Something had definitely changed. Last night Abel hadn’t wanted to stick around for even another minute. He’d been beyond pissed. One date with this Sam guy, and suddenly Abel was yesterday’s news? But once he calmed, he realized there was more to it. Aside from the news that Nellie had just gotten about her sister and nephew, it was blatantly obvious she wasn’t in the greatest mood even before the call. He held on to the hope that the goddamn photos of him and Rachel that were still going viral were the reason behind her “twenty questions” retort, because it was so out of character for her. But then again, he wasn’t used to asking personal questions, so he wouldn’t know exactly how she’d normally respond. Was this just her way of finally saying he’d crossed the line, or could he actually be right and the photos were the cause of her bad mood?
The morning she arrived at 5th Street for her meeting with the winery rep had been weird again. He ran into her in the parking lot of 5th Street. She’d worn one of her business skirt suits, but more than sexy, beautiful was the only way he’d describe her now. As much as he yearned to kiss her, he’d refrained—too afraid she’d reject him. It might confirm what had kept him up most of the night: that maybe she’d changed her mind about this whole thing. Maybe Sam had something to do with her decision. There was definitely something different about her demeanor toward him—colder—distant.
They made small talk about her nephew and then about her parents arriving safely in Seattle. She’d avoided eye contact for the most part then excused herself when she got the text from the rep she was meeting, letting her know she was right outside. And that was it. Abel had been quickly caught up in training again. The fight was only two weeks away now. He’d be going into virtual training lockdown and conditioning soon and for sure would have little to no time for a social life.
At first, he thought it was a good thing. With things definitely going in a new direction, he gave into Noah’s pleas to concentrate on this fight and nothing else. He’d had every intention of doing just that before becoming involved with Nellie. Of all five of the now owners of 5th Street including their silent partner, Felix, Abel had always been by far the most dedicated. A shot at the title was his lifelong dream, and now he’d put it on the back burner for something that had always irritated him about his friends—a girl. So this awkwardness and sudden distance couldn’t have happened at a better time.
But even through the last week of intense training that started in the wee hours of the morning and continued until late in the afternoon, leaving him completely exhausted, thoughts of Nellie still lingered. Mid-week he’d given into temptation and texted her to simply say that he missed her. Her response? She missed him too, but nothing more. He’d followed up to mention that his grueling training schedule was endless and would continue to be, up until he left for Vegas. He hoped it answered the unasked question of why he’d suddenly disappeared.
To his relief, her response to that seemed to convey understanding to the answer of her unasked question. She said that she could only imagine then mentioned that Roni had told her that Noah had hardly been home lately either. But the even bigger relief was that she never once mentioned canceling driving out to Vegas with him. As far as he knew, that was still on, but he was worried. Clearly, the day those photos of him and Rachel went viral, something changed. He only hoped the newer grainy photos that had been leaked of him and Rachel in the gym and her turning on the flirtation again by touching his hair and face weren’t going to be the cause of more changes. The only reason he even knew of the photos was because Andy and Noah were pissed that obviously someone in the gym was taking photos with his phone and leaking them to the press.
Dread of giving Nellie the opportunity to cancel driving out to Vegas with him, in case she’d seen the new photos, kept him from giving in to the temptation of calling her all week. It’d been over a week since he’d last spoken with her. It was really beginning to feel like torture. What had she been up to? He hadn’t dared to ask Noah about it, and he knew Noah wasn’t about to bring it up on his own. If anyone knew better what a distraction this could be, it was Noah. Good or bad, his good friend and trainer was not about to let him in on anything that might wreak havoc on his training. As it was, Abel was trying his damnedest to concentrate, and he still felt off. No doubt Gio and Noah had picked up on it too.
Now he lay there, losing the battle against the temptation to call her and just talk to her for a few minutes—hear her voice one time before he went to bed so he could sleep better. But would he? Or would it keep him up longer?
He sat up and grabbed his phone. Hesitating for just a moment, he hit the dial button and waited as her phone rang. Lying back down on his bed, he held his breath. What if she wasn’t alone? Now he squeezed his eyes shut, his insides fully engulfed in flames in an instant.
“Hello?”
Just hearing her voice calmed him enough that he actually smiled. “Hey,” he said, sitting up slowly. “You busy?”
“Not really,” she said, exhaling heavily. “I was just about to call it a night. The mixer’s been a little more work than I expected.”
