Page 91 of Falling for the CEO

"Okay," I said, unsure why this had put her in such a state. And then it hit me. "You have to move out."

"Yes. She did offer for me to stay with her, but that would be weird. So, I’ll only be here for a bit longer, and then I'll go back to the condo."

"You hate that condo."

"Correction! I hate the stuff in it and the memories. It's not a bad condo, per se," she said, infusing her voice with what I'd learned to recognize as fake positivity. "But I've already put the furniture on Craigslist, and as soon as I get rid of it, I’ll replace it with something new. Out with the trash, in with the new life, or what was that saying?"

I had no clue what she was talking about. "When did you even put it online?"

"When I was drinking coffee at the shopping center."

My heart was beating fast. "I don't want you to go."

The corners of her mouth tilted downward. "Don't say that. It's difficult for me anyway."

"Move in with me."

She gasped.

I stilled completely, pressing my finger pads to the back of her head. "Move in with me," I repeated.

"Spencer," she whispered, "we haven’t even known each other that long."

"I know, but I’m crazy about you. Everything about us is out of the norm and extraordinary, so why not take this step as well?"

I wanted her here more than anything else, but she was shaking her head. Taking my hand away, she kissed my palm, stepping back. "No, Spencer. That would be way too fast.” Her shoulders were back up to her ears. I could practically see her retreating into herself.

Frustration coursed through me. Were her feelings not as strong as mine? "Will you at least consider it?"

"I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, look at today. I didn't open the door, and you assumed I was with someone else. I think we rushed into this too fast, and I'm not ready for moving in."

I swallowed hard, putting my hands in my pockets. On a rational level, I knew she was right, of course. This was madness. People didn't move in after knowing each other for such a short time. But every fiber of my being wanted her here with me. She belonged in my house, in my bed. She belonged with me and with Ben. She'd chased that trio of onesies because she thought Ben liked yellow, for God's sake.

But I was respecting her boundaries. It was good that she was reining me in. I wasn't rational when it came to her, and that was a dangerous thing.

"Let's go over to your house. I'm dying to see the onesies on Ben," she suggested.

When we entered the house, Agatha was already preparing to leave.

After giving me the rundown of the day, she admired the onesies Penny bought.

Once Agatha left, Penny held up the yellowest of the onesies. To my astonishment, Ben laughed. I hadn't seen this reaction from him before.

"He really likes yellow," I said, stunned.

"I told you. I had a yellow jacket on the other day, and when I took it off, he seemed to protest. Then I put it back on, and he started smiling again. I thought maybe he just liked the action, so I replaced it with one of your coats, and it didn't have the same effect. How was today?”

“Good. We struck a deal. We haven’t signed the papers yet, but I want to celebrate anyway.”

She grinned, nodding feverishly. “How about your family?”

“I’ll only tell them after the ink is dry.”

“So, I’m the only one who knows other than your team?”

“Yes. And I want to celebrate with just you tonight.”

“I’m honored.”

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