Page 20 of The Man I Love

Her lips parted ever so slightly as she replied, “Only on random Fridays.”

His cheeks ached from smiling so hard. He crossed his ankles to keep himself from running to her. “Are you looking for anyone in particular?” he asked.

“A sexy beast. Do you know of anyone who fits that description?”

He looked up at the ceiling because she was so damn cute. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what a sexy beast looks like.” He shrugged.

She stepped closer, her feet dragging a little, and her lips curled in a mischievous grin. “He has blue eyes that will steal your soul.”

He nodded and crossed his arms at his chest.

“And a smile that can melt your panties off.”

He grinned. “Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“Well, that’s one hell of a superpower if you ask me.” He stepped closer, using all his self-restraint to go slow. “I think I might know someone like that,” he continued.

She bit her lip. “If you see him, can you tell him his girlfriend needs him to kiss her?”

He couldn’t take it any longer. He pushed off the doorway, stalked toward her, and lifted her off her feet. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said against her mouth, kissing her in a way that left her weak, and clinging to him for balance.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him so tight that he could feel the trembling in her arms. “I missed you too,” she whispered.

His lips covered hers, warming her with his own mouth.

“You’re freezing.” He pulled away a fraction. “How long have you been out in the rain? How did you even get here?”

“I took an Uber.”

“You could have called me.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

With trembling fingers, he found the zipper of her hoodie and unzipped it, desperate to get her out of her wet clothes as he dragged the fabric down her arms. That’s when he noticed her hair—much shorter and much lighter than he’d ever seen before. He picked up a strand, holding it between his fingertips. “You cut your hair,” he said in a low voice.

It was at that moment he realized how separate their lives had become—and it bothered him more than he cared to admit.

“It looked great about an hour ago.” Her posture was sharp. “And when the hell did it start raining in LA, anyway?”

Laughter burst out of him, but he immediately sobered when he took in her expression. She appeared serious—anxious for some reason, as if she needed his approval. The way she looked at him reminded him of the early days of their relationship, when she wore her insecurities on her sleeve.

He took a step backward, summoning all his concentration and willpower to distance himself, and walked around her in a circle. She was braless under that wet T-shirt, and he imagined she’d taken it off on the plane in an effort to get comfortable. All he wanted to do was kiss her again, but he forced himself to concentrate. Her hazel eyes were locked on him, her expression fragile.

He stopped directly in front of her, trying to calm his own heart, as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It looked like she’d spent an entire summer in the sun. The length was much shorter than he’d ever remembered seeing it, causing its natural wave to bounce at her neck. The rain had made it wild and unruly, but there was something so natural about it that made her look freer—like she’d finally embraced her true self. He traced his thumb along the side of her jaw, until his palm flattened against her neck where he could feel her pulse racing. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

Emotional laughter slipped from her lips as she clutched his wrist. “I love you,” she whispered.

He moved closer, realizing his whole body was shaking, but for a completely different reason. “I don’t think I realized how much I missed you until you walked through that door,” he said gruffly, then picked her up off the ground and carried her toward the office.

She placed her cheek against his chest. “You tell me that you miss me almost every single day.”

His face straightened. “I know. Yet I still didn’t realize howmuchI missed you until right now.”

---