Hearing the hint of stress in her voice, he frowned. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I’ve just had my hands full. That’s all.” She paused for a moment before her next question. “And you? Training hard? I hear they’ve been riding you mercilessly.”
“Yeah, well, it’s getting down to the wire now. I’m in the gym all day every day.” He wanted to make that clear. The gym and this fight had kept him from her, nothing or no one else had as the tabloids might be implying. “Tomorrow, I have a few phone interviews in the morning, but after that, it’s back to the grind. How are things with your sister and your nephew?”
“They’re going. He’s here now with my parents, and my sister should be out soon. She wasn’t happy that Rick gave Gus up so easily, but what can she do?” He heard her sigh. “It’s just so hard to believe that I could have been so wrong about someone, you know? To think . . .”
She didn’t finish, and Abel waited for a few seconds, lying back down on his bed before asking. “To think, what?”
“Never mind. He’s not something I want to put any energy into thinking about right now . . . or ever again.”
After going quiet for a moment, he heard her typing. “You sure I’m not interrupting your work?”
“No,” she said even as the typing continued. “I was also chatting online as I worked, but I’m closing it up now.”
Abel glanced at the clock. It was already past eleven. With the question begging to be asked—who the hell was she chatting with this late—she started to make another comment. “Listen, about Vegas—”
“Please don’t cancel.” Abel was already sitting up again. His suddenly pounding heart and desperate tone surprised him but not more than what flew out of his mouth next. “I need you there with me, Nellie.”
The line went completely quiet. The typing ceased, and he didn’t even hear her breathing anymore until she spoke again. “I . . . I wasn’t gonna cancel.” Her tone had changed. She sounded a little surprised, stunned maybe. Abel waited, praying he hadn’t blown it. “I was just gonna ask for the exact itinerary. What day and time were you planning on driving out?”
Pulling the phone away from him a little so she wouldn’t hear the enormous breath of relief he took then exhaled, Abel smiled. He told her what day he wanted to leave, and they went through the motions of deciding what time was best for both of them. Neither mentioned his unexpected declaration, but it was out there, and even though he immediately regretted letting it out that way, he was now glad that he had. Maybe she’d remember that the next time she saw another one of those stupid tabloid photos of him and Rachel.
Nellie had already yawned a couple of times, and she had mentioned she’d be up early the next day, so Abel was getting ready to let her go, but not before he made sure he told her what he’d really called to say. “I miss you, Nell.”
Like earlier, she was quiet for moment then cleared her throat. “I miss you too,” she whispered.
Neither said anything for a few silent moments, and even as exhausted as he was, if she’d only uttered the words that she wished she could see him, he’d be in his car before she finished her sentence. But she didn’t. Instead she said goodnight, and just like that the call was over.
Abel lay there in his bed, staring at the dark ceiling, thinking. He wanted so badly to believe that she was feeling what he was. But there was no denying her words. It wasn’t just a mistaken assumption or even her lying. She’d told him herself that serious relationships were not on her agenda. She wanted to be free. Then he saw it with his own eyes.
Punching his mattress, he shook his head in an effort to shake the visual of her kissing her date away. One thing was for damn sure: he’d never admit it out loud, but Noah was right. He was either going to have to suck it up or end this thing because there was no way he was going to be able to deal with that. The very idea that he could get used to it with time as he’d tried to insinuate was insane. He’d never get used to that. His reaction to seeing her kiss Sam would be exactly the same if he ever saw it again. It made no sense to even try to pretend he’d hold back, because just lying there thinking about it made him feel like kicking someone’s ass.
That meant he had an even bigger problem now. Even if he did end things as Noah suggested, it still wouldn’t change the way he felt. His reaction to seeing her with someone else, as inevitable as that was, would still be ugly. What Noah and Roni had been so worried about would happen. It hit him just then. It had already happened. If Noah ever had a gathering where Abel was warned upfront that Nellie would be there with someone else, he wouldn’t show up. There had to be another alternative than the only two Noah thought would work. Ending things with Nellie would effectively mean ending any social gatherings with one of his best friends. He didn’t even want to consider that, but there’d be no way—no way—his being around Nellie and another man would ever work.
~*~
The long day at the zoo with her nephew, her parents, Roni, and little Jack had worn Nellie out. She hadn’t even realized how long it’d been since she spent that much quality time with her parents or her best friend. Most notably, she hadn’t realized how much she needed to take a break from her busy life and tormented heart. It’d been nice to just relax and think of nothing more than having some good family fun.
