Page 86 of I Choose You
“Seriously though, Luke was supposed to babysit Jane today so I could take Maeve to her doctor’s appointment and then out to dinner, but he got called into work. He wouldn’t tell me what was happening, but it sounded like an emergency.“
“I’ll always take Jane, you know that.”
“Thanks, brother. I was going to pick her up around 2:30 p.m. and drop her off. Does that still work for you? Maeve’s appointment is at 3:15 p.m.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty much wrapped up here. The guys can finish moving the rest of the furniture into place. I’ll be home by then.”
Wyatt thanked me again and hung up.
Claire was moving behind the desk.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked.
“I have work to do.”
“Is that what you were doing when I walked in? Work?”
“It’s important to stretch throughout the day when you have an office job.” She smiled at me, her dark blue eyes dancing in the sunlight refracted through the clean, clear glass windows. She shooed me away, but before I left, I stole a kiss—and an extra cup to her core. If I had to get back to work in a horny, sexed-up state, so did she.
In the last couple of hours before I had to leave, we managed to get two more rooms put together. The tech room, although not historically accurate in function, looked fantastic. Claire had helped blend the technological advancements that were needed in today’s day and age while still maintaining the historical elements. The largest of the three reading rooms was also completed.
“Alright,” I said, “if you guys can finish the other two reading rooms today, that would be great. Monday, we’ll just have the children’s rec room and multifunction room. After that, it’s book deliveries. We have two librarians on-site next week to ensure everything is going in the right spot and everything is cataloged properly, but it’ll be an all-hands situation to get all of these shelves filled up by the grand opening.”
Only two weeks left.
Claire and I left together, having driven in together like we did every day.
“If you still need to get some work done, feel free to lock yourself in the bedroom. Don’t feel like you need to babysit Jane with me.”
“No, I’m in a good spot. I just have to write my daily email to Andrew, but I don’t want to send it too early, or he’ll getmad about me slacking off.”
“Didn’t you work all weekend? Even though you were visiting your parents?”
“Yeah. That’s why I don’t feel guilty about taking off a few hours early. I just don’t want to announce it. Does that make me a bad employee?” She cringed in the most adorable way.
“No, love. You are a hardworking, far-too-dedicated, talented, historical godsend. You are the best employee that man has ever had.” My words ended on a growl. Just thinking about that douche weasel made me angry. Claire truly was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and if he didn’t start treating her the way she deserved…
Then what?
In two weeks, I wouldn’t know how he was treating her.
My mood soured instantly. The air in the car changed as the tension I was exuding filled the space around us.
“Hey,” she said. Her voice was low and soft, like she was soothing a scared mountain lion. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s kind of hot when you get all incensed on my behalf,” she laughed, easing some of my tension. She thought I was angry about her boss, and sure, that always pissed me off. But it wasn’t what had caused my dark mood.
I rubbed my hand on her thigh and put the truck in park. She reached for the door, but before she could open it, I wrapped my hand around her head and pulled her to me for a deep kiss.
Our tongues mingled together, and my fingers caressed her scalp, tugging slightly on her hair to move her right where I wanted her, where I needed her.
Her hands framed my face as she scratched her fingers down the back of my neck.
“Wow, what was that for?” she asked when we finally pulled apart.
I should tell her. I wanted to tell her. I had never said the words to anyone other than my family and Kayleigh.
Would I be saddling her with guilt when she left, knowing that I loved her? Or did she deserve to know how I felt about her, regardless of how or when this ended?
Thoughts pinged through my head at rapid speed, but I must have been silent for too long because Claire wasn’t waiting for my answer anymore. She kissed me one more time and then hopped out of the truck.
