They finished their meal and cleaned up before Claire showed him around her home. Size-wise, it wasn't much bigger than his corporate apartment and he couldn't help but compare. While his temporary place screamed utilitarian, Claire's hardwood floors, granite countertops, large garden tub, and balcony off the main room gave off an understated luxury vibe.
The sitting area was smaller than his, but the spacious kitchen more than made up for it. And Claire loved her kitchen. The granite countertops and stainless steel appliances gave it a modern, sleek feel. He spotted a professional grade mixer and three canisters decorated with dairy cows tucked away in the corner.
Noah was still smiling at the whimsical cows jumping over the moon when she stopped abruptly in front of him. He put his hands on her shoulders to keep from running over her.
"Claire?" he asked.
She turned, causing one hand to brush across her back before settling on her other shoulder. "Oh, um… through there is my bedroom, but I woke up late and didn't get my bed made this morning, so I'm leaving it off the tour."
Noah, way too focused on the softness of her blouse under his hand, answered distractedly, "That's fine. My bed stays unmade most of the time." He figured his mum would forgive the little white lie. "Your home is lovely." He nodded at the bookshelf in the living area. "What do you like to read?"
She led him to her bookshelf and showed him her collection. When she bent over to pull out a favorite on a lower shelf, her hair fell forward, obscuring her face. He reached out without thinking and brushed it back over her shoulder. Claire stood up and looked into his eyes. They were standing so close. He watched her throat move as she swallowed.
"Are you going to kiss me again?" she whispered.
Heat roared through him. "Do you want me to?"
A barely perceived nod had his lips on hers. He had forgotten. After a month of haunted dreams and memories of the fire of her kiss, you'd think he'd remember. But no memory could match the reality. He turned to putty in her hands.
He maneuvered them back until they fell on her sofa, his hands roaming, seeking entry under the layers of clothes she wore.
Music blared and Claire went still. He lifted his head and searched her face. What was that look? Horrified? Guilty? Whatever it was, it wasn't the dazed bliss he was feeling.
"That's my dad's ringtone."
Noah reviewed the production reports from the England plant. Several items jumped out at him. He highlighted them and emailed a response to his second shift supervisor. He'd been back in Houston two weeks now and, with the project work now going full steam, he was finding it harder and harder to squeeze in time to address his duties back home. They needed to find a better solution. The MADS update project was supposed to run for at least one more year, and every day, he relied more and more on others to fill the gap on the factory floor. He wasn't sure how much longer this would work. Something had to give.
And, to be honest, he wasn't sure if he fit the role of production manager anymore. Working at this global level had broadened his perspective. Being able to see operational needs across locations fed his soul in ways he hadn't known he'd needed. The satisfaction of tweaking their processes to make their entire organization run more efficiently? Well, that gratification was exponentially better than fixing a broken part on the line or straightening out schedule snafus. He felt like he was being proactive and making a better tomorrow rather than just reacting to headaches all the time.
Voices in the hallway interrupted his musings. He'd recognize her voice anywhere. Sharing rides to and from work had become a regular thing. And this past weekend, she'd talked him into checking out a local skate park close to her place. They hadn't stayed long—the weather was too cold and wet for it—but walking through the park holding hands had been enjoyable. Seeing or talking to each other every day outside of work had become their new normal. They'd even gone to dinner together with her cooking mates earlier this week. So much for not dating coworkers.
"What do you mean, this report pulls all the data from the beginning of time? Why?" Claire passed by, speaking with Grace Simmons. She caught his eye and gave him a quick wave from the hand at her side before turning back to hear Grace's answer.
"Think of your personal checking account. You opened it with a zero balance, but your balance today is a result of all the transactions you've made from the beginning." Their voices faded as they walked on.
A frown marred Noah's face. Secret waves, hidden glances. For the last two weeks, they'd spent time together outside the office, but had yet to share their newfound closeness with their workmates. They weren't public yet. He knew why he wasn't bringing it up. The conversation with Tristan over Christmas had brought home that he still had issues to deal with on that front, but mostly, he simply wasn't ready to share her yet. The relationship was still private and new. He didn't want the company gossip mill creating problems where there were none.
He shook off his gloomy deliberations and thought about tonight. They had a date. Claire planned to cook, and they were watching a movie afterward. Physically, they were taking it slow. His body flushed as he remembered the kissing session on her couch rudely interrupted by her old man. Man, he loved those soft, luscious lips of hers. And tonight? Well, tonight might be the night. He'd thrown his gym bag containing a change of clothes into his car this morning and packed some basic necessities into his laptop bag, in case she asked him to stay. The thought of waking up next to her tomorrow morning, sharing breakfast, and heading to work together… Noah swallowed and rubbed his lips, feeling warm and fuzzy at the thought. Tristan's voice sounded in his head, What a sappy old man you've become, big brother.
"Lunch?" Larry poked his head in and Noah checked his watch, surprised the morning had passed so quickly.
"Yep."
"Meet up at the skywalk. We've got a crowd, so we're walking the tunnels today." The tunnels didn't quite make it to the building that housed Caprock Enterprises, but the neighboring building was connected and a nice, heated skywalk stretched between them.
"Gotcha."
They'd finished eating when Rick asked what time they were meeting at Larry's place for poker tonight. Shit, Noah thought. He'd completely forgotten about the scheduled poker game.
While everyone was distracted pocketing their credit cards, he casually said, "Yeah, I'm not going to make it tonight."
Every single person stopped and stared at him. Claire's gaze from across the table bit into him, and he focused on Rick, struggling to keep his eyes off her.
"You never miss. What's up?"
"Nothing. I have things to do. I'll catch you next week."
Larry shrugged him off, but Rick's gaze drilled into him. When he raised an eyebrow, Noah broke eye contact and made a fuss about getting his credit card into the correct slot in his wallet.
