I thought about my texts with the CEO of Atlas earlier. Just gathering information—or at least that was what I told myself. But now I understood what I’d been dancing around all night.
A situation this perfect wasn’t going to come along again.
To be honest, I relished the poetic justice of NorthStone—the company I’d helped build from nothing—being the one to crush him, to leave him bankrupt and penniless just like he’d left my mom, Eliza, and me.
“What are you thinking about?” Claire asked. “You’re scowling.”
My eyes flashed to hers, and I realized I couldn’t tell her any of this. Not yet. I’d have to figure out a way later though if I went ahead with this land deal. “Just the past.”
“I know I kind of forced it out of you. I hope you’re not angry.”
“No, I’m glad I told you.” And I was glad. She needed to know, to understand where I was coming from. I reached for her hand. “I want us to be close.”
“Me too.” She smiled and then yawned. “Do you want to try and get some more sleep?”
“Sure.”
I spooned her from behind again, and it wasn’t long before I heard her soft, even breathing, but I didn’t sleep. Instead, I spent the rest of the night going over what I knew had to be done.
Chapter Twenty-Five
~ Claire ~
The next morning when I woke up, Philip was already awake and dressed. We usually lingered in bed until my alarm went off, but this morning he was sitting at my kitchen table texting someone.
“You’re up early.” I touched his shoulder on the way to the bathroom.
“I had a few things to take care of.” The phone rang in his hand—that western tune. “It’s Gavin.” He stood up. “I’m going to take this outside.”
He kissed my forehead before heading out the front door. I went into the bathroom and wet my hair a little, trying to comb down the wild mess it had become. Afterward, I went to the kitchen and started fresh coffee. There was an empty bowl with bits of cereal in the sink.
From the front window, I could see Philip on his phone, pacing the front yard like a caged tiger. He wore dark slacks and a gray button-down shirt.
A twinge of worry needled its way into me. Ethan used to take phone calls in private too, and stupid me, I’d always believed him when he’d told me they were clients. Later I figured out he was talking to Ivy.
I shook my head and turned back to the coffee maker. I needed to stop thinking like this. Philip wasn’t cheating on me. That was absurd.
I could hear my birds getting restless beneath the sheet and went over to remove it for them.
“Kiss, kiss,” squawked Calico Jack.
“Good morning to you too,” I said. I didn’t let them out, just stood and cooed to them for a little while.
By the time Philip came back inside, I was dressed and sitting on my bed going over my schedule for the day, coffee and a bowl of fruit nearby. I’d cut up a portion for my birds and was eating the rest myself.
“Is everything okay?” I asked when he came over to sit on the edge of the bed next to me.
“It’s fine. I have to go to Seattle.”
I put my fork down. “Today?”
He nodded. “Something’s come up. I’m flying there this morning.”
“Nothing bad, I hope.”
“No.” He let his breath out. “Just something that needs my immediate attention.”
Logically, I knew he and Gavin were running this successful venture capital firm, that their main offices were in Seattle, and that he had to go there sometimes. I mean, he couldn’t just spend every single night here with me.
His phone rang again, and he stood up to pull it from his front pocket. I watched him answer and start talking to someone named Bob about a house remodel. They went over a schedule for the next week.
“Who’s Bob?” I asked after he hung up.
“He’s the head contractor I hired to oversee all the jobs for Doug’s business. It’s gotten too time-consuming for me.”
“There’s that much new work?” Philip had told me how Doug’s business was languishing before he stepped in.
He nodded. “Yes, quite a bit.”
“That’s amazing. Doug must be thrilled.”
Philip seemed almost embarrassed. He glanced down at his phone again before slipping it into his front pocket. “It’s no big deal. It’s just what I do.”
“But how did you do it?”
He sat down on the bed again and shrugged. “It’s like being a mechanic.”
“A mechanic?”
“The way I see it, every business is like a machine, and sometimes certain parts aren’t working properly. I figure out which parts are broken and then fix them.”
“You make it sound so easy, though I’m guessing it’s not.”
He moved closer. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about something. It’s Friday. Why don’t you fly out and join me tonight? We can stay at my place for a change.”
My eyes widened. “Your place?”
“You haven’t been there yet.”
I thought about it, and my interest was piqued. “It would be nice to see where you live.”
“The house is all right. It’s been a good investment.” He grinned. “However, it does have a spectacular shower.”
That was when I noticed his hair was damp and he smelled like green apple shampoo. “Did you already take a shower?”
He nodded. “I missed you in there, but I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping so hard.”
I thought back to last night, to the way we’d been up talking. “Is everything really okay?”
His brows came together with concern. “Why would you think otherwise?”
“I don’t know. It was kind of intense last night.” All those things I’d said about wanting kids had probably freaked him out. Most guys would be running for the hills after having a discussion like that.
“If you haven’t noticed, I like intense. It was good we talked. I want us to know everything about each other.”