She’d been closer to Roni than she’d ever been to her own sister, so she and Jack were just as much family to her as her parents. Nellie wasn’t even ashamed to admit she loved Roni more than she did her sister. It was natural. Roni’s love for Nellie had always been so selfless—the girl would do anything for Nellie, and betray her? Never. Nellie could tell that Roni still felt terrible about making her feel bad the night she’d told her she’d meant to rub it in to Abel’s brother that she’d been on a date. Ever since then, Roni had hardly asked about Abel.
The drive home from the zoo was a quiet one except for when Gus got fussy. “He’s tired,” her mom explained as he squirmed in his car seat next to her, whining.
Nellie handed Roni her phone. “Find the app on my second screen that looks like a big bouncing ball. He likes playing with that one.” She turned back to Gus as she reached the stop light. “You wanna play with auntie’s phone, Gus?”
Immediately, he reached his hand out. “Fom!”
She smiled as Roni turned around and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
Glancing up in her rearview mirror, she could see that, unlike Gus, Jack wasn’t the only one who’d dozed off; so had her dad. Her mom’s eyes were beginning to droop as well. She frowned, feeling terrible that she’d been so busy that she’d hardly been able to help them with Gus.
“So Logan just disappeared?” Roni asked as she straightened back out in her seat.
“Yeah,” Nellie nodded as the light turned green. “I didn’t hear from him for a few days, which was weird because he was supposed to be doing the financials for the mixer and from day one he was all about communication, constantly calling and texting.”
“I remember you saying he was kind of pushy even.”
“Exactly,” Nellie could admit it now. He was on the pushy side. “Then suddenly he emails me that he’d finished the work he was supposed to be doing and said he’d gotten an offer out of state and couldn’t pass it up.” She shrugged. “When I interviewed him initially, he did say he’d been in a real financial bind for months. So I guess if he got offered something permanent and with more pay, I can see why he’d just up and leave, but now I’m stuck doing it all alone, and this is a huge project. I’ve been up to my eyeballs with it.”
Roni frowned, shaking her head. “Well, that sucks. Is it too late to get a replacement?”
“No, I’ve actually interviewed a few more people that the temp agency sent over. I think I finally interviewed one that’ll do. She’s a retired accountant looking for some temporary work and seems to be real good about what she does.”
The monitor on her dash went off, announcing an incoming call. The screen flashed Sam’s name and Roni smiled. Nellie was too tired and wasn’t about to have a public conversation with him anyhow since her phone was hooked up to her speakers. She’d ignored his earlier calls and was about to do the same when the ignore button on the screen disappeared and now read: Connected to Sam.
Glancing back at her nephew, she figured out the culprit immediately. Even though he too was now dozing off, his little fingers were still hitting the screen on her phone.
“Nellie?” Sam’s voice came over the speakers.
Roni turned around and took the phone out of Gus’s hands, muffling her giggles with her other hand.
“Hi, Sam,” she said, scrunching her nose, but one look in her rearview mirror and she could see his voice hadn’t woken anyone.
“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day. I’m in town and was hoping we could get together.”
“Oh . . . Yeah, I spent the day at the zoo with my family. I’m on my way home now, but I’m exhausted. I think I’m gonna have to pass.”
“You sure?” he asked, sounding very disappointed. “After tonight, I’m going back home again. I was really hoping to see you, even if it’s just a few minutes. Any chance we can do just coffee maybe, or if you’re in the mood to just relax, the hotel I’m staying at is on a private beach. I’ve stayed there before. The sunset is beautiful. We can chill on the beach, watch the sunset, maybe have a little wine, and then I can take you home.”
Nellie thought of Abel’s call last night. I need you there with me. I miss you, Nell. As much as she wanted to put more weight on those statements, she’d seen the photos of him and the girl at the gym. Her mind had been made up a week ago that this understanding with Abel was not going to work. Then she got that one text from him with those three simple words, and that was all it took to have her rethinking things. After seeing more photos of him and Rachel spending time together, she’d gone back to her original thoughts, and then he called her last night.
She had to stop letting a few words from him melt her so completely that she’d be willing to overlook the obvious. He wasn’t spending every waking moment working out as he made it sound. He was enjoying his downtime with the touchy-feely little fitness model—someone he had an intimate past with and very likely a present one too. And from what Nellie could tell, he was enjoying it. This entire time she’d been away from him, she’d forced herself to look at the photos, and every day there were new ones. Even today, the day after what felt like a genuinely heartfelt call, there’d been new ones of the two of them spending more time together than she had with him in over a week.
