He put his underwear back on and left the room so she could clean up and redress without him ogling her. In the living room, he opened the containers of pasta and grabbed plates from the kitchen. Eyeing the clock, he wondered if Tess had time to eat.
Moments later, she descended the stairs. It wasn’t often he brought a woman to his home, and he’d certainly never watched as one came down from his bedroom. But watching Tess did something to him.
He wasn’t sure what.
…
Tess had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t do this. Go to a man’s house in the middle of the day to have sex. A man she barely knew. This isn’t who I am. Is it? When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned to find Miles standing in the middle of the living room, carton of food in hand, staring at her.
She glanced around the room. “Is something wrong?”
He blinked and shook his head. “No. It is getting a little late. Do you still have time to eat?”
She went to her purse and pulled out her phone to check the time and calculate how long it would take to get back to her car and then to Mr. Dunphey’s house. “If I inhale the food like a teenaged boy, maybe.”
Suddenly, Miles stood at her side, holding a forkful of pasta up to her mouth. She let him feed her.
“I promise next time, we’ll eat first.”
Her heart beat faster at the mention of there being a next time. With a mouthful of food, she said, “How will it be better for me to rush out of your bed instead of rushing without eating?”
“I feel bad we didn’t have much of a lunch date.” He held up another forkful.
“I can feed myself.”
“You have to check your calendar for free time.”
She laughed at “free time” but accepted the food and opened her calendar app. All the colors spread out, filling her days. Miles moved so he stood behind her, reading over her shoulder.
His warmth seeped through her T-shirt, and it took all of her control to not lean back into him.
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked.
He held up more pasta. “No offense, but last time we talked, you said you had no time.”
“Yet here I am.”
“Only because I looked at your calendar.”
She scrolled down.
“It looks to me like you have some free time almost every day for lunch.”
It was only an hour or two. Was it bad that she wanted more of this? “I guess. I never think of that as free time because most of the time I stay at work or do stuff around the house.”
“Everybody’s got to eat.”
He pushed more pasta into her mouth. She wasn’t even tasting it, but she was enjoying his arms around her as he took care of her. An odd feeling. Someone taking care of her. Making sure she felt good. Ensuring she ate. “What does your schedule look like?”
“I make my own schedule.”
“That’s not entirely true. You get dressed and go into the office. Didn’t you say you’re about to start a foundation? That’s huge. I don’t even know what’s involved, but it’s gotta take a lot.”
“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled as he nipped her earlobe.
A shiver skated down her back. She blinked and tried to focus on the calendar. Figuring out when to get chores done and still leave time to meet Miles was easier said than done.
“Tuesday,” he said against the side of her neck.
Lord, it was hard to concentrate when he did things like that. “Thursday would be better. My Tuesday client tends to go over. I always write her in with the hope I’ll be out on time, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
“What about Wednesday?”
“I work all day at the hospital.”
Miles set the fork on the plate and wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her against him. “Thursday it is. Where would you like to go?”
“Hmmm?” Her mind had wandered off again with the feel of him pressed against her back. Memories of their night at the hotel, with her hands pressed against the window, rushed through her head.
Miles stepped away and moved to stand in front of her. “Where do you want to meet?”
She shrugged. “I’m going to be on the northwest side of the city. But I’ll have almost three hours free, so I can meet wherever you want. I’m assuming your office is downtown?”
“It is.”
“Then let’s pick someplace in between.”
“And waste half the possible time with you on traveling? Uh-uh. I’ll leave work early and come to you. Three hours might be just enough time.”
The lust in his eyes conjured all kinds of dirty thoughts in Tess. What this man could do in three hours would be enough to fuel her fantasies for many weeks to come. “What’s near here?” she asked without considering how forward it sounded. She was too old to play games. If they were going to have a sexual relationship, why not just say what it was?
“I like the way you think. There’s a diner two blocks down on Lincoln. Text me when you leave your job.”
“Okay.” She gathered her purse and dropped her phone in the side pocket. “See you Thursday.”
“Wait,” he called. “Take this food with you.”
“Why? You can stay and eat.”
“There’s plenty here. You can probably reheat it and not have to cook dinner.” He was already boxing up the containers and sliding everything back into the brown paper bag.
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” Tess meant it. Most guys would’ve thought nothing of just sending her on her way.
He handed her the bag, his fingers brushing hers as he let go. “Anytime. Have a good afternoon.”
She laughed. “It’ll be hard to beat lunchtime.”
He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close for a kiss. “My driver is at the curb. He’ll take you to your car.”
She blinked. “You’re not coming?”
He pointed to the fact that he was still standing in his boxers. “He’ll come back for me.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“See you Thursday.”
Tess slipped out the front door before she totally lost her mind and canceled her afternoon appointment to spend the rest of the day in bed with him.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, making her squint. The driver exited the car and walked around to open the back door for her.
