her “I’m lying around the house not expecting company” clothes as well.
Still feeling nervous, she packed an overnight bag and got ready to leave her apartment. She’d spent the morning working on the anniversary party for the Howards. She’d talked to the staff at The Driskill and finalized some small details about the food that was going to be served and how to set up the ballroom. It was good to keep busy as it kept her mind off Walker…mostly.
For some reason, as she left her apartment, Gillian had the fantastical thought that when she returned, her life would be different. Which was insane. Having sex with a man wasn’t exactly life-changing. Women did it all the time. But she had a feeling that sex with Walker would definitely not be run-of-the-mill.
The drive to his apartment seemed to take forever, and it didn’t help that there was an accident on the road that slowed things down as well. She called him when she got into town.
“Hey, Gilly. You close?”
“Yeah. Finally. There was a wreck and it took forever for me to get past it.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re almost here.”
“Me too,” Gillian told him, feeling shy.
“Drive safe and I’ll see you soon.”
“I will. Bye.”
Walker hung up without another word, and Gillian couldn’t help but feel nervous all over again. This was crazy. She was just going to see Walker. He was the same man he was two weeks ago when she’d last seen him.
But was he? Just from the text he’d sent the night before, Gillian had a feeling he was different, and she had no idea what to expect from him.
She pulled into his parking lot and grabbed her bag before she headed for his apartment. To her surprise, he was standing outside waiting for her. Without thinking, Gillian started to jog toward him. Talking and texting with him wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.
He looked good, the same as he had before he’d left. No bandages, no black eyes, no sign of any kind of injury. A part of Gillian had wondered if he’d been hurt and just didn’t want to tell her. But he looked tall and strong, and it was such a relief, she threw herself into his arms as soon as she got close.
“You’re really okay,” she mumbled as she buried her face in his neck.
His strong arms wrapped around her, taking her off her feet as he hugged her back. “I told you