Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mia
“ I remember when my little Archie was two. He wouldn’t eat anything but Cheerio’s.”
“Not Sawyer,” Angus says, continuing his conversation with my co-worker, Blakely. “Don’t get me wrong, he could eat Goldfish all day, but he loves his mama’s cheese quesadillas or any kind of fruit you throw at him. Luckily, he’s a good eater.”
He’s not lying.
Nothing we’ve said has been a lie. Angus could talk about Sawyer all night and not tell a lie, because he loves my kid. Clearly, he’s paid more attention than I ever noticed. Angus didn’t study for tonight, because he didn’t need to. He knows us as well as my parents. He cares about us. Listening to him talk to my co-workers makes that crystal clear.
When I saw him watching Sawyer in the hallway tonight, he took my breath away. He looks like a model in one of those fancy cologne commercials. Wearing a sleek black suit, white shirt, and black tie. He even wore shiny tuxedo shoes that can’t be comfortable compared to his usual work boots. I kinda wish he had worn his boots, because they're hot as hell, but I’ll take him as he is.
Because as he is, is magnificent.
It’s not that I’ve never seen him dressed up, but knowing he’s decked out for me only adds to his hot factor. The man oozes sex appeal. Yet the hottest thing about his look tonight is that, as elegant as he appears, I know the details of the intricate tattoos covering the chiseled body hiding under his expensive clothes.
His manners are an aphrodisiac all on their own. After covering me in his jacket to keep me warm, he opened the truck door for me and didn’t shut the passenger door until I settled myself and he had secured my seat belt.
After teasing me about not wanting to know what was going through his head after seeing me in my dress, things went quiet. My heart was pounding and my stomach was somersaulting from his care, attention, and unexpected playfulness.
I was feeling way too much. Like I always do when the two of us are alone together. It’s not as easy for me to share what I’m feeling, yet he seems to have no issue voicing his thoughts.
We were silent on the drive, while we parked and as we walked hand in hand into the hotel lobby. But once we strolled through the ballroom doors where everyone believed we were married, some sort of switch flipped.
He’s been polite and engaging with everyone and hasn’t left my side for even a heartbeat. His hand rests on the small of my back as we walk through the room. When we stop to chat with others, he pulls me to his side, lowering his hand to my hip.
And the kisses to the cheek... Oh... dear... Lord.
He knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it well.
Putty in his hands, that’s what I am.
So I follow his lead, enjoying his gentle caresses while I’ve got them.
Dinner is over and we’re chatting as the dancing part of the evening begins. I’m tucked into his side while he brags about Sawyer like he’s the proudest dad on the planet. I can’t help but feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
As he holds court, I examine his features and honestly, can’t imagine there is anyone more handsome than Angus McKinnon. His nose is straight with a barely detectable bump from being broken on more than one occasion. Long lashes frame his caramel eyes. His perfectly shaped lips have been innocently kissing me all night long, though they feel more like a branding iron. With every brush of his mouth, I lose a little more of myself to him.
He catches me watching him, and I don’t look away. Instead, I relish in the freedom the night is giving me. Tonight, I’ll let him see everything I’m not willing to admit to either of us out loud. Heat flashes in his eyes, and I know he sees exactly what I intended him to.
He is the most beautiful man I have ever known. Inside and out. I appreciate his presence in my life. I care about him, and God, I want him.
Clearly, I’ve misread things, because as quickly as desire flashes in his eyes, it’s gone. Closing the distance, he places a kiss on my temple, before addressing the group. “Please excuse me.”
No explanation.
No eye contact to give me a clue as to what might be wrong. He simply rushes out of the ballroom as if he can’t get away from me fast enough.
My heart sinks to my stomach while embarrassment heats my face. How could I have been so wrong?
Dr. Goff fills the quiet left by Angus’s quick departure with a story about the first time his dog played in snow after his move to Central Oregon. I grab a glass of red wine when it’s offered, taking a big gulp to calm my worried nerves.
He’s only been gone ten minutes, but it feels like hours. Blakely and her husband and the doctors and their spouses are all dancing to a slow Adele song and I’m standing where Angus left me.
Alone.
“You look way too pretty to be standing over here all by your lonesome,” Devon, one of our lab techs, says as he joins me at the high-top table where my wine glass sits empty and my ring spins around my finger. “Where did Angus go?”
Smiling, I ignore his observation and his question. “Where did your date go?”
I’m not sure what else to say, because Angus’s location is a mystery to me. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s coming back.
He wouldn’t leave me here, would he?
“Who, Cindy?” He looks at me incredulously. “She’s not really a date. Just a good friend.”