She smiled. “Thank you. But that’s unnecessary. I can get the door.”
He nodded and closed the door behind her once she was seated. Then he got behind the wheel and asked, “Where to?”
“Agostino’s, where you picked me up.” Damn, this is a little too Pretty Woman for me. He’d picked her up on the street and now he was returning her to where he’d found her. She shook her head. Miles wasn’t like that. He was just being efficient by having them drive together earlier. Plus, it wasn’t like he’d taken her to some seedy motel.
He took her to his condo. He thought nothing of having her in his home. The drive back to the restaurant was quick and as they neared, Tess said, “You can drop me by the front door.”
The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Mr. Prescott said I’m supposed to take you right to your car.”
Tess rolled her eyes. Of course he had. “Fine. Go to the end of the block and turn right. That’s where I’m parked. I’m the minivan.” She glanced at her phone. She’d have just enough time to get to Mr. Dunphey’s house, assuming traffic wasn’t horrible.
The car stopped beside hers and as the driver moved to get out, she waved him off. “I’m good. Thank you for the ride.”
“No problem.”
She stepped from the car, bag of food in hand, and clicked the button for her car. As she neared the driver’s side door, she saw an orange ticket on her windshield.
Damn it. Are you kidding? The meter had expired less than five minutes ago. She grabbed the offensive paper and tossed it on the dashboard. Reaching across the car, she set the food on the
floor of the passenger side. At least she wouldn’t have to cook tonight. And she’d had a great time with Miles. So what if it cost her sixty-five bucks?
As she put the key in the ignition, she realized Miles’s driver hadn’t left yet. He was blocking her in. She started the engine, figuring he must be waiting to make sure her piece of crap minivan would start. Then her phone rang. Miles.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Give Dave the ticket.”
“What?” A sharp rap at her window made her jump. Miles’s driver. She rolled the window down.
“Give Dave the ticket.”
“How did you…? Wait.” She looked up at Dave through the window. “Did you just spy on me and call Miles?” she asked him.
In her ear, Miles answered, “Yes, he did. As he should have. I asked you to come to my place, and I promised to have you back in time to get your car. I’ll pay the ticket.”
“Getting in your car was my choice. I can pay my own ticket.” She leaned a little out the window and said, “You can leave now, Dave. We’re good.”
Dave didn’t move.
“Tell Dave to leave,” she said into the phone.
“Give him the ticket.”
“You’re making me late to my next job. I don’t have time to argue with you.”
His heavy sigh came over the phone, reminding her of what he sounded like when he was worked up. “Hand Dave your phone.”
She handed Dave the phone, and a moment later, he returned it to her and retreated to his car.
“Thank you,” she said to Miles.
“This isn’t over. I just don’t want you to be late.”
She disconnected and pulled out of the spot. A range of emotions bombarded her. Her body was as relaxed as it had ever been. A couple of powerful orgasms had that effect. But she was conflicted. He’d stood in his living room, literally feeding her, which was sweet. But then to have his driver spy on her and try to take her ticket… She wasn’t sure how to feel. Part of her liked that he wanted to take responsibility for that, but another part of her thought he was being a little overbearing. She didn’t need him to take care of her.
She tabled all those confused thoughts and focused on going to work.
Chapter Seven
The next few days were a blur of activity, which was par for the course in Tess’s life. She ran around dropping kids off at day camp, sped from job to job, and constantly wondered in what way she was failing today. By the time Thursday came, all she wanted was an escape. She couldn’t wait to see Miles. After her first appointment in the morning—Mrs. Casey, who had just had knee replacement surgery—she texted Miles.
Instead of meeting at the diner, can we go straight to your place?
His response was short.
Sure.
No questions, no comment. At first, she thought he might be annoyed by her request. He was the one who had said more than once that he wanted to get to know her, but when she suggested his place, he had no problem with forgoing the “date” portion of their time together.
12:30?
She stared at his text. He wasn’t bothered at all by the change of plans? She responded with one word of her own.
Yep.
As she checked on her next client, Mr. Kincaid—a bedridden man in hospice—she considered this thing with Miles.
She worked through her routine on autopilot. Hospice was hard for her. Dread and fear and utter grief permeated every house. People spoke in hushed tones as if they were already at a funeral. For the most part, no one talked to her. They let her go about her business, which offered her a chance to think about her own life.
She’d thought she’d be okay having a relationship with Miles without giving it a label. She didn’t know if she was ready for a relationship. That was part of why she hadn’t done much dating. She didn’t need another person to take care of.
Right now, this thing with Miles, whatever it was, was mutually beneficial. Maybe she could keep it like this. Meet once a week or so to have sex and share a meal if they had time.
Finishing up with Mr. Kincaid, she made notes and checked in with the service that sent her. Then she said her good-byes to Mrs. Kincaid. Once outside, Tess took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air. She needed a cleansing breath to make sure the sadness from the house didn’t cling to her as she went about the rest of her day.
