Page 49 of Love In The Spotlight

She was in leggings and a cotton shirt. He’d never seen her this casual before and wasn’t sure what to make of it though he had to admit he liked she felt she could let her guard down around him.

He walked over to stand in front of her fireplace that was on. Her condo was fairly big. He’d passed what he assumed was a half bath on his way down a hall to an open area. There were three barstools at an island, a small table just past it and then he could see into the living room and a gorgeous view of high-rises beyond that and a balcony.

There were doors off of each side of the living room that he was guessing were bedrooms.

“This is a nice space,” he said.

“Small,” she said. “At least by your standards and what you live in.”

He laughed. “As you know, I didn’t come from much. I wasn’t out to get the best in the neighborhood or the biggest.”

“There were a lot of bigger houses on the way there,” she admitted.

“I bought the cheapest house in terms of value in that neighborhood. It needed to be all but gutted when I got it. I did some of the work myself and hired others.”

“You worked on your own house?” she asked. “Do you want a drink or not? I’ve got champagne for later, but if you want a beer, I’ve got that too.”

“I’ll just take water for now,” he said. “And yes, I did some work. I’m handy and it gave me something to do. Mainly demo. That was fun.”

She moved to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles and handed one over.

“No problem parking?” she asked.

“No. I found the visitor spots and managed to secure one,” he said.

He knew she paid for a parking spot in the building but hardly ever drove her car, rather getting shuttled around by West’s drivers or taking taxis. She wasn’t close enough to her office to walk. At least he didn’t think she would in the heels she wore. It was probably a mile away.

“Good,” she said. “I’m glad you didn’t have New Year’s Eve plans and could come here. Tonight would be crazy on the town.”

“It wasn’t fun getting through traffic,” he said. It’d taken him twice as long as he’d thought it would and he’d factored in the travel time. “Did you work today?”

“Of course,” she said. “But I only went in for a few hours this morning and then came home and finished up here. Like you, I knew there’d be a lot of traffic. I’ve got some snacks if you’re hungry.”

He put his water down and moved closer to her. “Why do you seem nervous for some reason?”

Jamie wasn’t sure what was going through her head. He felt they both had a good time at lunch yesterday and had to admit he was surprised she suggested he come to her house for dinner tonight but also understood that going out in public was going to draw eyes to them.

Even when he left yesterday, he was stopped a few times for pictures and autographs. He was used to it and most times would stay and make sure everyone got what they wanted.

But once Penelope was born, if he had to get home to his daughter, he’d cut things short.

“I haven’t had someone in my place in a long time.”

“Define a long time,” he said, grinning, then yanking her into his arms. He had to get his mouth on her and make sure the heat was still where he’d thought it was.

“Oh, I don’t keep track,” she said.

His mouth was hovering over hers, his lips gently touching and pulling back. “A month. A year. More than a year?” he asked.

“More than a year,” she said. “Much longer than you.”

He laughed and kissed her again, deeper this time, their tongues dueling and her body pressing against his.

When he leaned back, he smiled. “You’re the first woman in my house other than Janelle.”

Her head went back and forth. “I forgot. You don’t want anyone to know about Penelope.”

Which was true and it was odd that he offered for Laken to come to his house in the first place even if it was work related.

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