Chapter 21 Anna
Chapter twenty-one
Anna
“S
o, how was work?” Keaton asks as we drive back to our home. I mean, not our home, but the houses we both live in. At his address. Separately. But still also together. Ugh.
“You should know. You were there with me all day,” I grumble.
He glances over at me with a smile that lights up his entire face. “I know. Wasn’t it great?”
A snort escapes me. "It wasn't bad, really." I fidget my hands in my lap and he seems to notice.
"What's wrong, Anna? Do I need to fire someone?"
"Oh my gosh, no! Nothing like that. I just had a question and, well, it's kind of embarrassing." I look over at him as he stares out over the road, but when he turns his head in my direction, I look back down at my hands.
"You can ask me anything, Anna."
I'm not sure why, but I trust him. "Umm, it's just. Well, I had a question about. Ugh." I decide to just spit it out. "What do you do?"
He laughs. "What do you mean? Did I not appear busy enough for you?"
"No, I don't mean you when I say you. I mean, what exactly goes on at Phisherman's Cybersecurity?" I want to hide at the lack of knowledge when it comes to my new place of employment, but my genuine curiosity has me looking at his handsome profile.
Keaton nods his head and hums before speaking. "Let's see where I need to start. What exactly do you know about cybersecurity?"
I cringe. "That it has something to do with security for computers and stuff?"
His laughter fills the cab of the truck, but it doesn't make me feel ignorant, though I am. It's a beautiful sound and I can't help but want to hear it more often. "So, basically nothing."
I shrug.
"Think of the internet like a giant city.
Cities are full of tons of people, and most of those people are upstanding citizens, but a few of them are dishonest, unethical, even criminal.
The good people just want to do their day-to-day routines of working, shopping, talking to friends and such.
But the bad people are working the scene.
They're stealing wallets, breaking into houses, and tricking people out of money.
" He glances over at me. "You with me so far? "
I nod and he continues, "Our job is to be a full-time security team to businesses. We keep out hackers, scammers, and viruses that are trying to steal money or identities."
"And how do you do that, exactly?" I ask.
"We install protections like firewalls and antivirus. Look for cracks in the system. Train their employees so they don't fall for phishing scams. And if one of the bad guys get in, it's our job to take them out."
"So you're like a superhero?" I ask, cheekily.
Keaton's smile is contagious and I can't help but feel my cheeks tighten at the grin spreading across my face. "Fuck, yeah."
A few moments pass between us, the silence growing awkward before he finally breaks it. "I'm really relieved I don't have to fire anyone. I hate that shit."
“No firing necessary," I assure him. "Everyone has been amazing, so far. I met a girl named Amanda. She said she's Lincoln’s assistant?" Keaton nods. "Well, she invited me to join her for lunch tomorrow and I think I’m going to go.”
“I think that’s great, Anna. It will be good for you to get out of the office and see your new town a little bit.
Amanda is good people. But you know, if you want to see more places in town, I would be happy to show you around.
” He looks over at me sheepishly before turning his gaze back to the road.
I want to tell him that yes, I would love to go anywhere with him. That I’ve missed him and being forced into his orbit has only made me realize why I wanted to marry him in the first place.
But then a part of my brain lights up and tells me to run. My heart tightens and reminds me of how hurt I was that morning in Vegas. “I appreciate it, but I really did mean it this morning when I said we should keep things between us professional.”
Keaton’s shoulders sag at my statement. “Right, professional.”
The remainder of the drive is quiet as we make it back to Keaton’s house. As I step out to walk the stone path to my place, I fight against the urge to turn back and look at him. I’m not ready to give up on him. Or to give up on us. But I’m also not ready to forgive him just yet.
“Your chariot awaits, m’lady.” Keaton bows as he holds the door of his shiny pickup open for me to climb into.
“Bit cheesy, don’t you think?” I tease him, but secretly I love the royal treatment he’s been giving me this week.
He’s been so good at keeping our relationship professional, but I can’t help but love the little moments we’ve had to get to know one another.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to be falling for my husband.
Once Keaton is settled on his side and backing out of the driveway, I ask the question I’ve been dying to have answered since our drive home yesterday. “So, what did you do next?”
Keaton smiles and even though it's hidden because I’m sitting to his right, I know his dimple is on full display.