Glancing at Roni, who zipped her lips like a good girl but lifted a very telling brow, she smirked. She knew what Roni must be thinking. Since Abel had gone into workout lockdown, she’d only left her place to work. After taking the entire day off today, she’d be back in the office working long hours to try to get the mixer completely coordinated before she’d have to leave for Vegas. Her social life was on hold again for more than one reason. “Actually, Sam, that sounds nice. It’d be a perfect way to end the only day I’ve had off in over a week.”
“Excellent. Text me when you’re ready for me to pick you up, and I’ll be there.”
Roni smiled when the call ended. “I’m glad you’re going. I’ll admit I was a little worried when you went out with him the first time. I thought for sure Abel seemed upset the night Sam dropped you off, but it’s not fair that Abel gets to date and you stay home, faithfully waiting for his visits. But that’s all I’m gonna say about it.” She zipped her lips again and smiled. “I promise.”
Glad that Roni kept her promise and didn’t say much more, Nellie didn’t comment any further either. She still wasn’t feeling entirely sure that this was a good idea, but her heart needed to start moving on. It felt so impossibly stuck where it was now. Maybe going out and trying to enjoy another man’s company would start to dislodge it. At the very least, it could do what her first date with Sam had managed to do: make her feel attractive in more than just a sexual way.
***
Less than fifteen minutes into her visit with Sam, Nellie was beginning to regret it. For starters, when he’d mentioned the private beach they’d be watching the sunset from, she’d foolishly assumed they’d walk out the back of his lavish hotel through the lobby. Instead they’d gone straight to his room. He explained that his beach-front room had a private patio, which led out into a walkway if she wanted to get closer to the water. But they’d spent some time in his room as he poured them each a glass of chilled wine.
Sam had also taken it upon himself to hold her hand the whole way to their room and again when walking her out onto his patio. It had its own private fire pit and its own private pool and Jacuzzi. Sam turned the fire on as soon as they walked out. The ocean breeze was just picking up, so the warmth of the fire felt perfect. It was a very romantic setting and one she would’ve definitely enjoyed—with someone else.
Even with her reservations and knowing there’d be only one very specific someone she’d prefer doing this with, Nellie forced herself to enjoy the time but casually reminded Sam that she couldn’t stay long. She’d have a glass or two at most and then she had to head out. The sun was just setting as they sat down on one of the plush patio sofas. She had to admit it was breathtaking.
“This is my favorite hotel to stay at when I’m out here in California,” Sam said, staring at the sunset.
He’d sat next to her a bit too closely, but Nellie refrained from moving over, allowing their thighs to touch.
“I request this room specifically because of this patio. I only wish you had more time to help me enjoy it. We could take a dip in the pool. It’s heated.”
“You always travel alone?” she asked curiously.
Surely a man who looked as good as Sam could find someone else to help him enjoy this room. His eyes alone were really something else. And now seeing him in jeans and t-shirt, she could see she’d been right about his physique the first time she met him. He wasn’t nearly as muscular as Abel, but his arms and chest were more than impressive.
“For the most part,” he said, sipping his wine glass, “if it’s business, I usually do. For pleasure trips, I get together with friends and family. But there are exceptions like next week, for example. I’ll be in Vegas partly for business and partly for pleasure, so I’ll be meeting with friends.”
“Really?” She tilted her head, smiling about the coincidence. “I’ll be in Vegas next week too. What kind of business are you doing out there?”
There was a noticeable gleam in his eye that she wasn’t sure what to make of, but then he smiled big. “The cable channel I work at used to be just local, but they were recently bought out by a subsidiary of CNN, so my role as a commentator has branched out a bit. I’m now covering stories all over, not just the Detroit area. This is why I’m here now and why I’ll be in Vegas next week. Will you be out there just for pleasure?” he asked, eyeing her playfully.
She smiled, feeling a bittersweet emotion wash over her. A few weeks ago she might’ve said both. How fast things had changed. While she knew all too well that Vegas could be as pleasurable as her times with Abel had always been, ever since the morning she first saw the photos, Nellie knew she was in danger of serious damage to her heart if she continued with their arrangement as is. “Business,” she sipped her wine. It went down a bit rougher than she expected.
“Maybe we can get together while you’re out there. How long will you be there?”
She was about to explain about the fight and her role in it when his phone rang and he frowned, glancing at the screen. “I’m sorry. This is so rude,” he said apologetically, “but I have to take this. Will you give me a few minutes?”
