Page 11 of Ask Me Something

Chapter Three

Ihung up the phone stunned. Brian hadn’t left much room to argue. He was coming over. The thought of this being a potentially bad idea, given our working relationship, was replaced with overwhelming relief that he was on his way to see me instead of spending the night with Jamie. I quickly called down to the doorman.

Less than five minutes later, he was knocking on my door.

I opened it feeling my heart rate spike with the sight of him. “Hi,” I breathed.

“Hi, yourself. Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I moved out of the way, not realizing I’d been standing there like a deer in headlights.

His eyes roamed over me from head to toe.

I was suddenly self-conscious in my cashmere tank set. “I didn’t have a lot of time to change.” I turned around and quickly fetched a silk robe from my room.

After I walked back out, tightening the belt, his head shook slowly with a smile tugging at his lips. “Your robe is almost as short,” he pointed out huskily.

“If you wanted a long fuzzy robe and bunny slippers, you have the wrong girl.” I crossed my arms, feeling defensive.

He quickly closed the gap between us. “I’d never picture you with the words fuzzy or bunny.” He was standing so close that I could practically feel the chill of the outdoors rolling off his coat.

“So what happened with Jamie?” I sucked in a breath when his hand cupped my chin and he put his thumb on my bottom lip.

“Why don’t we run through the scenarios, and you give me your honest reaction to them?” His eyes held an intensity that had my legs trembling. The pad of his thumb rubbed seductively over my lip before sliding to the side of my face.

“That’s an advertising strategy, not one to use in this situation,” I murmured.

He shook his head. “Oh, I think we both need to understand your motivation before we can gauge what will or won’t happen next, Sash.”

Heat flashed through me. He’d abbreviated name like in Miami. “Go on,” I whispered.

“First scenario is that I went back to Jamie’s place but afterward came here to ensure you’re okay with us as we’ve always been.”

His voice was hypnotic, and I was completely under the trance until his actual words sunk in. My temper flared. “Maybe you should let go of me if that’s the case.” I didn’t want to picture that scene in the slightest.

He shook his head. “It isn’t, and you know it.” He moved his other hand up and positioned it at the nape of my neck. He was seducing me one touch at a time. “The second scenario is that I came here to you instead of going home with her.”

His fingers started massaging the tender muscles in my neck, and I had to bite back the small moan threatening to escape. “I think I like that one better than the first.”

He smiled, searching my eyes. “The most important question I have for you though is whether you’re interested because you’re being competitive with Jamie or whether it’s because it’s me that you truly want.”

I tried to move back, offended that he would suggest that idea, but he wasn’t having it. He tightened his grip and brought his hands on either side of my face, meanwhile stepping into me with the fabric of his slacks brushing against my bare legs.

“No you don’t. It’s a fair question.”

Hesitating, I thought a moment. “The feeling hit me when I saw the text, not when I met her. I didn’t like the idea of you with anyone. Her showing up only rubbed salt in the wound. If it had been about the competition, then I would have challenged her instead of leaving.”

I knew that he appreciated my admission when his eyes softened. “I didn’t invite her, but I did make the mistake of telling her where I was.”

“But you had every intention of going there tonight after drinks?”

He let go of me, stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. “I won’t stand here and apologize for having plans. Did you think over the last few years I haven’t been with anyone else? Or that I would think you haven’t?”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m being honest about my reaction, but I haven’t figured it out any more than you have. All I know is that the thought of you leaving here to go to her makes me sick, but I don’t know what to do with that.” I was overthinking it, but with our history and the fact that we were in uncharted territory, I was paralyzed in place.

He stood there staring at me for the longest time. “What if I told you that I’d rather be here at this moment talking with you then doing anything with her? That I called you for dinner and met you out for drinks because you’ve always been the priority?”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Do you mean that? You two have a longer history than we do.” I hated that fact probably the most.

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