“Are you sure I didn’t scare you away?”
He gave me a considering look. “Do you honestly think I scare that easily?”
“No.” I suspected when Philip dug in his heels, he’d be very difficult to scare.
He took the bowl of fruit away, moved my planner aside, and then leaned in and kissed me.
“You taste like cereal,” I whispered.
“And you taste like a sexy woman.” He slid his hand beneath my shirt and kissed me some more. “I wish I could spend all day here with you.”
I wound my arms around his neck, a delicious heat moving through my limbs. “How soon do you have to leave?”
“Too soon, unfortunately.” He sighed, but then his expression grew serious. “Listen, I seldom share the things I told you last night.”
“I know.” I played with the curling ends of his dark hair.
“This is new for me… the way I am with you.”
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I ran my hand along his jaw. He’d shaved this morning, and his skin was smooth for a change.
“It’s obvious I’m crazy about you.”
I nodded. “I’m glad.”
“You’re glad?”
“Yes.” I knew I should say more but didn’t.
Philip’s eyes stayed on mine, and his mouth kicked up at the corner.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “You do realize I’m the woman in this relationship.”
“Really? I don’t know about that.” Leaning forward, I ran my hand over his thigh, then cupped his genitals. I lowered my voice. “You don’t feel like a woman to me.”
He licked his lips. “Keep your hand there. Let’s make sure.”
My eyes widened “Oh my gosh. What’s happening?” His cock grew hard beneath my palm. “These womanly bits of yours are starting to concern me.”
“You may need to examine them more closely.”
I slid my fingers over the erection now tenting his slacks. “I think I better,” I said, reaching for his belt buckle. “For science, of course.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
I unfastened his pants and pushed them down while he watched me with half-lidded eyes. My desire for him was this persistent ache that never went away. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. “I feel like a sex maniac around you.”
He grinned. “Thank God.”
He was trying to tug my jeans and panties off, and I helped kick them aside. I reached over and plucked a condom from the nightstand. After rolling it onto him, I straddled his hips, but Philip had other ideas. Before I knew it, he’d flipped me onto my back, his chest over me, his hand gripping the brass headboard for traction.
I gasped as the full length of him thrust into me. Pleasure flooded every nerve ending, and all my senses lit up. I had to catch my breath. He stifled a groan when I grabbed at the muscles in his back, digging my fingernails into the shirt fabric.
Philip wasn’t rough, but he took me hard, both of us losing our minds. Our moans and panting noises filled the room, along with the persistent rattle of the bed hitting the wall. When I came, it was with violent intensity. I might have even screamed.
He collapsed onto me with a loud groan. “Jesus… fuck.”
From a distance, I realized my birds were part of the cacophony. I tried to move to check on them, but I was too exhausted. “My birds… I hope they’re okay.”
Philip’s low chuckle vibrated against my chest. “Sweetheart, those birds know exactly what we’re up to.”
I sighed. He was probably right. They didn’t sound distressed, more like they were cheering us on. My eyes fell shut. “They are both males.”
“It might be time for a female parakeet.”
“I can’t. They’ll start laying eggs and having babies.”
He turned his head to the side so our faces were close. “Is that right?”
“It is.” He was still lying on top of me, but I didn’t mind his weight. It felt good.
His lips parted as he fought to catch his breath. His mouth looked so sexy, I leaned in and kissed him. “I was noisy. Maybe that’s what got them going. I think I might have screamed.”
“You definitely screamed.”
My eyes widened. “I did?”
He nodded. “Trust me, that scream is going into my memory bank for future use.”
I pushed against his shoulder and laughed.
“You think I’m joking, but I’m not.” He was grinning at me.
“All right, fine. I might have some future-use memories of you too,” I admitted.
His brows went up, and his grin grew wider. “This is news. Tell me, what are they?”
I shook my head and looked away, though I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Come on,” he coaxed. “I need to know.”
I turned so our faces were close again. “This,” I whispered. “Right now.”
His eyes stayed on mine.
We fell quiet. This was incredible between us, and we both knew it. The stuff artists and poets had been inspired by for centuries.
Philip’s gaze grew intense. “I love you, Claire.”
“You do?”
He nodded, his voice rough. “I do.”
I didn’t reply. My heart was pounding. I wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“You’ve captured me.”
I stroked his face. “You’ve captured me too.”
I’d never been on a privately chartered plane before, and it wasn’t what I expected.
For starters, both pilots came out and shook my hand, introducing themselves. One was named Benjamin, though everyone called him Ben. The other was Jason. They each wore a white shirt with a dark tie and pilot insignia on their shoulders.
The flight attendant’s name was Marnie, and she asked if I’d like anything to drink before takeoff. “There’s wine, or we have chilled champagne, if you prefer.”
“A glass of white wine, please,” I said.
I glanced around the inside of the plane. I’d only ever flown commercial, and this was a very different experience. I was sitting in a big leather chair with a table in front of me. There were five more leather chairs, two of them across from the couch.