“Take your time,” she assured him as he stood up and began walking back into the room.
Her own phone had lit up a few times since she’d been there, so she decided to check it. She had a missed call from her mother and a text from Logan. The text caught her attention. She hadn’t heard from him since his email informing her he was resigning. He hadn’t once bothered to return her calls, and she’d left him a voicemail over a week ago, asking him to please call her. His departure had been so abrupt, and even though he’d fulfilled the last tasks he’d been asked to do, she still had questions on a few things. She clicked on the little envelope now curiously.
Give me a call when you get a chance, please. I need to talk to you.
The irritation was immediate, especially after she read it a second time to make sure she hadn’t misread it. The nerve of him! Now he wanted her to call him? First, he just up and left her hanging, knowing how much work this mixer was, then he didn’t bother to return her calls, even when she mentioned she needed some things clarified. Did he need a letter of recommendation now or something?
Nellie closed out her texts, rolling her eyes. Well, now he’d wait until she felt good and ready to call him. That could be never. The jerk!
Sam walked out into the patio again, glancing around and up at the palm trees that surrounded the patio. He then turned and studied the building adjacent to his hotel. “Everything okay?” she asked.
He turned back to her with an instant smile. “Fine,” he waved his phone at her. “Work. Always something.” He put his phone down on the patio table and reached out his hand. “C’mere, I wanna show you something else about this room.”
Glancing back at the patio door, Nellie hesitated to take his hand. She could only hope he wasn’t taking her agreement to come back to his room with him to mean more than it was. He must’ve picked up on what she might be thinking because he motioned out toward the walkway that led around the palm trees. “It’s not in the room,” he laughed softly, confirming he had picked up on what had crossed her mind. “It’s out there.”
Feeling silly but very relieved, she smiled, taking his hand as she stood up. They strolled along the small walkway around the trees, and then they were on the sand. It was a wide open beach area but still very vacant.
“This beach is exclusive to the hotel. And my room is literally steps away from it. I’ve stayed at lot of rooms all over the country, but this is by far my favorite.” He smiled, and his incredibly light eyes nearly twinkled. “It’s a little pricey but worth every penny, I think.”
“Yes,” Nellie had to agree. “It’s beautiful.”
She was caught in his eyes for a moment, and he smiled, pulling her gently to him.
“Nellie, I know I told you this earlier this week on the phone, and I didn’t miss how quiet it made you. I hope this doesn’t freak you out, considering we’ve only known each other for a few weeks. But ever since that day I spent with you, I really haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I know you said you’re still working on getting over your divorce, and I respect that. It took me some time to get over mine. At the risk of sounding a little pushy, would you please just give something between you and me some consideration?” He held up his hand. “Whenever you’re ready, that is. I’ll be patient. I just wanna put it out there so that we’re clear that it’s what I’m hoping for here.”
If she hadn’t been so caught up checking the photos of Abel and Rachel the day of their brunch, it might’ve been a very pleasant date. Sam was actually very sweet, attentive, and she’d since established very good-looking. And ever since their brunch, not a day had gone by that he hadn’t called or texted her. They’d even had a couple nights where they’d chatted online late into the night.
This past week, she’d come to the conclusion that Roni had been right—as usual. She wasn’t the fuck-buddy type. She’d fallen for Abel so fast and so hard that she’d like to say that was the only reason why the arrangement that they had hadn’t worked out. But she was certain now she’d never be okay dating someone who was also seeing someone else. It was a constant reminder of her inability to be enough for any man. For that reason, she was hesitant to become involved with another good-looking, obviously wealthy guy who did so much traveling.
Even as sweet as he was, and as genuinely as he was looking at her now, Abel was a perfect example of how a man could make you feel so very special as if you were the only one he ever looked at that way, when in fact . . .
“I’ve been burned really badly, Sam.” She shook her head, unable to believe she was addressing this so soon with him. “It might be a while before I’m ready to open up my heart,” she paused for a moment, exasperatingly feeling the lump in her throat. “Trust,” she whispered.
His hand caressed her cheek, and she fought the urge to pull away. Instead she leaned her face against his hand, closing her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead then lowered his hand, lifting her chin. There was no missing the alarm in his eyes when he saw the tears, but it was only for instant. Then he hugged her, and she let herself fall into his arms, hugging him back. “I get it, okay? And I promise I’ll be patient. When you do feel ready, I’ll do everything in my power to prove to you that you can trust me.”
