Page 88 of Something Forever

I laugh, throwing my head back.

“Why are you laughing? I’m serious!”

At that, I just laugh even harder, my shoulders shaking. Eventually, Whitney starts laughing too, until we’re both just cracking up in the kitchen.

“I’ll take you out to the pub in Surrey, then we’ll see how well you can handle your drinks.”

“You’re on. That reminds me, we need to buy our tickets today.”

I slide her plate over and sit next to her, digging into my own food. “You sure you want to come?”

She throws a death glare in my direction. “I said I would.”

“Just making sure,” I grunt in response, stuck on the fact that in a few weeks Whitney will be coming home with me. “What are you up to today?”

“Meeting with an interior designer for the salon. Construction has started, so I need to go check on how everything is going. What about you?”

“Not much. Probably go to the gym.”

She nods, and silence settles between us as we eat. Once I finish, I leave my plate in the sink and glance in her direction. I find her watching me, a look in her eyes that is starting to feel quite familiar, one mirrored now in my own expression: desire.

“When do you have to leave for your meeting?” I ask, my gruff voice betraying the heat coursing through me.

She bites her lip with a small smirk. “Not for an hour, at least.” She licks her lips, an invitation.

Crossing the room, I slam my lips against hers and lift her off the stool. I carry her back to the bedroom, depositing her onto her bed and crawling on top of her.

“Let’s be quick,” she manages through our kisses. “I don’t want to be late.”

I grunt in agreement, but underneath it, that feeling in my chest seems to swell and grow. The one that seems to lodge itself there when Whitney is around. When I feel her body wrapped around mine. When she looks at me like she wants me.

The bottom line is that when it comes to me and Whitney, there isn’t enough time in the world. That thought alone should scare me. I should be running for the hills. Shutting it down. But I can’t.

I need this.

I need her.

But with an expiration date on this… how long will I have her for?

32

WHITNEY

By the time Liam and I finish round three, it’s time for me to meet my interior designer, Monique. She meets me at the building, where the construction crew is busy at work. After exploring the space, we spend about an hour on Pinterest, Monique showing me some pieces that she likes. She doesn’t stay for much longer; she has another meeting in Brooklyn, but she agrees to purchase the pieces we discussed. I check in with the foreman that everything is set with the construction calendar, and I’m about to head back home when I hear a knocking on the front window. I glance towards the sound to find Shatar waving wildly at me. I didn’t expect to see her today. She gestures for me to come outside, so I wrap up my conversation and grab my coat.

When I get outside, Shatar throws her arms around me.

“What are you doing here?”

She pulls back and smiles. “Thought I’d come check out the space, and let you know… I’m in.”

My jaw drops. “What? Are you serious?”

She nods, grinning. “I just let my boss know I’d be wrapping up in the next couple of months and moving on. He was kind of pissed because he knows I’ll be taking, like, all of my clients with me, but whatever.”

I let out a squeal of excitement. “Oh my God! What swayed you?”

“Time for a change, you know?”

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