From Your Heart

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “Just like that? Create a form for a shared calendar?”

  “Why not?”

  “How will people know to use it?”

  She shrugged. “Use your big mouth to spread the word.”

  He shook his head. Her idea was perfect, but he needed people to use it.

  “How did people used to get in touch with this woman?”

  “Phone. E-mail. Carrier pigeon?” He inhaled and tried to calm down. Even if he failed at this, he’d already done so much to prove to Park what he could do. No. Failure was not an option. He didn’t want the mayor to have any reason to look elsewhere.

  Moira was suspiciously quiet. He looked over to see her reading through the pages of notes. “You have access to an intern?”

  “Maybe. There’s usually a couple floating around.”

  “Hand it off. Get one of them to make the calls to event coordinators to notify them of the new system. Well, obviously get the new calendar in place first. Nothing will piss people off faster than another broken city idea.” She closed the folder and slid it back. “Why come to me?”

  “You’ve spent the last few years doing nothing but going to parties throughout the city.”

  She glared at him.

  “You know what I mean. I wasn’t implying you don’t work. I figured if anyone knew how to make things better than the old system, it’d be you.” He smiled. “And I was right.”

  She rolled her eyes, but then shifted, dropping her feet to the floor and leaning her arms on the table. “What’s going on with you and Kathy?”

  He knew this conversation had to happen sooner or later, but he had no intention of rushing it. “What do you know?”

  “Kathy mentioned that you’re seeing each other again.”

  “We are. In case she asks, you can tell her I made it clear that she’s my girlfriend.”

  “Huh?”

  “Just . . .” He remembered Kathy pointing out how over the top his declarations were. Saying it to Moira was beyond over the top. “Nothing.”

  “Why are you doing this? You can find someone else.”

  “I don’t want anyone else.” He knew the response wouldn’t satisfy her. Moira was a talker, and she needed thorough answers. “When I saw her at your engagement party, it wasn’t pretty. We both viewed how things had ended between us differently. There’d been some major miscommunication back then. Mostly on my part, but some on hers. And yeah, I get that I hurt her. I never meant to. And in the time since we spoke at your party, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.”

  “So?”

  “We were good together back then, but I wasn’t ready for anything serious. I wasn’t ready for her.” His mouth went dry. Why did he feel the need to defend himself to Moira of all people? It wasn’t like she was Kathy’s mom.

  “And you are now?”

  “Yes.”

  She snorted.

  “What?”

  “You’re not the settling down type.”

  “Five years ago, I wasn’t. Now I am.”

  “Like anyone believes that.” She stood and left the room toward the kitchen.

  Kevin clenched his teeth. While he didn’t need Moira’s approval, he also knew that as Kathy’s best friend, she had influence. When Moira returned, she handed him a bottle of cold water and opened one for herself.

  “I get you think I’m a fuckup. But I’ve proven to Kathy that I deserve a second chance. I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “We’ll see.” She gulped water. “Keep in mind that Jimmy’s on my side now. I’ll have him kick your ass if you do.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure you could handle that on your own.” He chugged his own water and stood. “But we won’t have to test that theory. Thanks for the help. I have to figure out who I need to talk to.”

  She rose to walk him to the door. “She’s guarded, you know, but soft. It won’t take much to damage her once she lets you in.”

  Kevin turned to look into Moira’s bright blue eyes. “I’m not going to hurt her. I want this. I can’t remember ever feeling about a woman the way I do about her. I missed it the first time because I was young and dumb.”

  “That’s definitely an O’Malley family trait.”

  He smiled. “Tell me about it. Thanks again for the help. Tell Jimmy to give me a call later.”

  As he walked back to his car, he considered what Moira had said about Kathy. The guardedness he’d witnessed, but getting to the rest, he’d only caught glimpses. He’d prove to Kathy that he could take care of her.

  And then he’d rub it in Moira’s pretty little face.

  * * *

  Three more days passed without seeing Kathy. And he felt like shit because of it. Not just the lack of contact, kissing and touching her, but because he’d acted like getting to five dates would be simple. He woke every morning and sent her a text because he knew she was already at the shop. By the time he took a break to eat in the afternoon, he couldn’t not think of her, so he called. She always answered, which made him feel even guiltier because it felt like she was waiting on him. If she was busier, she wouldn’t have time to answer and he wouldn’t feel like such an ass.

  He lay in bed staring at the time on his phone. Ten o’clock. He knew she was in bed, but he wanted to hear her voice, so he called.

  “Hey, you’re calling late. Did you just get in?” She didn’t sound like she’d been sleeping.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “No. I was working up some new designs for a wedding next week. What are you doing?”

  “I just crawled into bed and wanted to catch you before you fell asleep. Now I feel like a slacker because you’re probably still fully clothed sitting at your desk working even though you got up hours before me this morning.”

  She laughed and the light sound lifted his spirit.

  “I’m actually sitting in bed surrounded by scraps of crumpled paper.” A heavy sigh followed before she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot. Maybe this isn’t a good time for us to be starting something.”

