Page 41 of A Smooth Operator

"Yes." I had a standing meeting every Monday.

"Can you take it from home?"

"No. I have to go in."

We rocked for a little while longer.

"Echo, can I stay the night?" he asked.

"Yes."

We had sex again. There was a quiet desperation in the way he took me like I was precious to him.

"You're so beautiful, you know that, Echo?" He held me close afterward when we were both catching our breath.

"I'm so glad you think so."

"I do, darlin'. The most beautiful woman in the world," he slurred, half asleep.

My heart stuttered.

He woke me up an hour before my alarm went off to slide into me. He was nearly asleep, I noticed, and it was so touching the way he wanted me.

I let him sleep afterward and went into the shower, aware that I'd have to go to the pharmacy to get a Plan B because Remi, for the first time since we'd gotten together, hadn't used a condom.

I tried not to think about what it could mean. I didn't want to get my hopes up. But he was planning weekends away. He was staying the night. He was inside me without a condom. I knew he was not sleeping with anyone else; he'd told me so. This was starting to feel a lot like a relationship.

I kissed his lips lightly after I got ready for my morning meeting.

I left spare house keys with a note on the kitchen island.

Lock up when you leave. There's juice in the fridge. You know where the coffee is. There are bread rolls from last night for breakfast. E

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this happy.

Chapter 16

Remi

Ihad Echo's house key on my keychain. It felt damn heavy.

I'd thought about dropping it off in her mailbox but then decided against it. I liked having a key to her place. All week, I'd been tempted to use it, and all week, I'd had to stop myself. That key had made me stay away from her Monday night when I usually went to see her for dinner. I didn't even leave a note or text her saying I wouldn't come over. I didn't show up. She didn't text or call to check up on me. She knew the score.

She and I had made no commitments. So, that was that. Did I feel like a jackass for standing her up? Yeah, I did, but I didn't want her to get any ideas. What the fuck was she thinking giving me her house key?

It felt like a commitment. I regretted not leaving the key at her place. But I hadn’t been able to. It was a gift and felt precious. I was so fucking conflicted, it wasn't even funny. Somewhere down the line, my fuck buddy had become more than about the fuck or the buddy.

I'd even wanted to text her to ask her if she was free Friday night. I could take the evening off and spend it with her, which is what I'd prefer to do rather than sit here in the VIP area of my club with Tommy, Marina, Lani, and the crew.

"I saw Echo at Dr. Bean's today," David mentioned. "I thought she'd be here."

"Oh, please tell me you didn't tell Miss Poopy Pants about tonight?" Lani lamented. "She's such a leech."

"Speaking of Miss Poopy Pants, you won't believe what I saw," Marina squealed.

"I wish you'd stop calling her that," I ground out. "You're not in high school anymore, Mar."

"Whatever."

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