“You sure about that? She wasn’t looking at you like a friend.”
“Okay, you got me. She wants more than the friend situation we’ve got going, but she’s a single mom and I’m not ready to be anybody’s daddy.”
Wow. Devon is kind of a dick.
“So, why did you bring her?”
“Well, she’s still a lot of fun when the kid is with his dad.”
Devon, you're an asshole. That’s what I want to say, but unfortunately, I don’t think that would make for a productive working relationship. But seriously, what an asshole.
“So, while we wait for the ones we brought, should we dance with the one we’re with?”
I don’t have to shoot him down, because a hand reaches around my waist to rest on my hip and electricity races through my veins.
Angus.
He came back.
“Sorry, but my wife only dances with her husband.” There’s not an ounce of humor in his voice. “It was in our vows, so them’s the rules.” He tries for lighthearted but sounds anything but.
Wife.
He called me his wife and, by doing so, told his first lie of the night.
It’s the most beautiful lie I’ve ever heard.
Without another word to Devon, the hand resting on my hip releases me, seductively sliding over my low back before his hand finds mine as if they were magnets drawn to one another without effort.
Angus walks us to the dance floor, taking me in his arms just as the Adele song ends. I assume the next song will be a fast one, but strangely, the same song begins to play again. A song about wanting to be someone’s one and only.
I look over my shoulder to see if anyone else has noticed, but everyone continues to sway in the arms of their dates.
“That’s strange. I wonder if they realize they’ve restarted the song?”
“I asked them to play it again.”
“You what?”
“Let’s let Adele do the talking for now.”
“Angus?”
“Unless you don’t want to dance with your husband.”
“You don’t have to--”
“Shh.”
He pulls me to his chest and rests his cheek against the top of my head, bringing our joined hands between us, resting mine against his heart as we sway.
Listening to the lyrics I know by heart, I couldn’t be more confused. Why would he request this song when Angus and I have made it clear we can never be together?
What is he trying to say?
After a few moments, his other hand caresses my cheek, and when our eyes meet, his are full of something powerful. Meaningful. He doesn’t blink. Doesn’t speak. He simply looks at me as if I am the answer to every question.
Or possibly his one and only.
Even though my pulse is racing, I’m not scared. Because nothing has ever felt so right.
When he leans down to place a soft kiss on my lips, all awareness of our surroundings drifts away. Angus and I are the only people in the room. He places gentle kiss after kiss to my mouth and I melt into him.
His tongue doesn’t seek permission. He isn’t causing a scene. It’s almost as if he’s trying to show me what he’s trying to tell me through the lyrics of the song. It might be the most honest moment of my life.
As the chorus begins again, there is nothing but Angus and the music. I let them both consume me.
He’s daring me to take a chance on him.
To give him my heart.
But how can I give it to him when it’s already his?
He has to know I want to be his. If only I were worthy of his love.
He pulls back to wipe a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. His eyes flicker with a hint of sadness, as if he knows no matter how true the lyrics may be, it doesn’t mean it will ever be our reality.
Smiling ever so slightly, he grazes one last kiss on my forehead and pulls me back into his arms, our hands once again joined over his heart. We’re pressed together so tight it would be impossible to get closer.
The song ends and an upbeat song begins. I couldn’t tell you who sings it or the name of the song because all I hear is the one we just danced to, playing on a loop in my head.
Eventually, the rest of the team and their plus ones shake me out of my lovesick puppy haze. We sing, dance, and drink with everyone for another hour.
As the night winds down, people are saying their goodbyes when Dr. Gibbons approaches. “Mia, I’m so glad you and Angus could join us tonight. I hope you had a good time.”
“We had a great time. Thank you so much.”
“No, thank you. You’re a wonderful addition to the team and I’m glad we did this after the holidays so you two could join us. Now, we have a car service all set up for those who need a ride home.”
“Thank you, ma’am, but we won’t be needing it,” Angus replies for us. “We’ve got a room here at the hotel.”
I gasp, unable to hide my shock. My boss's eyes sparkle as a cheeky grin lights her face.
“Surprise, baby,” he says, squeezing my hand.
“That’s where you snuck off to, isn’t it? You went to surprise your wife. How romantic.”
“Guilty as charged. We don’t get nights like this often. I thought we should take advantage of it while we can.”
“I remember those days. Little ones are exhausting. It’s easy to forget about the two of you as a couple.”
Is this happening right now?
Are we really having this conversation with my boss?
“Thank you for the offer of a ride, though.” Angus oozes with charm I’ve never seen before this evening. “We’ve had a wonderful night and I’m glad to have met everyone.”