  “What?”

  “You’re really busy with the mayor. I get it. I’m not mad, and I’m not disappearing. I just think maybe we should step back.”

  “No.” He sat up in bed. Rubbing a hand over his head, he tried to think of the right words. “I know things have been crazy, but I promise they’ll calm down. My work life has never been this packed. It won’t stay like this for long.”

  “You need to focus on your job. I don’t want to be a distraction that costs you the position you want.”

  “You’re not.”

  “As much as I like talking to you, I need more in a boyfriend. I need to be able to see you and touch you. I don’t need fancy dates, but I do need to be with you. Right now I feel like that’s an unfair demand to make.”

  “It’s not,” he whispered.

  “It is. When I opened my shop, I didn’t date for pretty much a whole year. I didn’t have a social life at all, come to think of it. My business needed my attention more.”

  He swung his legs over the edge of the bed knowing that sleep wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. His brain scrambled for the words to convince her this could work. “We said we were gonna take this slow, and I know this is slower than either of us thought, but I don’t want you to walk away again.”

  “I’m not walking away. I’m afraid that we’re both going to end up resentful. I don’t want that to happen. I like you.”

  “I like you too. That’s why I believe we can figure this out. If that means I have to drag my ass out of bed every day at five a.m. to have breakfast with you, I will.” Even though the thought of early mornings made him cringe, the chance to see her and kiss her every day before work was appealing.

  “You’re thinking about having sex in my office, aren’t you?”

  Her voice was low and seductive, so while he hadn’t been thinking that, now he was. Her comment definitely lightened the conversation, so he went with it. Scooting back on his bed, h
e asked, “What did you say you’re wearing again?”

  She chuckled. “You’re such a guy. I didn’t say.”

  “I’m visual. If I can’t be with you, I want to be able to picture it.”

  “I’m wearing a navy blue tank top with Wonder Woman on the front. Black panties. Hold on.”

  Since he’d never been in her bedroom, he imagined her sitting next to him in his bed. “Hair up or down?” he asked.

  “Check your phone.”

  He pulled the phone away from his face to see that she’d texted him pictures. His cock grew hard at the sight of her kneeling on her mattress so he could see her whole outfit. It was better than seeing her in some lacy lingerie. She was cute and playful and comfortable.

  “You trying to kill me?”

  “You asked. I delivered. Plus, I want you to know what you’re missing.”

  “I am.”

  “You are what?”

  “Missing you.”

  Another pause. “You, Kevin O’Malley, are pretty damn good with words.”

  “I’m good with a lot of things. I’m going to figure this out. What does your weekend look like?”

  “I have back-to-back wedding deliveries on Saturday and Sunday.”

  “How about I tag along? Then you can come here to hang out and spend the night.”

  “It’s not a date if I’m working.”

  “I didn’t say you should come over so I could have sex with you. I want to spend time with you alone, without any distractions.”

  “You work crazy hours all week. How about I just come over when I’m done?”

  “I don’t mind extra work. I want to spend time with you.”

  “You won’t have any fun delivering flowers. Plus, this way, you’ll have time to clean up your man cave to impress me.”

  Kevin glanced around his dimly lit room at the laundry scattered on the floor. “Point taken. We’ll order in Saturday night and watch a movie. I’ll even give you a foot rub.”

  She moaned. “Now you’re just bribing me.”

  “I’m willing to offer much more than a foot rub.”

  Her gentle sigh whispered in his ear. “I know. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”

  “Good night. This will get easier. It has to.”

  “I hope.”

  He disconnected. While settling in to fall asleep, he stared at the photos she’d sent to his phone, wishing she were there with him.

  * * *

  Kathy was used to being busy in the summertime because of weddings. She worked long hours and took every job she could fit in because it made up for the slower months with no holidays demanding flowers. But this summer had suddenly exploded with other jobs, ones that she felt Kevin was behind. Deb had used her two more times, and during the last event, Kathy found out that either Kevin or Deb had gotten Love in Bloom on a preferred vendors list for the city, so she was fielding more calls than usual.

  Her long hours almost matched Kevin’s. She knew he was striving to get a promotion, or at least a job shift, but because of that, they were having a hard time connecting. He usually called when he took a break for lunch and they talked at night before going to bed, but she needed more time with him.

  She hated to admit it, but neither of them seemed to be putting in much effort to make this relationship work. He’d been so apologetic when he called late last night that she felt bad for even suggesting that they weren’t in a good place to start a new relationship. He hadn’t called her on her lack of effort, so it was a little unfair to blame his job for everything.

  This morning she decided that she wasn’t going down without trying. When she finished a set of arrangements for a luncheon, it was about eight-thirty, so she knew Kevin would be awake. Sitting at her desk in the office, she called him.

  “Hey, beautiful, what’s up?”

  “I want to have lunch together today. What time will you be free?”

  “Uhh . . . I don’t usually plan lunch. I take it whenever I get a chance. Name the time and I’ll meet you.”

