Page 5 of My Dear Mr. Corporate

“Yeah, let’s go.” He nodded an acknowledgement to Gio but didn’t say anything else to my friend.

“Have a good night and come back again,” Gio said his farewell.

I rested a hand to Bryan’s lower back to guide him around an empty table in the restaurant. His spine stiffened beneath my touch. I really needed to find out what was going on in that head of his and fast.

We didn’t speak on the way home. Bryan brooded in silence beside me, his head turned to the window. I swore he was in the same position for the entire ride. Relieved when I drove up the driveway to the house, I parked in the garage but didn’t immediately release the safety lock on my side of the door. Instead, I switched on the ceiling light in the car and turned to Bryan. He still refused to look at me.

“Will you talk to me?” I pleaded with him. The words sounded strange coming from my mouth but that was how desperate I was to fix what was wrong between us. “Please.”

He sighed and relaxed against the car seat but still did not look at me. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“Bryan.”

“No, don’t say anything. I don’t think you can make it better. It’s something I have to work out on my own.”

“Because of Keith?” I asked. “I fucking swear I’ll go back and gut the bastard.”

He turned then to give me a small smile. At least that was a start. Now only if I could get those pretty blues of his eyes to light up again.

“Just partly,” he answered. “Maybe I’ll feel better after I have a job again. Then I wouldn’t feel like such a burden.”

“Hey.” I couldn’t resist pulling him into my arms then. “You are not a burden. For fuck’s sake Bryan, I don’t know what to do with you when you’re like this. You’re turning into grumpy Tate and I can’t handle grumpy Tate. Only you know how to handle him.”

His shoulders shook with his silent laughter which then erupted in a little giggle. Maybe all was not lost then. Now if I only I could get him to stop thinking about that godawful ex of his.

“Maybe you rubbed off on me,” Bryan said.

I pulled back a little, so I could see his face and then I couldn’t resist leaning forward to kiss him. I kept it light because I didn’t want him to think I was trying to change his mind about the sex. Yes, I wanted him to change his mind but on his own. I didn’t wish to coerce him into it.

“You’re supposed to rub off on me. You’re supposed to be the sunshine in my cloudy day,” I told him. Aware of how silly I would sound, I launched into my modified version of the song, “You’re my sunshine, on a cloudy day.”

That had him cracking up and I felt better about making an ass out of myself. I was willing to do it again to make him happy. If he only knew the extent of what I felt for him, maybe he would be more at ease being with me, but I was never good at expressing my feelings to anyone. That side of me had only come easy with my daughter.

“Alright,” Bryan chuckled. “You win. Just don’t do any more covers, please.”

“Good. Does that mean I get you in my bed tonight?” Damn. I hadn’t meant to ask.

“Hmm.” He gave me a swift kiss and pulled away from me. “I sleep in your bed tonight only, but the no-sex rule still holds.”

I stifled my groan and tried to look like that was enough. In less than twenty-four hours I had him from the guestroom and in my bed. I’d take it even without the sex. Come tomorrow who knew which way the wind would blow his mind? Hopefully wherever it blew it would take the no-sex policy with it too.

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