Page 33 of Just for Her
“Ally, I didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, you did.”
There had been times when I couldn’t walk away. When we lived with our parents and I tried to shield her from all the bad stuff. When I officially became her legal guardian. Most recently, when her asshole ex-husband traumatized her so badly that she could barely think for herself.
Now, however, I totally could. There was nothing keeping me here.
“And you’re right,” I said quietly. “No one asked me to.” I slung my carry-on bag over my shoulder and grabbed the handle of my rolling suitcase. “Take care of yourself, Miriam.”
Chapter Fourteen: Paulie
Ileft the restaurantin a lousy mood.
I’d known the woman for less than a week, and yet here I was, feeling like I’d lost a good friend and a potentialsomething much more.
To make matters worse, Irene had called earlier that morning and informed me she was probably going to be out another week. One grandson was on the mend, but now, two others had picked up the bug as well as her son and daughter-in-law.
On the positive side, I was in a very good place in terms of prep for the week. I might even get out of the office before dark once or twice.
Working with Allison had been an absolute joy. So much so in fact that I’d taken a few pages out of my brother Nick’s book and created some mental fantasies, fantasies where Allison decided she liked Cecilton over Boston and chose to work in my tiny office instead of the DA’s.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t have quite the romantic slant that Nick did. That was one hundred percent true. I was more of a practical, methodical kind of guy.
That didn’t mean I didn’t have romantic notions about Allison. It just meant that her being around all the time had been the groundwork from which I built the rest of my fantasies because the really good ones involved a lot more than the kind of passionate, torrid affair that could be had in a day or two.
Yeah, I’d considered it. That was one of those fantasies. We’d engage in a night of passion that would convince both of us there was something incredible there, and she’d decide to stay.
With Allison in town permanently, I could satisfy every caveman instinct I’d been burying this week and pursue thatsomething much more. We’d get to know each other on a more personal basis. I found myself wanting to know everything about her—what kind of books she read and the movies she liked. What she liked to do when she wasn’t working. Where she liked to go.
I’d discover other things too. Like where she liked to be touched and how. What parts of her body I could kiss to drive her crazy. The kinds of sounds she made when she came.
The truth was, I’d been attracted to her since the first time I saw her, and that attraction had only grown. However, I’d been very good about keeping things on a professional level, knowing that nothing could come of it.
Had I done the right thing, keeping it strictly business between us?
According to my grandfather, the answer was an unequivocalno.