As good as his strong arms felt around her and as much as she needed that at that moment, neither his embrace nor his words had anything on how Abel made her feel.
He pulled away, suddenly glancing around. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he frowned, still looking around, but began walking back down the pathway. “Let’s go sit down.”
Her phone was buzzing on the table where she’d left it next to his. It was her mom again. After reading Logan’s text, she’d completely forgotten that she had a missed call from her mom, and now she was calling again. “I gotta get this.” She turned to Sam, already feeling alarmed. “My mom only calls if it’s urgent.”
“Go ahead,” he said, looking a bit concerned himself.
“Mom, what is it?”
“I don’t want you getting upset, and you don’t need to come down to the emergency room or anything—”
“Emergency room?” she asked already upset. “What happened?”
Sam’s hand was instantly on her back when he saw her clutch her chest.
“Gus shoved a bean up his nose, but he’s gonna be fine. The doctors are working on getting it out. Your father and I tried to at home, and when we couldn’t, we decided to drive down here.”
“Oh my God, Mom!” A myriad of emotions washed over her. Concern over her nephew was the most prominent, but she couldn’t help feeling irritated that her elderly parents had to deal with this instead of her sister or her worthless ex-husband. She, at least, had to be there to help them deal with some of this. While her mom sounded calm enough, Nellie heard it in her shaky words: she was worried. “What hospital are you guys at?”
“Nellie, you have to work in the morning. You don’t have to come down here.”
“What hospital, Mom?” she asked a little more firmly this time.
Sam had already walked away before she’d even ended the call. As she walked back into the room, she saw him rushing back to her with his keys in hand. “You can tell me about it on the way.”
He sounded so resolute that she didn’t bother telling him that he didn’t have to take her. Obviously, he’d balk at the suggestion that she could take a cab to save him the trouble. Not only did he take her but he hung around, meeting her parents and Gus in the process and then drove her home when it was all over. She’d already explained when he picked her up why her home wasn’t the same one he’d picked her up and dropped her off at last time. It was easy. She gave him the same reasoning she’d given Roni that night. She’d wanted Roni’s take on her outfit.
It was way past the time she thought she would’ve been home now, but at least Gus was fine. Sam walked her to her door.
“Interesting night out,” he said with a smirk.
“I’m sorry it turned out this way,” she said, turning to him with a wince.
“Don’t be,” he chuckled. “I got to spend more time with you and even got meeting your parents out of the way.”
The way he said that as if it were a given—something that was bound to happen—made her feel a little weird. “Thank you so much for everything, Sam.”
His smile went serious suddenly, and those crystal blue eyes stared at her now as they stood silently staring at each other. Before she could get her thoughts together or even think of a reason to protest, his lips were on hers, and he kissed her softly. She almost let him go on—let him slip his tongue into her mouth—but she couldn’t. The knot was instantly at her throat and she pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered quickly. “I said I’d be patient, but I couldn’t help myself. I’ll try harder. I promise.”
She shook her head, angry with herself. Letting loose? What a joke. She couldn’t even bring herself to let another man’s tongue in her mouth. Who was she kidding when she talked about wanting to free her spirit? “It’s okay,” she insisted. “It’s just that—”
“Shh,” his finger touched her lips. “You don’t have to explain. I understand. I get it—baby steps.” He took her hand and kissed it. “This is all I get for now, and I can live with that. Whatever it takes.”
He smiled, making those amazing eyes sparkle. “Thanks for understanding.”
Once inside with Sam out of sight now, she stood there in the middle of her dark living room. She brought both hands to her face and kept them there for a long time as she took in the day’s events. For as much as she’d talked down how good-looking Sam was, she couldn’t deny it any longer. Sam was hot, and she was certain Roni would agree. Her mom had used the word hunk when she’d had a moment alone with her at the hospital and she’d seen the looks from the table full of women at the brunch last week when they’d walked past them. He’d turned a lot of heads that day and even in the emergency room tonight.
Not only was he hot but he was sweet and was asking her to trust him already. Any other woman would jump at the chance. Yet here she was, once again consumed with thoughts of that other hunk in her life—the unattainable one, for what she needed anyway.
She should be grateful that she had such a sweet and gorgeous distraction now. Instead, all she could think of was that in less than a week she’d be in a car with Abel for four hours. Even though she said that they’d be keeping it strictly business, she already knew that the minute she saw him she’d melt, and if he even tried to kiss her, all bets would be off.