Page 94 of Loving the CEO

"Of course."

"Leo! Oh my God, you didn't have to. I mean, I started working on it this morning, and I was going to finish it eventually."

"Why didn't you tell me you needed help around here today? I would have bailed on tennis with my brothers."

"Don't be silly. Why waste your time doing stuff for me?"

"Tory," I said, realizing she didn't understand how seriously I meant this. I gently cupped her face with one hand. "Whenever you need something, just let me know. I mean it. You didn't have to do all this stuff. How did you even lug the wood here?"

"Oh, that wasn't that difficult. I ordered it online." She cast her gaze away.

"What are you not telling me?"

"The delivery guy actually dropped them off in front of the building because the elevator wasn't working and, in his words, 'They don't pay me enough to break my back,' which, I guess, is fair."

"Tell me you didn't carry this by yourself."

She put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I’m in very good shape. And I carried them two at a time, so it wasn't very difficult."

"Babe, promise me you won't pull that shit again. You need something, you call me. It doesn't matter what it is. I'll drop what I'm doing and come here to help you.”

"Why?" she asked as if she couldn't imagine this at all.

"Because you're mine," I said slowly.

Her eyes widened.

"That comes as a surprise to you?" I asked in a tight tone.

"I just... oh, Leo, I didn't... I'm not even sure what this... nevermind," she said.

I knew what she was thinking, but I didn't want to explain it to her in words. After tonight, maybe things would be a bit clearer for her, just as they were for me.

"Are you ready to leave?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, sir, I am."

My cock twitched. Fuck, it did that every time she playfully called me sir.

"So, where are we going?"

I figured I could tell her now. The thing about surprises was that it didn't allow you to feel the joy before the event. But in my opinion, if you dropped all the details just before, it still allowed for pre-joy. "We're watching a meteor shower."

She gasped, covering her mouth. "Wait, how do you even know about that?"

"You told me in college that you love meteor showers."

She smiled sheepishly. "Trust me, moving back to New Orleans only fueled my passion for all things that even have a hint of the supernatural. Well, meteor showers don’t, but they're cool anyway. Where are we watching?"

"We're going to the Boston Common Public Garden," I informed her.

"Awesome. I haven't been there in a while. This is going to be so much fun," she exclaimed, overflowing with joy.

Fuck yes.That was what this was all about.

From the moment we left her apartment, she talked my ear off about the meteor shower, how often it happened, what the Incas thought it meant, what Egyptians thought it meant, and the Romans’ take on the astrological event. I had to give it to her—it was pretty fascinating. I wasn't going to start tracking moon phases anytime soon, but anything that made her happy was doubly important in my book.

The public garden was a popular spot for lunch but not for dinner, which was perfect. It meant that Tory and I would have some privacy for our picnic. The June evening was warm but not humid. It was just the way you wanted it for stargazing.

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