44. Sean
44
SEAN
W hen I arrived at Chloe’s apartment that night, she opened the door, looking like a million bucks.
She was wearing a sleek crimson dress that hugged her curves just right, subtly revealing her cleavage.
The dress paired perfectly with a pair of elegant heels that clicked with determination as she stepped back.
Her eyes had a touch of smoky eye shadow, and they sparkled like stars when she met my gaze.
Her lips, painted with a hint of rosy gloss, curved into an inviting smile I was familiar with.
My heart did a backflip.
I couldn’t wait to get her into my arms and hold her there.
The look in her eyes when she saw me gave rise to a terrifying feeling in me.
A feeling of wanting time to slow down.
I didn’t want to think about the day when our time was up.
Like when she stopped working for me.
She smiled as I followed her in, shutting the door behind me before I gave her flowers.
“Thank you, Sean,” she breathed out as she looked at the lilies.
“These are beautiful.”
I cradled her face in my hands, my thumb fanning her cheek.
I was so wrong.
Simple things like picking her up for a date made me yearn for more.
Made me yearn for things I shouldn’t want, like a relationship with no end date.
“ You are beautiful,” I said, pressing my lips to hers.
It felt so right.
Kissing her at her home, at the office, and whenever we were together.
There wasn’t any better feeling.
Was it possible to get used to someone and never tire of them?
I swallowed and tried to rein in my thoughts.
What the fuck was I thinking?
This was just a date, with no expectations of a relationship.
“One of your neighbors waved at me,” I said, remembering the slightly plump young man with hazel eyes and short sandy-brown hair.
“That would be Greg,” she said, leading me to the living room.
She was wearing a subtle fragrance that reminded me of orchids and jasmine.
“I occasionally help him out with bringing the trash bins in when it’s his turn. Due to some health issues, he has a hard time leaving his home, but he’s making progress. We got him some groceries and cake a few days ago, and he was so touched that he almost wept with happiness.”
It was an unusual way of making friends, but with Chloe, I learned things were never the norm.
“You give a lot of people cake,” I said, feeling a burst of pride.
How was it that in the midst of her hectic life, she carved out moments of genuine kindness for others?
“And what is this I hear about The City Observer offering Henry a job on their team to cover the sports issue in their sister paper?” I asked as she walked over to the kitchen and put the flowers in a vase.
She laughed. “They did,” she said as she picked up a soccer ball from the back of the sofa and tossed it to me.
I caught it, surprised, and tossed it back to her, and she set it down, her eyes taking on a distant look.
“Henry said he’s taking his time to decide. He’s still got four weeks until graduation, and he needs to think hard about what he wants to do next. If he took up that offer though, his office wouldn’t be too far from here.”
A piece of me didn’t like that Henry would continue to be a part of Chloe’s life for the foreseeable future.
What would happen if I wanted more of Chloe’s time than she could give?
“It would be just one bus ride away from home,” Chloe continued, filling the water in the vase, oblivious to my thoughts.
“And we could still live here and go to work, the two of us, and nothing would change.”
Why did I want things to change between her and me?
After the conference in DC and staying away from her for a few days, I’d become insatiable with my want for her.
I’d had a taste of her at my office—something I’d never thought I’d ever do—and here I was, craving more.
Wanting more of her on the same day.
It was madness.
I needed to get her to stop painting a picture of her future that was no different from her present.
It irritated me that she thought nothing would change.
That she wanted nothing to change.
“Here’s the bracket,” I said, handing her the metal bracket I’d promised earlier in the day, even though I fully knew it was no longer needed.
“I picked it out myself from the hardware store down the street from work.”
She took it and gave me an exasperated look that said she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“You’re impossible,” she said and laughed.
“Come,” she said, leading the way to her bedroom.
“What about dinner?” I asked, following her to her room and stopping at the doorway.
My cock was already hardening in my pants.
The traitor.
It was then that I saw it—the purchase I’d had delivered to her.
.
A solid four-poster bed occupied the center of her room, complete with a headboard of deep blue velvet with intricate gold embroidery.
The frame was made of polished mahogany with rich, dark tones.
At each corner of the bed, slender, gilded posts rose, draped with sheer, flowing white curtains.
A solitary floor lamp stood next to the bed, casting a soft, golden light over it.
The whole thing looked quite good, to be honest, even if the bed looked strangely shiny and out of place among her other things.
She reached up to give me a kiss, wrapping her arms comfortably around my neck.
I closed my eyes when I met her lips, wishing I could stay like this for a long time, perhaps pulling her to the bed and christening it right away.
Chloe pulled away too damned soon, but before I could fix her back in my arms, I noticed her eyes were shining.
“Thank you for the new bed. You didn’t have to.”
I caged her back in my arms anyway.
She wasn’t getting more than a few inches away from me tonight.
“When did they deliver it?” I asked.
“An hour ago. The bed is sturdy and pretty. And the men who delivered it assembled it for me before leaving. I’ll sleep without a worry tonight.” She looked at the tape in her hand.
“This is completely unnecessary now.”
“Hey, I made you a promise, didn’t I?” I asked.
“Now, come on. Let’s go,” I said, leading the way out, determined to get her to the restaurant before my dick took over and demanded I lock the both of us in her room for a couple of nights.
We walked to the waiting car and got in, my arm slipping around her shoulders to pull her to me.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead as the car moved.
“You look stunning. I’m not letting another man take a second look at you. You’re all mine tonight,” I said while she chuckled.
“What’ll you do if someone does?” she asked.
“You mean, apart from killing them and leaving them to sit in a pool of their blood?” I asked, cocking my head at her.
Her jaw slackened, and she stared at me, unsure how serious I was.
I grinned.
“I might tone it down a notch,” I added when her phone rang.
She answered, and it was pretty clear from the questions that it was Henry.
I watched her as she spoke, wondering why I was drawn to this woman in a way I hadn’t been to other women in the past.
This time around, it feels different, I thought before I pushed that out of my mind.
When I’d accidentally seen her New Year’s resolutions on her notepad earlier, I’d been stunned to know that she was in debt.
I’d witnessed my father going through it, and I knew how the thought of money had plagued his every waking hour.
Chloe showed me that life could be difficult and you could still smile your way through it.
That you could be in situations that tried to break you, but it didn’t make you broken.
It just made you more beautiful.
“What?” she asked when he said something inaudible.
“Oh shoot, was Ronan’s music event today? I completely forgot?—”
Her expression weakened, and then she shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I know you promised him you’d be there, but I still can’t be back by nine, Henry.”
That seemed to explain a lot to Henry because the questions stopped, and Chloe laughed, looking self-conscious.
Her face glowed at the words, and she nodded.
A shy smile took over her face as she considered it.
“Yes,” she said, seemingly in response to his question.
“Now, let me go, and I promise we’ll attend his show next Thursday. And listen, please don’t make plans for the weekend of April 18. I’ll be out all day that Saturday. Yes, that’s three weeks from now.”
My mind wandered a bit as I reflected on a message I’d received from Helen.
She would land in New York tomorrow, and Lucas was ecstatic about it.
It had made me jealous, just like how I was a little jealous of the time and attention Chloe gave her brother, even when I was around.
Chloe finished her call and hung up before turning to me.
“Looks like we can’t have a repeat date next Thursday.” She grinned, leaning into me.
I put my arm around her and drew her closer while she snuggled in.
“Well, there are two other Thursdays in this month, so we’ll be fine.”