The moment my Uber left the curb of Gramps’ house, I knew I’d made a mistake. I’d opened my mouth half a dozen times to tell my driver to turn around and bring me back, but always stopped myself.
I’d never felt so torn in my life. My brain was on repeat, telling me I needed to keep my distance from Remy. That getting closer to him would only result in pain. That I’d end up like my mom, alone and sick from heartbreak.
But my heart whispered that maybe things could be different. That maybe I was different than my mom. That Remy was different. Maybe things didn’t have to turn out the way they had for my parents.
I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. I wasn’t going to marry Remy. That was so completely out of the realm of possibility it was practically a wardrobe that could transport you to a magical land.
The waiter reappeared with a leather booklet containing our check. I reached for it, but Dennis was quicker than me. He scanned the receipt and tucked his card into the slot before handing it back.
“What’s my share?” I asked as I dug out my wallet.
Dennis shook his head. “It’s on me.”
I tried to smile at him again, but I had a feeling it probably looked more like a grimace. “That’s okay. I’d prefer to pay my half.”
Dennis leaned forward, elbow on the table between us and a grin on his thin lips. “You could repay me by coming back to my place.”
There was no stopping the look of disgust on my face. “Um. No, thanks. I have an Uber on the way.”
His smile fell a fraction of an inch. “At least let me drive you home. We can spend some more time getting to know each other in my car.”
If getting to know each other meant listening to more stories of his boring as balls job, the answer was hell no.
If getting to know each other meant hooking up, the answer was fuck no.
“No, thanks,” I said again. “I have a really early morning so I should be getting home.”
He sat back in his chair, a look of confusion in his pale blue eyes. “Didn’t you have a good time?”
I barely suppressed the snort. “I had a fine time, Dennis. Thanks for inviting me.” The lies fell so easily from my lips because I knew what men like Dennis were like. Their egos were bigger than their mouths and it was best to let them down easily.
He frowned, his sandy blond brows furrowing. “Okay, then can I take you out next weekend.”
Thank fuck I had a legitimate excuse.
“Actually, I have work stuff going on all weekend. Sorry.” My phone pinged, and I was ready to kiss my driver. I tossed a couple twenties on the table despite his protests and stood up. “It was nice meeting you, Dennis.”
With that, I turned and fled the restaurant as fast as I could in my six-inch heels. Why I wasted these skyscrapers on him I wasn’t sure. Why I even went on this dumbass date, I wasn’t sure of either.
I hopped in the red Ford out front and let out a sigh of relief. But that didn’t last long.
I knew Remy would be waiting up for me. What I didn’t know was how he was going to act when I got there.
Would he be upset and combative like last time? Or more disappointed like he’d been when he heard I was going on this date tonight?
Both options made my stomach twist.
The car ride was entirely too short, and soon, we pulled up in front of my house. I thanked the driver and walked steadily toward whatever confrontation I was about to face. Charlotte announced my arrival as usual as I unlocked and opened the door.
I reached down to give her a quick pet as my eyes scanned the apartment for Remy. He wasn’t in the kitchen, but the living room light was on which meant he was probably in there.
I stood back up and walked slowly across the space, my high heels clacking noisily on the linoleum. When I made it to the next room, my eyes darted around until I found Remy. And once I did, I wished I’d just gone straight to my room instead.
He was shirtless, his tan, muscular back on full display as he pumped his body up and down in a series of pushups on the floor. I watched his arms flex, the one covered in tattoos as interesting and appealing as always. There was sweat dripping from his temples and his dark hair was in disarray.
My mouth went dry as my eyes stayed stuck on his magnificent form.
He was counting softly under his breath, and when he hit one-hundred, he hopped to his feet and turned to face me. My eyes betrayed me as they drank him in inch by inch. His chest was defined, chiseled from all the hard work he put into his body. It rose and fell steadily with his labored breaths as I stood transfixed.
Without a word, he reached for a towel on the couch and used it to dab at the sweat dotting his skin. His eyes burned as they watched me.
“How was your date?”
I swallowed harshly. “Um. Shit.”
He chuckled, the sound so deep my toes curled in my pumps.
“You changed your clothes.”
I looked down at the navy dress I was wearing and shrugged. “I couldn’t really go to a restaurant in jean shorts and a t-shirt.”
He shrugged. “I liked you like that.”
And hot damn, I like you like this.
“What are you doing?” I asked stupidly.
His grin was crooked. “Baking cupcakes. What does it look like?”
I rolled my eyes at his smartass remark and leaned my hip against the couch. “Funny.”
He shrugged. “I was just getting a workout in. I’ve been slacking this past week.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me.” I responded so fast I didn’t have time to screen the words before they left my mouth.
His eyes twinkled as he smiled at me again. “Good to know.”
I bit my lip to prevent any other slips of the tongue.
He crossed the room toward me, and I held my breath, knowing if I were to smell his intoxicating cologne at this moment, I’d be unable to stop myself from doing something about it. Like smashing my nose in the crook of his neck and snorting that shit like a line of coke.
