The Last Straw (6 page)
After, with their arms and legs entangled and their breath mingled, he asked “What are you smiling about?”
“I just wanted to know.”
He opened one eye. “What’s that?”
“Is this involvement?”
He shifted up on his elbow, his eyes wide, his throat working.
She laughed and slapped his bare buns. “Or entanglement?”
He grinned and fell back onto her pillow, closing his eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to make the same stupid mistake twice.” A moment later, his breathing deepened to a steady rhythm as his mouth relaxed into a slight smile.
I had to have this and I refuse to have regrets
. Sated, she closed her eyes.
****
Jared opened his eyes and surveyed the little haven Ally had created. The colors made the room glow. She liked the morning light and the colors took advantage of it. But there couldn’t be a coincidence in the choice of green. She wanted him, even if she didn’t admit it.
He glanced toward the bathroom where the sound of the water running told him she was still in the shower. The case with the stolen IP at NST had worried her. He was glad he could reassure her the company would be fine. They’d analyzed all the packets in the data stream sent from the perp’s system and Stewart verified the data didn’t compromise their unique designs.
In the meantime, Ally had screened out three employee candidates who had falsified their backgrounds. Despite all the personal and professional distraction, she stayed sharp with her work. Her business would grow stronger and stronger as word about her abilities spread. She was smart, resourceful, professional, and feminine all at the same time. What a dynamite combo.
Lying on his back, he stretched over the smooth sheets and inhaled the lingering apples-and-honey scent of her. He’d have to get his classic Mustang shipped out and find a new supplier for parts. He’d never be able to work on it in the townhouse garage. They’d have to get another place.
It still ate at his gut he hadn’t been able to call Ally from the kidnapping case. His absence and silence played into her fears of him leaving again and all of it could have caused him to lose her. For good, this time.
He’d been a fool for leaving her in New York but had managed to carry on, to dismiss his feelings, because he hadn’t known her well. Now, after spending time around her, seeing her competence and hard work, refreshing his memory on her sweetness, he knew she was the one. She had given him yet another chance. When he didn’t deserve it. And he loved her for it. He loved her for lots of things. He just loved her.
So yeah, he was going to be a Californian now. He was ready to become the man, the husband and, hopefully, the father he wanted to be.
I better make a phone call.
He picked up his cell phone from the night stand, called his boss, and started the ball rolling on taking all California assignments. His boss pretty much guessed why the sudden interest in California and gave him a raft of shit, but said he’d do what he could.
He was still on the phone when Ally glided into the bedroom, her thick, white robe hiding far too much. The sunlight played over the freckles scattered across her face. Would she be open to this idea? Maybe he should slow it down. He could get a place here and be around. Give the relationship some time before he popped the question. She was an independent woman. What if she said no?
His gut clenched and he sat up, curling over his belly as if to protect it, his elbows finding purchase on his knees.
Ally paused by the bed, her apple shampoo filling the room as she rubbed her damp hair with a towel.
“And for the foreseeable future,” he added to his boss, waving Ally closer.
“Should I be looking for a wedding invitation in the mail?” his SAIC said.
“Don’t jinx it, boss, but if things go right, yeah.”
Ally’s eyebrows shot up. Great. She’d guessed what he was talking about. He shouldn’t have said “jinx.” What if she wasn’t into it? For her, maybe it had just been sex. He might have lucked out because she was attracted to him and she was at a low point in her dating life. He might not even get a chance to try to build a relationship with her.
“What was that all about?” Ally said, sitting beside him.
“My boss.”
“And?”
“I asked him for some California assignments.”
She swiveled and faced him, her eyes wide. Good surprise or bad? He didn’t know. He shifted his position, forced himself to uncurl and open up. He tugged her into the crook of his arm, his nose dropping into her damp hair. Would he ever get enough of her sweet aroma?
“Is that okay with you?” he whispered, his heartbeat nearly drowning his words.
Her head brushed against his face, which was still buried in her hair, but she was nodding, he could tell. His heart soared.
He tipped up her chin with his finger and studied her. “You want me to stay?”
“Yes.” She grinned and her eyes shone. He’d made her look that way. What a difference from the expression she’d worn when he first walked into her office.
She’d said
Yes
. His third chance and the last one he’d ever need. A rush of energy flooded his cells, tightened his body. The robe fell as his fingers caressed her shoulders. And when his hands cradled her face, her smile filled them. Assent shimmered in her smoky-green eyes.
His mouth found hers as her eyelids lowered, her blond lashes pressing against her creamy skin. He pulled her tight against his chest. He’d never leave her again.
A word about the author...
Nia Simone grew up on the side of a ski slope in Squaw Valley, California. When not skiing, she had her nose in a book or in sheet music, teaching herself piano. She now lives in the heart of Silicon Valley, where she writes romance, blogs, studies art, and enjoys cooking, hiking, and taking ski trips with her husband. She can be found on the web at niasimone.intuitwebsites.com and niasimoneauthor.com.
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