“Our pleasure. Now, you two get. Don’t waste anymore of your evening here with me. I’ll see you on Monday, Mia.”
The sound my name pulls me out of my stupor. “Oh, yes. Monday. I’ll see you on Monday. Thanks again.”
In a daze, we walk hand in hand through the dimly lit ballroom, out into the brighter lights of the lobby. It’s a public place where anyone can see the two of us glued to one another.
What happened to one night?
As if he doesn’t have a care in the world, Angus saunters to the elevators and presses the up button. He is the definition of calm while I exist in a state of confused anticipation. Just as the elevator pings, I remember I forgot to stop by coat check.
“Angus, I forgot my coat,” I say, taking a step away from the elevator doors.
He doesn’t let me go, though. “You didn’t wear a coat. Remember?” The elevator doors open and for the sake of my heart, I know I shouldn’t follow him in, but I do.
Of course I do.
“What about Sawyer?”
“I already called Daisy. She’ll stay the night with him.”
His voice is almost stern, his face solemn, yet there is still a fire in his eyes.
His mood swing sends a chill down my spine, a reminder of our other night together. Not the part of the night in the tack room where he gave me the reins, but back at his house, when he was very much in charge. It was the best night of my life.
“Daisy is gonna know something is going on.”
“I really don’t want to talk about my sister right now.”
We stand side by side, hand in hand, looking at each other in the reflection of the closed doors in front of us.
The way he looks at me, never breaking his gaze, is something I’ll never get used to.
It’s intense.
When we reach our floor, my hand is still in his as we walk to the last door at the end of the hall. Using the key he snuck away to get, he holds the door open for me as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Like Angus and I spend the night in hotel rooms together all the time.
My body hums when I brush past him. Everything but the bed is a blur. The white duvet is pulled back and there are two robes laid out across the foot of the bed. A side table holds two champagne flutes and a silver ice bucket chilling a bottle of champagne.
He was gone so long because not only did he get the room, but he came up here to prepare. I’m not sure what to do. Or what to say. We shouldn’t do this, but leaving this room isn’t an option.
I want this.
I want him.
Not yet daring to look at him, I can hear the shake in my voice when I finally speak. “We said one night.”
He strides past me to the table, where he lifts the bottle of bubbly from the bucket. My body is on high alert, jumping when he pops the cork. The sound reverberating against my anxious heart. He fills both glasses, then turns to face me, leaving them on the table.
“We did. But I need more.”
He slips his shoes off.
“We can’t,” I say, turning Granny’s ring around and around my ring finger. Willing myself to stay strong when I know there’s no way I’m turning back now that I’m here. Now that the second chance for a night of bliss has presented itself. At least I can tell myself I tried to do the right thing.
“Why not?”
He tosses his suit jacket on the desk below a big mirror.
“Because if we keep doing this, one day you’ll hate me. Trust me on this.”
“Well, we’re in the same boat, then. If you knew the things I’ve done, you’d never
let me touch you again.”
He pulls his shirt out of his pants as he takes a step toward me.
“I don’t believe you.”
One more step and he’s close enough to reach out and trace my neck and collarbone with his finger, so he does. It’s all I can do not to lean into his touch.
“And I don’t believe I could ever hate you. So, it looks like we’re on the same page.”
“Angus, I can’t do this again without my heart getting involved.”
He’s close.
So close.
“Honey, mine’s been involved for years.”
He brushes my hair off one of my shoulders, so it falls down my back.
“What?”
He repeats the motion, leaving me feeling exposed.
“You heard me.”
Did I?
It’s one thing for him to be attracted to me. To want me. It’s another for him to admit his feelings run deeper than lust. To confess his heart is involved.
His confession is a straight shot of adrenaline to my heart, bringing it to life as though it’s never fully beaten before. But my brain... my brain can’t quite comprehend the implication.
He gently presses my back against the wall. The look in his eyes says he’s never wanted anything or anyone as much as he wants me right this very second. And as much as I find it hard to believe, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something, because I’ve seen all of him.
At least, I thought I had.
Between the passion in his eyes, the warmth of his body against mine, and the flame he’s stoked inside me all reason to fight my desire ceases to exist. Because this... Angus... feels like home.
“Angus...”
“No more talking.” He brushes a gentle kiss across my lips. “You keep your secrets and I’ll keep mine.”
He leans in to kiss my neck and I gasp at the feel of his lips and tongue trailing their way across my jaw.
“We shouldn't,” I say in jest, as my hands travel under his shirt, tracing the defined muscles of his torso.
“I know,” he breathes against my ear, and that’s all it takes.
No more talking. No more delaying what we both want and know is going to happen.