“Well, we were in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, and he had just gotten stung by a jellyfish. The only people there to help were me and Cam. So, we did something we saw on a tv show once.”
I gasp, “You did not do what I think you did. Did you?!”
He nods, “Yup. We pulled our pants down and drenched Lincoln’s leg in piss.”
“And did it work?”
“Hell no,” Keaton laughs, the sound wrapping its arms around me in a hug. “Apparently that isn’t a real thing. So now he’s covered in our urine and still screaming like a motherfucker, writhing around the sand in pain.”
“So, what did you do?” I manage to ask around my giggles.
“We picked him up and hauled his ass back to our little community where there’s a medical clinic. Luckily it was a mild sting, though, I’m sure he would tell you otherwise. They got him fixed up and then he went back to the beach house and took the longest shower known to man.”
My laughter gets louder and as it does, Keaton’s smile grows wider. He holds the steering wheel with his left hand and moves his right hand, palm up, onto the console. It’s a silent invitation and one I want to take so badly that my fingers tingle in need.
Instead, I form a fist with my hands to resist the urge to touch him and look out the windshield. “There she is. Phisherman’s Cybersecurity. Are you ready for another day of work, boss?”
A slow sigh ripples through Keaton, and he moves his hand to rest it on the gearshift. “Let’s do this.”
Unlike every other day when Keaton usually walks out of the office with me, he is already in the truck when I walk out to meet him. His windows are slightly tinted, but I can still see his features tight in frustration. Frustration at me.
I open the door and get myself buckled before looking over at him. His jaw is tight. His knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. I could feel the storm clouds building inside the cab of the truck.
My stomach twists in knots. Of course he’s furious. This is his company, and it means everything to him, and I’ve gone and fucked up with one of his biggest clients. I deserve whatever wrath he wants to bring down on me, but I can’t handle the silence any longer.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I whisper, but he doesn’t react. I increase my tone slightly in case he didn’t hear me.
“And I’m so sorry for everything else, Keaton,” I say, my voice still quiet.
“I guess I chose the wrong date on the calendar when I scheduled the meeting and I know that isn’t an excuse, but I’m just really sorry.
I understand that Caruso Enterprises is one of our most important clients and that meeting was very important.
I should have double-checked. I should have done better. ”
He slams his hands against the steering wheel, and I shut my eyes, ready for his anger, but not wanting to bear witness to the disappointment on his face.
“You and your damn rambling,” his voice was low, but full of heat.
“You think I’m mad over missing a fucking meeting I didn’t want to attend in the first place? ”
My eyes open and I take him in. He’s still facing forward, seemingly trying to control his emotions.
Even with the rage coursing through him now, he was the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.
Today he has on a solid black button-up tucked into a pair of solid black pants, held up by a solid black belt.
His fancy looking shoes match his hair with a salt and pepper effect.
I suppose it’s the perfect outfit to match his current mood.
“I couldn’t find you, Anna,” he manages to grit out.
I blink at him, confused. “What?”
“When you realized your mistake, and that’s all it fucking was, you took off. I looked all around the office and couldn’t find you. You wouldn’t answer your phone.”
The idea of him searching for me while I cowered in the bathroom on the next floor down never occurred to me. I just assumed he would never want to see me again after I messed up.
“I left it on my desk,” I cut in softly. “I went back to find it, but it wasn’t there.”
He sits my phone between us on the console before he speaks. “I thought you were gone. I thought I’d lost you again.” Keaton’s eyes look up at me, his face stricken with grief. “I thought you left me, Anna. For good.”
A strong dose of reality slaps me upside the head. He isn’t upset that I messed up his calendar. He isn’t mad at me for making his big-ticket clients furious with him for missing out on another one of their lengthy meetings they demanded from him.
He was worried. Worried about me.
I pick my phone up from the console and put it in my purse.
I replace it with my hand, palm up. Keaton’s blue eyes question me, and I give the slightest nod of an answer.
Then he puts his hand in mine and squeezes our fingers together.
He huffs out a sigh and brings our hands up so that our elbows rest on the barrier between us.
Placing a kiss on the back of my hand, he whispers, “Thank you. Thank you for not leaving me.”
The spot where his lips touched my skin pulses and it’s then I realize that the walls I had built around my heart were crashing down. And I was in no hurry to rebuild them.