  She thought about her afternoon and decided earlier would be better. “Can you do eleven-thirty?”

  “Hang on.”

  She heard some rustling on his end.

  “I have a meeting on the Gold Coast at ten-thirty. How about I come to you?”

  She loved the sound of that and before she could reconsider, she blurted, “Excellent. Come to my apartment as soon as you’re done.”

  “Want me to bring lunch?”

  “Nope. I have it covered.”

  “See you in a few hours then.”

  She disconnected and butterflies took flight in her gut. She just demanded Kevin come to her apartment for lunch. Although they still hadn’t had five dates, they’d had three solid ones, if you counted the wedding. And a ton of substantial conversations. She believed Kevin was committed to their relationship, but they were both failing at making it happen.

  They needed a physical connection. If nothing else, they would each have something to carry them through until the next time they could be together. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the fantastic orgasm he’d given her with just his hands the other day. She wanted more of everything with him.

  She sped through the rest of her morning, making sure Anna had everything she needed so Kathy could get away for a while. She left Anna alone often, but Kathy was never out of touch. Today, she wanted to be unreachable.

  “You’re sure you can hold down the fort?” she asked Anna again before heading out to pick up lunch.

  “For the fourth time, yes. Go. Have a great lunch.” Anna winked and grinned. “And whatever else you have planned. Like maybe a much-needed dessert.”

  Kathy’s cheeks flushed. She considered Anna a friend, but they normally didn’t get into personal details. “Thanks. I might just indulge in some dessert today.”

  Anna clapped her hands. “Excellent. Get out of here.”

  “I’m going. Call if there’s an emergency.”

  “Has there ever been an emergency?”

  “Well, no, but you never know.”

  Anna came around the counter and began pushing Kathy toward the door. “Take the rest of the day off.”

  Kathy shot her a look.

  “Well, I don’t want to see you again before two o’clock.”

  “I don’t think lunch will take that long.”

  “Then take a nap. You’ve been working too much lately. You need a break.” She opened the door and shoved Kathy through.

  With a deep breath, Kathy went to her car. Anna was right. Although she’d always been available, Anna never called. She was a great employee who knew what she was doing. Kathy stopped at the sandwich shop on the corner and ordered food to go. She wanted something that she could stick in the refrigerator in case she and Kevin were busy doing other things.

  She definitely wanted to be busy doing other things.

  As soon as she got into her apartment, she put lunch in the fridge and then got antsy. She never had free time in the middle of the day. Her phone buzzed with a text and her stomach sank. She was afraid to look in case Kevin was calling to cancel.

  On my way. Be there in ten.

  I’m waiting. She responded, trying not to sound too eager. She debated changing into something sexy, but then decided not to. What if he didn’t have a lot of time for lunch and all he really wanted to do was eat? He didn’t run his own business. He had to answer to people. She would feel foolish standing there in a nightie if he had to leave in thirty minutes.

  She didn’t expect hours-long sex, but their first time—again—shouldn’t be a quickie. Even if it was a nooner. Her head was spinning out, so she plopped on the couch to wait. It made no sense to make herself crazy. Kevin would be here soon and they’d figure it out.

  Together.

  She liked the thought of that. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt like she was part of something. It might not be the easiest or smoothest-running thing, but she enjoyed
it. Her bell rang and she buzzed Kevin in. She opened the door to see him standing in her hallway in a suit, looking downright sinful.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey,” she said a little breathlessly before grabbing his hand and pulling him into her apartment. “I’m really glad you made it.”

  “Uh-huh.” His eyes stared intently into hers as he closed the door behind him. Then he spun her back against the door and lowered his mouth to hers. His hips pinned hers in place as their tongues tangled.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through the soft short hair at the back of his head.

  He came up for air and studied her face. “Hello.”

  “Hi. When do you have to be back at work?”

  “Whenever I get there.”

  Thank God. She moved against his mouth again and loosened his tie. His fingers skimmed along her waist, pushing her shirt up a few inches, just enough to reveal some skin.

  He pulled away again and Kathy almost groaned. “We should probably stop if we’re gonna get to lunch,” he whispered.

  “I planned ahead. Lunch is in the fridge. Sandwiches.” She continued to kiss his stubbly jaw and down his neck. She unknotted the tie and began to unbutton his shirt. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  “What?” He froze and took her hands to stop her.

  She swallowed hard and looked up.

  “Are you saying what I think you are?” he asked. Lust burned in his eyes and she already felt the hard-on in his neatly pressed pants.

  “I’m saying we should go to my bedroom for some much-needed sexual relief.”

  “But . . .”

  She didn’t wait for him to finish. She cupped him and ran her tongue on his neck.

  Grabbing her hands again, he said, “We haven’t had five dates.”

  “Close enough,” she answered against his warm skin.

  “Kathy.” He waited and then stepped away from her, this time putting an arm’s length between them, still holding her hands.

  She lifted an eyebrow and waited.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Have I ever struck you as the kind of person to do something unless I’m sure?”