Page 117 of Strictly the Worst

“Zoe will be home tomorrow afternoon,” I remind him.

He turns around and gives me the perfect view of his peachy ass as he walks into the bathroom, leaving the door open. A moment later the shower turns on, and I’m reminded of our time in Exuma. When I knew he was naked just a room away from me.

When I didn’t know how much I was going to fall for this man.

“Maybe I’ll skip brunch,” he shouts out over the noise of the shower.

“You can’t skip brunch. It’s your brother’s wedding.” I still can’t believe he’s here, standing beneath his shower like he hasn’t just traveled hundreds of miles in a helicopter to spend the night with me.

“Will Jared come in when he drops off Zoe?” Linc asks when he’s out of the shower. He has a white towel slung around his hips, and is using another to dry his face.

“He doesn’t usually. He’s always in too much of a hurry.”

Linc’s eyes catch mine. “I don’t want him upsetting you again.”

“Is that why you came back?” I ask him. “Because I was upset?”

He drops the towel he’s holding, then walks toward me, his gaze intent. “No. I came back because I’ve spent the day surrounded by the people that I love and I was miserable. I love weddings. I love parties. Or I used to. But it all felt… less… without you. Like somebody had turned the color down on life. And when my dad’s friend said he was leaving for New York all I could think about was the fact that you were here and I wasn’t. And I’d either leave with him or walk all the way home, because I want to spend the night curled around you.”

“Oh,” I say, my chest tight. “That’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” He pulls the towel around his waist off, then lifts the covers and climbs into bed beside me. He kisses me softly again, in a way that sends my heart racing. “And if you didn’t get the message, I’m serious about you. I know we have things to sort out, not least my fucking job, but I’m all in, Tessa, no matter what anybody says.”

“Do you mean Jared?” I ask, because I know he’s annoyed with him for what he said.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Because you should ignore him. I am.” I cup his face. He’s freshly shaven. I can smell the pine scent of his shower gel. “By the way, I really like you, too.”

He gives me the sweetest of smiles. “Good.” He pulls me against him, and I’m overwhelmed by this man. By the way my life has changed so much.

I’m really trying not to think about the complications. Jared and work and my mid-reno home. I just want to enjoy this feeling of being in his arms.

“Tell me about the wedding,” I say, as he runs his finger down my spine. He’s already hard.

“The bride wore white. The groom messed up his lines because he’s an imbecile. My aunt Gemma got drunk like she always does and now I need you to shut up because I’m going to fuck you.”

He says them against my lips. And I start to laugh again, as he reaches between us, his fingers oh-so-soft as they slide against me.

“Jesus, you’re already wet.”

“I just saw you in a tux. Then not in a tux,” I whisper against him.

He rolls on top of me, replacing his fingers with the part of him I need the most, his lips gentle against mine as he slowly slides inside.

And when we both come, he’s cupping my face with his gentle palms, his eyes never leaving mine.

“We’re going to make this work,” he says gruffly.

It’s three weeks later, and Linc’s face is on my screen. I’m in bed and he’s in a suit, looking dangerously attractive as he scowls at the camera. It’s early in the morning his time, and I can see pale shafts of sunlight shining through the window behind him. It’s after midnight here, and I’m so sleepy my eyes are drooping.

He’s been working incredibly hard at opening the European office. He’s also managed to fly home twice, even though I know he needs to rest. The first time was when Zoe was at Jared’s and we spent the whole weekend in his bed.

The second time she was home. We haven’t told her about us being together yet, and it touched my heart how casual he kept things. He helped us with more renovations and I felt bad that he was working on my place after such a busy week and flight, but he swore it was relaxing for him.

Angela insisted on taking Zoe to dinner and a show later that night – Godmother’s rights – so we could have a couple of hours alone.

“This time difference isn’t going to work,” Linc says, his brows knitting together. “How the hell are we supposed to have phone sex when either I’m at work or you are?”

---