Yes, the couch.
Marnie brought me my wine with a smile. She was very pretty. “It’s only a short flight to Seattle. Not enough time for a meal, but would you like some chocolate truffles?”
“Okay.”
I was trying to act cool, like this was all normal for me. She brought me the truffles, and I offered her one, but she declined. Then I felt stupid because I realized I probably wasn’t supposed to offer her one.
The flight was a little bumpier than I was used to, but luckily it was short. In thirty minutes we were preparing to land.
I looked out the window. It was early evening, and the buildings were lit up. We landed smoothly, and once we were on the ground, it was obvious we were in a part of the airport surrounded by other private jets.
Ben, Jason, and Marnie all lined up by the door and wished me a great weekend.
“Do you know where I’m supposed to meet Philip?” I asked them.
Marnie smiled. “Mr. North left instructions that he’d meet you on the tarmac.”
I nodded. “Okay, thank you.”
I walked down the metal stairs into the warm summer evening like an astronaut descending onto the moon.
I mean, Mr. North?
I looked around the tarmac but didn’t see Philip. All I saw were more planes. Between the noise and the smell of jet fuel, it was disorienting. My head swam. I nearly got my phone out, but finally I saw him a short distance away in front of a dark SUV, waving me over.
He wore the same clothes as earlier and looked just like his normal self, like the guy who’d told me in bed this morning that he loved me. Not this Mr. North person.
I walked toward him, and he watched me with a grin.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. He smelled like home, like the apple shampoo from my tiny shower, and it helped. I felt better. He drew back and gazed down at me. “I missed you, my pirate princess.”
“It’s only been a few hours,” I said with a smile.
“I don’t care.” He stroked my hair. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“A lot.” In truth, I’ve been obsessing about him all day. I couldn’t stop reliving that “I love you.” Even on the plane ride here, I was going over it again in my mind.
“Good.” Then he kissed me, his lips warm and sensual.
I responded to him like I always did, like a flame ignited.
“So how was the flight?” he asked, reaching down to take the overnight bag from my hand.
“It was nice. They served me wine and chocolate truffles.” My gaze went to his car, a dark green Range Rover. He opened the rear and put my bag inside. It looked like his was in there too.
“Is that your bag?”
He nodded. “I just came from work and haven’t been home yet.”
We climbed into the car, and I checked out the interior while Philip drove us out of the airport. There was an opened bottle of water in the seat between us and what looked like a granola bar wrapper stuffed next to it.
I told him how I’d let Violet know I was coming here and that Leah agreed to check on my birds. “Do you think you’ll be in Seattle all week?” I asked. “Because the Pirate Days party is next weekend.”
“I know.” He glanced at me. “I’ll be there.”
We talked some more. I told him I’d invited his mom and Elliot to the party and that Eliza was bringing a fellow actor from the theater as her date—which I figured would make him happy, since he was so weird about the idea that she and Gavin might be interested in each other.
As we headed into Seattle, he asked me about my day. I described it, and as usual, he listened with real interest. That was somethi
ng I’d learned about Philip, and I’d bet it was a big part of his success.
While most people only half listened, waiting for their turn to talk, Philip actually listened. He had an incredible memory for details too. He probably knew as much about my clients as I did. It was amazing.
“How was your day?” I asked. “Why did you have to come to Seattle?”
He shrugged. “It was fine. Meetings mostly.” He glanced at me. “Are you hungry? Because I’m starved. I haven’t had dinner yet.”
He seemed evasive, but I told myself to calm down. Between all my trust issues from Ethan and the general newness of being on Philip’s turf, it had me on edge. “I’m kind of hungry. I haven’t had dinner yet either.”
After some discussion, we went to an Italian restaurant near his house. “It’s a small mom-and-pop place,” he told me. “The food is excellent.”
I knew he lived on the water in Magnolia, and I had to admit I was curious to see his house. By the time we drove to the restaurant, parked, and were seated at a booth by the window, I was feeling better. Less on edge.
“Do you eat here a lot?” I asked, glancing around the restaurant. It was Friday night, and the place was busy.
“No. I mean, I do, but it’s always takeout. I’ve never eaten inside like this.”
I nodded and turned back to him.
He leaned forward with his arms on the table, and I was struck all over again by how sexy he was. Every little movement. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and even the dark hair on his forearms was turning me on.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “You seem a little weird since I picked you up.”
“I’m fine.” I wasn’t sure how to explain my astronaut feeling without it sounding bad.
He reached for my hand with concern. “It’s not because of what I said this morning, is it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
He nodded, his eyes still on mine.
“I’m glad you said what you did. I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
“And what have you been thinking?”
I licked my lips. “I want to be more like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Less afraid. You never worry that we’re moving too fast, or worry about holding anything back.”
Truth About Men & Dogs Page 31
