Page 54 of Love In The Spotlight

“I didn’t think you were ready for me to be there at night. Did you even tell Janelle where you were tonight?”

He sighed and got up and went to her bathroom.

Guess that was answer enough so she crawled out of bed and put her clothes back on.

When he came out, she tossed his jeans and underwear to him.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Nice catch. Guess you can do more than throw.”

He smirked at her and finished getting dressed so she went to the kitchen and started to get their food out to warm up and give her something to do.

When she felt his hands on her waist, she jumped. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be. I shouldn’t have asked that and am not sure why I did.”

“You did for the same reason that I had you to my house knowing there might be a slim chance you’d see my daughter. I’ve never even let anyone else on my property before.”

She turned to look at him. “What is going on with us?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I spent a lot of my life needing to control things and know what is going on. If it wasn’t working the way I wanted, I worked harder to get there. But this thing with you, I feel almost as helpless as I did when I found out about Penelope.”

“Maybe if you told me how she came about I’d understand more,” she said. “I shared some things with you that I never have before.”

She’d never told anyone that she had no friends growing up. That she wasn’t around enough for it to happen.

She wondered if that was why it was so hard for her to have a relationship with a man, because she didn’t think she’d had one with a woman that wasn’t family.

Abby was the closest, and even that, they were practically family now.

“I don’t even know where to start,” he said. “I want things to grow with us if they can and if I tell you about Penelope’s mother you’re going to think differently of me.”

She lifted an eyebrow at him. “If it’s the truth of something in your life, don’t you think it’s better to know now rather than later and it’s a surprise?”

He picked his water up and took a long swig of it, almost draining it before he put it back down.

“Good point,” he said.

“Meaning you’re going to tell me about her?”

“First, what do you want between us? Where do you want this to go? We’ve had a few dates and sex.”

“I think we both agree what we feel with each other is different than anyone else. I’m a pro at separating work and my private life, so no problems there. You’re not going to be working with me after the startup is done.”

“But you don’t want your brothers to know. Don’t you think that is something that should be considered if I tell you about Penelope’s mother?”

He wasn’t wrong. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell my brothers next week. I promise. The news of West’s engagement is coming out tomorrow. I don’t want to do it then. It’s not the right time. But I promise I’ll tell them next. I’ve got a meeting scheduled with them both and can do it then.”

He laughed. “You’re going to tell them at work?”

“You’d be surprised how much personal stuff we talk about when we are working since we spend enough time there.”

“When the food is done, we can get comfortable and talk while we eat,” he said. “I promise. But I need to gather my thoughts in my head.”

She leaned up and gave him a kiss. “Then when we are done, we can strip down to our skivvies and get back in front of the fire with that champagne. Maybe stay the night if you want?”

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