Page 47 of Waiting for Tuesday

I found my top in the middle of the room and pulled it over my head. In the heat of the moment, I never once thought about how awkward this moment would be. The immediate after-sex awkwardness we were in now. I pulled the rest of my clothes over my body, picked up the stack of invoices from the ground, and began piling them neatly on the desk.

He’d been honest with me from the beginning, so why was I so nervous?

The office door creaked open a moment later, and I knew it was him, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Thank you? That was great? Nothing sounded right, so I decided not to say anything at all.

He came to stand behind me then brushed my hair from my shoulders and kissed my neck. “You okay?”

I nodded, his touch taking my breath again, giving me back a bit of the confidence I’d had only a moment before. “You?” I turned around to face him.

His brow creased, and he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I’m fine. Better than fine.” His eyes shifted to the desk and his lips lifted at the corner. “I was thinking, maybe we should keep this between us. Not tell the guys about what’s going on.”

My stomach twisted a little, even though it made perfect sense. They were his employees and didn’t need to know about ourwhatever this wasrelationship. No one needed to know.But his request still stung.

I cleared my throat and forced a smile I didn’t feel like giving. “Yeah, that sounds fine.”

His brows furrowed. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He gripped the back of his neck and shook his head.

I turned to straighten the papers again and swallowed. “No, it’s a good idea. No one should know. It makes total sense.” I picked my bag up off the floor.

“I just thought it would be easier if they didn’t know. That’s all.” He looked over his shoulder, clearly as uncomfortable as I was. “Do you need anything else before we go?”

I cleared my throat again, not sure how we’d gone from wild sex in the middle of my office to this awkward exchange. “Oh no. That was it.” I chewed my inner cheek and looked down to his injured hand. “How does it feel?”

He made a fist then clenched and unclenched a few times before answering. “Fine.” His eyes met mine again. “Thanks.”

A minute later, we both stood outside Simply Tuesday’s and I locked the front door. I twisted the keys around my fingers then turned to face him.

His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and he was frowning again. “I had a good time tonight, Tuesday.”

I nodded and hitched my bag higher on my shoulder. “Me too.” I licked my lips, and looked toward my truck. He made me feel like I was in eighth grade and he was the boy I had a crush on. Not the grown up woman who should know that this was a bad idea...

He stepped toward me, making my heart jump to my throat. He lifted one hand and ran it along my cheek. “I’m not leaving until your truck starts. That’s the most I can offer you and still sleep at night.”

His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, urging me forward until our lips touched. It was a simple kiss. One with no pressure, no expectations; just soft lips that I had to close my eyes to feel better.

He let me go again, and I stepped away, my feet moving on muscle memory alone until I opened the driver’s side of my cab.

My truck started on the first try, and I waved to him out the window as I pulled out of the parking lot, silently kicking myself the whole way home for not asking him to follow me.

Chapter NINETEEN

Tuesday

* * *

Iarrivedat the shop extra early the next day. Not because of work, nor because I needed to get things done, but because I hardly slept a minute and couldn’t stand my own thoughts any longer.

The only thing that distracted me, that ever calmed me, was work. It was something I could do without thinking, something I could get lost in, and I needed that today.

I don’t know what I was thinking last night. That I could have sex with a man after a night like that andnotfall in love a little bit? It was the best date I’d had in a long time—possibly ever. No, I was one hundred percent positive it was the best date I’d ever had in my life… The best sex I ever had in my life, and now I was supposed to go back to work and pretend nothing happened.

The crew’s trucks were lined up in the parking lot like they always were, and like always, John’s was the first. In the exact spot where we’d had our impromptu picnic last night.

I pulled in a breath, took the box of donuts from the front seat, and hopped down from my cab. I had to get through today. The next would be easier. And the next easier after that.

When I opened the door, John was standing at the register, his tool belt low on his hips as he examined one of my shelves. My heart leapt to my throat at the sight of him. I knew he shouldn’t affect me so much, but he held a bottle of lotion in his hands, playing with it between his large fingers. “I was just looking at all your products.”

He wasn’t smiling now, and I wondered how long he’d been there, checking out my products and invading my space. I bit my lip, placed the box of donuts on the counter, and ran my hand through my hair. I wasn’t sure what bothered me about him looking through my things. It was something I invited thousands of strangers to do on a daily basis, but somehow with John, I didn’t like it. It made me feel exposed, as if he was seeing a part of me I wasn’t ready to show him. Because he already took a piece of me last night, and I wasn’t sure I could part with anything else just yet.

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