She drove to Miles’s condo and circled around looking for a spot to park. When she’d made this suggestion, she hadn’t considered the dearth of parking here. On her third time past his house, her phone rang. She pressed the button to put Miles on speaker.
“Hello.”
“Almost here?”
“I’m looking for parking.”
“Drive around back. I have an extra spot. Number twelve. I’ll open the gate for you.”
“Okay.” Tess couldn’t imagine the life Miles led. Personal drivers, a gated parking garage, trendy condo.
She drove down the alley and, sure enough, as she neared, the wrought iron gate slid open. She quickly found the spot and parked. Now to find her way to the front entrance. She looked around and a door in the corner of the garage opened.
“Tess.” Miles stood at the door, waving her over.
“I’m glad you came down for me. I don’t think I’d know how to get out of here.”
“It’s not that complicated.” As soon as she was close enough, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her through the door. “Hi.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and led the way to the elevator. “So why the change of plans?”
“It’s been a crazy week. I wanted a break.” She huffed out something that sounded kind of like a laugh.
“What?” The elevator dinged, and he moved his arm to rest it around her shoulders as they walked to his door.
“It sounds ridiculous. This week wasn’t any different than any other. I don’t know why it’s getting to me.”
“Come in and tell me about it.” He shoved his door open.
Tess stepped into the living room and turned so her body was in front of him. “I don’t want to talk.”
“That’s okay, too.” He skimmed his hands up her arms. “Tell me what you do want.”
“Take me to bed. Give me the escape I need.” Tess liked asking for what she wanted. She’d spent too much of her life not doing that. All of her thoughts fled as Miles captured her mouth, assaulting her with kisses.
He took her upstairs without a word. In his bedroom, she reached for her shirt to pull it over her head.
His hand on hers made her stop. “You want an escape, so let me.”
Tess dropped her hands to her side to see what Miles would do. He trailed his fingers from her hand up her arm and to her collarbone. The soft lingering touch caused goose bumps to rise all over her skin. He stroked her abdomen where her shirt met her pants without pulling her shirt up. A gentle glide under the edge of the cotton.
Then he slid his hands under and pulled the shirt over her head. He lowered his lips to her neck while his hand continued to stroke her bare skin. It seemed like an eternity before he flicked the clasp on her bra and popped the button on her jeans, but then suddenly, she was lying naked on his bed.
They didn’t speak. The room was filled with heavy breathing and the sounds of their kisses, but no words. Miles took his time with her body, playing and exploring like she was his favorite new toy. In the back of her mind, she felt a little guilty, because he was doing all the giving, making sure she was pleasured and enjoyed herself.
She did none of the work. She didn’t even have to make a request for what she liked. It was as if he just knew.
And while she was lying in Miles’s bed, nothing else mattered. She had no worries, no weight pulling her down.
He allowed her to be Tess, the woman.
It was a frightening thought as she lay spent and panting with his arm curled around her hip. She wasn’t sure she remembered how to be just Tess.
…
Miles knew he sho
uld get up and check the time so Tess wouldn’t be late to wherever she needed to go, maybe offer her lunch. He almost laughed at that. They kept making plans to have a meal together, but it never seemed to happen. Not that he could complain about how his afternoon had turned out, but he hadn’t wanted his time with Tess to be just about sex.
But today, something about the way she’d said she needed an escape meant he couldn’t say no. He couldn’t remind her he wanted to get to know her better. Instead, he’d given her what she’d asked for.
She lay in his arms with no sign of moving. He trailed his fingers up her back. “Why do you have so many jobs?”
“Gotta work,” she mumbled.
“Why not just work at the hospital?”
She rolled her head to look up at him from her resting spot on his chest. “I work long shifts at the hospital every other weekend, and one day shift on Wednesdays. That’s my main paycheck. I supplement with home healthcare because the hospital isn’t enough.”
“Why not work more at the hospital?”
“I work shifts most people don’t want—overnights on the weekend. The pay is premium. But I only do that every other weekend, when the kids are with their father. If I try to go full-time, I’d get variable shifts, which doesn’t work well for a single parent.”
“Can’t you just get a regular shift?”
“Doesn’t work that way. The schedule rotates to be fair.”
“Except for you. You always get the crap.”
“I ask for the crap. Like I said, good money.”
“Tell me about your kids.”
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’d rather not. They aren’t part of this,” she said, laying her hand on his chest.
Her reaction stung. It wasn’t as if he’d asked to move in with her family. He wanted to get to know her. “Why do you try so hard to work around your kids’ schedule? Working parents use babysitters all the time. I had a nanny my whole childhood, and I turned out okay.”
He’d meant to make her smile, but all he got was another sigh. She shifted again, lowering her head back to his chest, no longer looking at him. He’d overstepped another invisible boundary.
One Night with a Millionaire (Daring Divorcees) Page 7
