Page 35 of Second to None
“She,” he corrected as he cut a piece of venison. “Both. I don’t eat here that often because of business commitments, so we don’t always have time to consult on menus. However, I chose this selection of food.” The intensity of his gaze let her know that he had considered this an important occasion, which added some extra sparks to her afterglow.
“If I had a view like this, I’d eat at home every night,” she said. “You must love this place.”
He shifted in his chair, bringing her attention to the sculpted planes of his bare shoulders and chest, his skin golden in the candlelight. Now that she knew how delicious he felt under her palms, she wanted to touch him even more.
He picked up his fork and twirled it between his fingers. “I’ve sold it.”
“Sold what?”
He swept the fork around the room. “This place. I’m moving to Chicago at the beginning of January. But it won’t change anything between us. I have a private jet. I can fly here, or you and Izzy can fly there on weekends.” He gave her a smile that was meant to seduce. “I’ll bet Izzy would enjoy a private jet.”
Emily was trying to absorb the sudden wallop to her chest. He was leaving? And he’d known it when he started this? She took a gulp of wine before she managed to force out, “Why Chicago?”
“I sold V-Chem Industries to MatCorp. Part of the deal was that I would continue to do polymer research for them, and their lab is in Chicago.” He rolled his shoulders, making the muscles undulate. “I was planning to go out there for the holidays to get set up, but I’ve changed my mind.” Another persuasive smile.
“I hear Chicago is a great city.” And about a thousand miles away from New York. Every organ in her body sank in dismay. She’d just found this man who made her feel in ways she’d forgotten she could ... and now he was being taken away.
He reached across the table to lay his hand on hers. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I don’t know how I’m looking right now.”
“Shocked and unhappy.”
“Well, that describes my current feelings accurately,” she said, an edge of anger in her voice. Why hadn’t he told her?
Because three dates did not constitute a relationship, despite their history together. She had no right to be angry with him. She shook her head and turned her hand up to squeeze his. “I’m sorry. It’s just that ...” She turned her head toward the window as she blinked back tears. “It seems a shame to have just reconnected and then to have you vanish again.”
“Did you hear what I said?” He leaned in, his voice low and urgent. “We’ll fly back and forth. With a private jet, it’s even less trouble than driving. You just walk on the plane and enjoy the ride. And it’s only a couple of hours in the air.”
She knew he was trying to tempt her, but the private jet just accentuated the gulf that already existed between them.
“That’s a nice thought,” she said. “But I’m not a believer in long-distance relationships.” She looked down at their hands with a sad smile. “I’ve been married to a Marine, so I know how difficult separation is. I’m not going to do that to myself or Izzy again.”
“I’m not being deployed to a foreign country,” he said. “It’s completely different.”
She looked up at him, his dark eyes laser focused, his hair rumpled from her fingers, his mouth tempting even as he frowned. The women in Chicago were not stupid or blind. They would hurl themselves at him, and eventually his trips to New York would become less and less frequent. There would be more business meetings in Chicago or some such excuse.
Despite the time they’d known each other before, they didn’t have enough of a foundation to withstand such an immediate parting.
But she wasn’t going to say all that. Instead, she tried to lighten the mood. “You might not get deployed, but after hearing your stories about lab disasters, I’m still worried for your safety.”
His grip on her hand went tight. “Don’t,” he said. “You’ve just come into my life again. I don’t want to lose you.”
She made a gesture of frustration with her free hand. “Be realistic. We lead such different lives. I have a child to worry about. I don’t want her to get attached and then have things not work out.”
“That could happen even if we both lived here.”
“Yes, but we wouldn’t be starting with two strikes against us already.” She made herself look him in the eye. “Izzy and I have suffered two significant losses in the last three years, Jake and Aunt Ruthie. I don’t think we can handle another one so soon. It’s better not to ... raise false hopes.”
She meant it was better not to let the pain slice any deeper, because she already had hopes. Far too many of them. She’d let the past bleed into the present, believing she knew this new Max as well as she’d known the younger one. Yet she’d had no idea he was doing something as major as moving a thousand miles away.
“Is that what you think I’ve been doing? Leading you on in some way?” Now he was angry.
“No, I’ve been doing it to myself.” She softened her voice. “We think we know each other, but we don’t. Seven years is a long time, and we’ve been through major upheavals. I’ve lost a husband and a beloved aunt, as well as moving to a strange city. You’ve built a multinational company and now sold it. You’re in demand as a brilliant researcher. It’s a huge chasm already. Then consider throwing a lot of miles in between.”
“You could move to Chicago.” His voice vibrated with yearning.
“You know that’s not possible. My safety net, Izzy’s community and mine, are here now. In Chicago, all we would have is you. And that would put a whole different set of stresses on us.”
