Page 23 of Loving the CEO

"Sure. I mention you here and there.” If she knew how much shit my brothers gave me about Tory being “the one who got away,” she wouldn't have been so blasé about it.

“Want to head upstairs?” I suggested.

“Yes.”

She went ahead of me up the wide staircase while I fought all of my instincts not to look at her ass. Even though she couldn't see me, I simply didn't want to disrespect her like that. I was already liable to give myself away when I was this close to her anyway.

Once we were upstairs, I pointed to the right. “That’s my bedroom. The gym is next to it. Those two on the right are the guest bedrooms. They each have en suite bathrooms, so whichever you choose is fine."

"Doesn't Nick have a fitness franchise?"

"Yes, he does, but I prefer to work out at home. "

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You've got a skylight. I haven't seen one in a long time."

"They don't really build them very often anymore for practical reasons, but I like them. Want to check out the bedrooms?”

She poked her head into both of them. "They’re the same size. I’ll stay in this one.” She walked inside the second bedroom, then turned around to face me. "Leo, I've said it already, but thanks. You kind of saved me from myself. Otherwise, I would have been in shambles. But now I have something new to look forward to. And no one except you could have convinced me."

I smirked. "Like your mom said, I’m still a bad influence."

"Forget about Mom.” She waved her hand, shaking her head. Her perfume was intoxicating.

I glanced down, intending to get my shit together, but somehow caught a glimpse of her cleavage.Fuck my life.

“I want to freshen up. Are there towels in the bathroom?" she asked.

"No, good call. I'll get some from mine. There are bedsheets, but the room isn't otherwise equipped for guests because I never have any.”

Good God, I’m rambling.

I took a deep breath to get myself under control. "Okay, I'll get those, and then I'm going to do a workout on the treadmill." It was the only thing that would help me take the edge off. Being around Tory was going to test my resolve for sure.

After bringing her the towels and her bag, I headed straight to the workout room. I kept all of my gym clothes there and immediatelychanged into shorts, not bothering with a shirt. I rarely wore one when I worked out.

I loved my treadmill, as it was how I decompressed. I spent most days running around the city, sitting in meetings, or talking to clients. I was a very hands-on person, even though I didn't need to be, and still liked to find and scope out new properties.

I didn't show them to clients that often, as I had a sales team for that, but the process of finding the next big project excited me. Sometimes I even flipped houses, and I often did a lot of the work myself.

It dawned on me as I increased my pace that I’d never actually lived with a woman. In fact, my last experience living with anyone had been in college when I’d had two roommates. How hard could it be, though? The house was big, so I was sure that Tory and I could cohabitate without too many issues.

An image flashed in my mind of her preparing to go to bed.

What would she wear? A nightgown? Shorts? Nothing at all?

She was butt naked in my imagination. I’d seen Tory in bathing suits often enough that I could picture how she would look without one. I was already getting semihard at the thought.

Fucking hell.

I didn't like having to admit to my mistakes, but even I couldn't stop wondering if inviting her to live with me had been a smart thing to do.

Chapter Six

Tory

After stepping out of the shower, I smiled, looking around the room. I wanted to pinch myself. Leo’s house was absolutely amazing. I was glad that he’d asked me to come stay with him. But even though I wasn't in New Orleans anymore, I couldn't hide my head in the sand. I needed to figure out my life and how to move forward.

I'd checked in with Debbie this morning and told her why I was leaving. She'd replied right away, telling me that she was taking care of everything. It was dinnertime, and by now, everyone would know. I felt bad not notifying my hairstylist, makeup artist, and photographer to cancel those appointments directly, but I just couldn’t have those conversations in the heat of the moment.

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