Page 130 of In The Game

“Hey, Rob, is there anything you need from me?” I keep my eyes on my screen, still going through the correspondence from my absence. Sondra did a fine job covering for me, but I want to catch up on where all of our projects are at.

“So, you and Barrett Conway, huh?”

I turn in my chair to face him. “Yeah… me and Barrett. We have history.”

He nods and leans against the wall, crossing his ankles and stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I see. So there’s no use in trying to talk you out of it, then?”

Wincing, I shrug. “I should have made it more clear earlier.”

He shrugs. “I should have taken the hint. I’m sorry if I ever made it weird.” He claps. “Well, I’m happy for you… Arthur too.”

“Thanks, Rob, I appreciate it.”

He pushes off the wall and strolls back to his office, holding up his hand. “Just invite me to the wedding.”

We’re not quite there yet. Though, things are headed that way.

“Will do. Oh, and I got you booked for the leadership summit in Aspen in September.”

“Good to have you back, Ral!”

FIFTY

Barrett: I’ve got most of your kitchen packed up and Arthur’s books. Want me to start on the bedroom?

Me: You’re amazing. Thank you! My brain is fried, I’m heading out early. I’ll swing by and grab some boxes. I need to go through my closet before I pack up, I know there’s a lot I can get rid of.

Barrett: Cutting out early? Slacker.

Me: …Says the guy who skipped dryland training to take Arthur to the zoo.

Barrett: THE KOALA HAD A BABY, RALEIGH!!!

Ilaugh and drop my phone in my purse. As soon as the news reported that one of the koalas at the local zoo had a baby, Barrett was loading up the car to take Arthur. They had a blast.

Once I collect all my things, I say goodbye to Rob for the day and head out, hoping to get a couple hours to go through my clothes before I need to pick up Arthur from daycare.

When I get to my house, Barrett’s truck is in the driveway and he’s already loaded up a couple pieces of furniture that will be going to a donation drop-off. Dating a guy with a truck has come in handy during this move.

“Hey, I’m here,” I call out to the empty living room, setting my purse down by the entryway and slipping off my heels. I wiggle my toes with sweet relief. This place is already transforming so much. The living room has been staged with the few nice pieces I have. There’s so much space once you get rid of all the toys and bookshelves. Who knew?

“Bedroom!” Barrett shouts back.

Walking down the cramped hallway feels new and old at the same time. I love the blue upholstered headboard on my bed. We’re using it for real estate photos, but after that, I told Barrett I want to put it in one of the guest bedrooms at his house. I can’t give it up yet. I asked if there was anything he wanted from the bedroom and all he said was that he wants my bedroom mirror forsentimentalpurposes. Big surprise there.

When he meets me at the threshold, I swoon. He is such a welcomed sight. His shirt spans tightly across his chest and arms, showing off his strong physique, and his pants give away any secrets about his size.Is he hard?He leads me over to the bed. I stand between his open legs while he kisses me. “I missed you,” he gruffs.

“I missed you too. Thanks for loading up the furniture into your truck.”

He nods and wraps me up in a sensual hug. “How was your day?” he whispers next to my ear.

I don’t want to talk about work. “Argh, it was mind-numbing.” I groan. Large hands span across my ribs and drop down to my skirt where he drags the zipper down.Okay.I use the last of my brain cells to continue on about my day. “We had this new client and spent the afternoon going over their various services. Data storage and recovery. It was information overload, and the presentation was so dry. I’m exhausted.”

He presses a line of kisses down my neck.

“What do you need, love?” His voice is low and growly and suddenly I don’t care about responsibilities or packing up clothes or any of the other things I’m supposed to be doing.

A slow smile forms on my lips. “I’m bored… Play with me.”

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