I was waiting for him to walk by me, but he stopped just a few inches away. I froze as he reached up and cupped my face, using his thumb to rub at the corner of my mouth.
“You had a crumb there,” he said, his voice so deep it rumbled across the space between us. The space that was seemingly shrinking by the second.
I reached up to wipe my mouth, but he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I got it.”
My tongue sat uselessly in my mouth for a long moment before I cleared my throat. “Th-thanks,” I said, my voice breathy.
He smiled wide and my heart thundered almost painfully in my chest. “My pleasure.” He released my chin and took a step back, his chocolate-colored eyes still fixed on mine. “Night, Belle. See you in the morning.”
I watched his back flex as he walked away from me and behind the door to his bedroom. Once he was out of sight, I released a big breath and slumped against the couch.
Holy shit. That was so much worse than I’d expected. Instead of being angry, he’d been sexy as hell and far harder to resist. I’d need to build a thicker skin and maybe buy a blindfold if I was going to make it through the rest of his stay.
Chapter 22
Belle
“I think I’m all finished up out there.”
I jumped in my seat and turned to face the doorway of my office. Nick, the obnoxious moving guy, was standing there, sweat dotting his forehead but his hazel eyes bright.
I should have heard him approaching my office since he lumbered around the gallery like a Neanderthal, but I’d been too focused on my phone and the text I’d already read at least a dozen times.
Remy: I’m on my way with some Thai food. Hope you’re hungry!
It was so stupid. Just my roommate offering to bring me lunch. So, why were the butterflies flapping wildly inside me?
It might have been because he’d brought me lunch every day this week. I’d tried to dissuade him. Told him over and over that I could figure out
lunch for myself, but he’d showed up, anyway. He claimed that if he didn’t leave the office to come have lunch with me that he’d wind up getting buried under paperwork and just skip it all together. He didn’t explicitly know about my problem with people going hungry, but he sure struck a nerve with that one.
Or maybe it was because, in addition to bringing me lunches, he’d also been showing up to have dinner with me every night. When I’d told him at the beginning of the week that I wouldn’t be home until late every night because I was preparing for the show this weekend, he’d decided to stop by with dinner. After the first couple of times he did that, I’d gotten in the habit of just ordering something for the both of us, so he didn’t keep buying me both lunch and dinner.
I tried to act aloof and uninterested in his company, but if I was being honest with myself, lunch and dinner with Remy were often the highlights of my day. But I wasn’t in the business of being honest with myself these days, so I pushed that thought away. Far, far away.
“Belle?”
I glanced up at Nick again. Somehow, I’d completely forgotten about the sweaty two-hundred-pound man in my doorway. Thoughts of Remy had a way of blocking out everything else I had going on. A luxury I couldn’t afford today. Not with the show opening tonight.
I stood and pasted on my professional smile. “I’ll come out and take a look.”
Nick grinned and stepped aside for me to walk past him. It didn’t escape my notice that he could have given me a few extra inches of space though.
“So, what are your plans after the show tonight?”
I shot him a look over my shoulder and waited until I was facing forward again to roll my eyes. “Probably just crawling into my bed, Nick.”
He stepped up next to me closer than was necessary. “I could join you.”
I grimaced. “Not going to happen.”
He walked around until he was in front of me, walking backward so I had to face him. “What about a drink then? We could stop by somewhere local for a quick one.”
I kept up a steady pace and did my best to keep the disgust off my face. “I’ve told you. I don’t date people I work with.”
He sighed dramatically. “And I’ve told you we don’t work together so you wouldn’t be breaking any of your rules.”
I almost snorted at that. I broke more and more of those rules every day but that wouldn’t be for Nick. Not in a million years.
“The answer is still no.”
He grabbed my arm and brought me to a stop. I glared at his hand on me, but he kept his hold tight. “Okay, then what about dinner next weekend when you’re not so busy.”
“Again, no.”
He tightened his fingers, and I was seconds away from slapping him. The only thing that kept my itchy palm away from his whiskered cheek was I was at work and striving for professionalism. However, Nick was toeing the line, and I was about to knock him back to his side of it.
“You can’t keep turning me down forever, Belle. Eventually you’re gonna have to agree to let me take you out. It’s only a matter of time.”
I opened my mouth to respond when someone cleared their throat behind us.
“Am I interrupting?”
I spun around, dislodging my arm from Nick’s grimy hold. Remy was standing there, his eyes narrowed at the man behind me.
I smoothed my skirt nervously. Why I had any reason to feel nervous I wasn’t sure, but I was. I didn’t like that Remy caught me in this position and I refused to explore the reason for that.
“No, you weren’t interrupting anything. Nick was just showing me the work he’d done out here.”
Remy’s eyes darted from me to Nick and back again. Finally, he nodded at the man behind me. “This Nick?”
I nodded and opened my mouth to speak when I was cut off again.
“And who are you? The gallery’s closed until tonight.”
I squeezed my eyes together at Nick’s belligerent tone. Spinning around, I pinned him with a glare, but his gaze was still set on Remy. “He’s a friend and none of your business. If you’re done here, you can go.”
