Page 26 of Loving the CEO

"I don't want to keep you from training." It was on the tip of my tongue to add,How else will you keep that hot body?

“Don't worry, this is the only time I’ll make an exception. Besides, I’m excited to take you out and spend some time with you.”

I laughed nervously. Now that I knew how he looked without a T-shirt, I kept wanting to check if his muscles were real. I hadn't ever paid attention before, but copping a feel just to make sure was definitely in my near future.

As carefully as possible, I glanced down his body. Yup, I could make out the contour of his muscles. My breath caught, and I licked my lips. Then I realized what he’d said and bit the inside of my cheek.

“Listen, Leo, I don't want to be in your hair for long, okay?”

“Tory.” He said my name like a warning.

“No, let me finish. I know your invitation is open-ended.”

“Yes, it is.”

“My plan is to stay here until I decide where I’m going to go. You know, if I’m going back to New Orleans or staying in Boston, or moving somewhere else entirely. Then I’ll look for a place to live. In case I decide to stay in Boston, I’d love your help finding something.”

"Sounds good," Leo said. “You know you can count on me.”

He was okay with me finding my own place? I was suspicious now. “You're not going to give me any pushback?”

“No, because after you live here for a while, trust me, no other place in Boston will make the cut.”

I started to laugh but didn’t reply. We both knew that if I ended up permanently moving to Boston, I’d need my own place. I couldn’t live at Leo’s; I’d cramp his style.

With that thought, my mind started to wander. Thank God Leo cut in.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes. What are we doing?”

“You still like food malls?”

“Hell yes. They're my favorite. Although, the last time we were at one, we got food poisoning, remember?”

He grimaced. “Ugh, I’m still traumatized. Thought I was gonna die. Felt so bad, I couldn’t even text to ask how you were feeling. But don’t worry. Gone are the days of eating at the cheapest places. I’m taking you to one of the best in Boston.”

"What's it called?" I asked.

“Why? Do you want to google it on the way there?” He grinned.

“How come you remember everything about me? It's so freaky.”

"How could I not? Wait, you mean you don't remember things about me?" he asked.

“I do,” I admitted. “But I thought men weren’t that detail oriented.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say it was Walter’s favorite excuse, but I didn’t.

“I've registered a lot of details about you, Tory, and they're all stored right here.” He tapped his temple.

I took in a deep breath and then realized that I'd gotten extremely close to him. I could smell him. His fragrance was fresh and woodsy, and I absolutely didn't need to know that detail. I already knew far too many—like how defined his six-pack was.

"After you," he said, pointing to the front door.

"Oh, I need a coat."

“I'll wait here.”

I darted up the steps, taking a short jacket out of my bag. Then I went into the bathroom, checking my appearance in the mirror. I didn’t look all that great. My eyes were sunken because I'd cried myself to sleep last night. I was also extremely pale.

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