He glanced down at me. “I thought you wanted to go over what I did.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. If something needs moving, I’ll do it myself. Thanks for your help today.”
He narrowed his eyes at Remy again before nodding. “Fine. I’ll see you at the opening later.”
I barely suppressed a groan. I’d completely forgotten that Nick mentioned he’d be here for the show. It seemed like I’d been forgetting a lot of things lately and I was pretty sure the blame for that lay squarely on the shoulders of the man behind me.
When I turned toward Remy again, his eyes were still pinned on Nick’s retreating form. I cleared my throat, and he looked down at me. “Friend of yours?” His tone was conversational, but the tense set of his jaw betrayed him.
“Not even a little. His company delivers art for us and sometimes we hire them to move things around for a show.”
“I’m not sure he has that memo.”
I blew out a deep breath. “Yeah, no kidding. Don’t worry, I can handle him.”
Remy’s eyes narrowed. “It looked like he was handling you when I walked in here.”
I straightened my spine. “I had it under control.”
He shrugged, but his eyes were still serious as they looked at me. “I hope you’re right.”
I turned toward my office, hoping he’d follow and simultaneously drop this topic of conversation. “How’d you get in anyway?”
Since we had a big show later, we’d closed the gallery for normal business hours. I’d expected Remy to text me when he got here.
“I saw your employee outside, so I walked in with her.”
I stumbled a little in my four-inch heels but caught myself in time. “Sonia?”
“I guess. She didn’t give me her name.”
It had to be her. Ugh. I’d been trying my hardest to keep the two of them apart this whole week. Every time she saw him, she licked her lips like he was a friggen banana split sundae and she’d been on the keto diet for a year. She’d even made a comment to me after he’d left yesterday afternoon.
“Was that your friend Remy who was in here?” she’d asked.
I looked up to see her leaning against my office doorway. I focused back on my computer screen and said only, “Yes.”
But that wasn’t enough of a deterrent for her.
“And he’s just a friend, right?”
I shot her another glance, my blood simmering in my veins. “Yup.”
“Mmm. Too bad he’s gay, huh?”
I coughed then and had to reach for my water bottle to get myself under control again. “That’s right. As gay as they come.”
She’d tsked. “That’s too bad for me.”
My teeth ground together firmly as I tried to think of a way to get her off the topic. Finally, I remembered I was her boss, and I got to tell her what to do. “Sonia, could you go check the stock room and make sure we have all the pieces out for tomorrow night’s show?”
She’d frowned. “I thought we already did that.”
I’d smiled, but it was probably more predatory than friendly. “I’d just like you to double check for me. Then you can go through the guest list and familiarize yourself with the VIPs.”
Thankfully, she’d shrugged and left my office after that. If I’d had to hear her keep panting over Remy, I might have punched her in the throat.
And no, I wasn’t thinking too hard about my reasoning for that. I was just letting it be like so many other things in my life lately.
We made it to my office and Remy took his seat as usual before he started setting out all the food he’d brought. I sat in my chair and watched him, doing my best to not notice the way his arms flexed in his Oxford.
I cleared my throat. “This is new. I didn’t know you ate Thai.”
“Thought we’d try something different. There are only so many meat lovers’ pizzas you can eat.”
“Disagree.”
He chuckled. “I thought you would.”
I peered at the cartons he’d set out on my desk but couldn’t identify them. “What’d you bring for me?”
He looked up and smiled, the sight making my heart beat a little faster. “Well, I know how much you like seafood, so I got you shrimp pad Thai.”
My smile turned brittle as I accepted the carton from him. I actually hated anything that came from the sea. Didn’t matter what it was, it all tasted awful to me.
“Thanks,” I said weakly. I figured I’d just pick the shrimp out or eat around them if I had to.
When I opened the container though, instead of noodles and shrimp, I found chicken, peppers, onions, and cashews. I looked up at him, confused, and found a smirk on his face.
“You really thought I got you shrimp? You hate seafood.”
I pursed my lips and glanced at my food again. “I know I hate seafood, I didn’t know you knew I hated seafood.”
He shook his head and shoved a pile of noodles in his mouth. “Of course I know you hate seafood. How could I forget the things-from-the-sea-are-disgusting rant?”
I looked down at my food again, feeling my cheeks heat. “When did I say all that?”
He took a sip of water and set it back down before answering. “Remember that dinner Bailey cooked for us a couple years ago? She made lobster for everyone else and steak for you. I was stupid enough to ask why and I got your seafood speech.”
I bit my lip and glanced up at him. “I can’t believe you remembered. That was a long time ago.”
He shrugged and took another bite of food. “I make sure to remember the important stuff.”
His words rattled around my head for the rest of our lunch together. He didn’t seem to notice, thankfully, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Why had that been important to him? It was so long ago. Way before we even hooked up. Why would a rant about seafood have been so significant he’d remembered it all this time later?
Despite the questions swirling around my head, the rest of lunch went smoothly. Sonia stayed away and Remy and I spent the time bickering and laughing like usual. It wasn’t until we were cleaning up that things got serious again.
Beyond Beautiful (Love in Providence Book 2) Page 19
