“No. What I’m thinking is you’re being naive,” I countered.
“Well, I think you’re naive for thinking men and women can’t be just friends,” she shot back.
“Wewere ‘just friends’ once, Carmen.”
The car jerked suddenly to a stop, throwing both of us forward as a cluster of pedestrians meandered across the street. The abrupt motion broke the tension, and we shifted away from each other.
“Nothing is going on with me and Marcus,” she said bluntly. “He’s married. He’s a million years old. He has a family.”
“You make it sound like his marriage and family are the only things stopping it from being more,” I said, my tone sharp enough to draw blood.
She stared at me, clearly blindsided. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m just pointing out that he wouldn’t look at me that way.”
“Oh, because men never cheat on their wives?” I snapped before I could stop myself.
Her mouth dropped open in disbelief, but she snapped it shut just as fast. “And you think that’s the type of person I am? Willing to sneak around with my married boss and cheat on you after everything?”
That shut me up.
“Answer me,” she demanded, anger flashing across her face.
I looked out the window to escape the heat. “No, I don’t.”
“Then why are you being like this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well. What do you want me to say to take that stupid ass thought out of your head?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“That you’re mine,” I said, unflinching as I turned to look into her eyes. “And that you’llneverlook at another man the way you look at me.”
Her chest rose and fell, and her hands fisted in her lap. She met my gaze without flinching, her voice steady when she spoke.
“I’m yours, Theodore. Iwill neverlook at anyone else the way I look at you.”
Relief hit me so hard I almost hated it.
“Good.”
The rest of the ride stretched on in thick, uncomfortable silence. I stared out the window, jaw tight, furious with myself for picking a fight so damn early into her visit.
Two weeks.
We had two weeks together, and I was already screwing it up. I was already making it more complicated than it needed to be. But I couldn’t help myself. I knew what I had, and what I had was a woman who could pull any man she wanted. A woman whose wits matched her already impossible beauty. A woman who had spent months apart from me, and in that time, it allowed seeds of doubt to be sown.
I knew Carmen.
She wasn’t a cheater, and her eyes wouldn’t wander.
But I didn’t know Marcus. And whatever his intentions were with my future wife, they had better be pure.
When we finally pulled up to the hotel, Carmen shifted in her seat, her expression softening. The valet opened the door, and I slid out first, offering my hand to help her out. She took it without hesitation, her fingers squeezing mine just a little tighter than necessary. She’d let me guard her up the steps and into the hotel as the bellmen unloaded her bags and gifted flowers.
High ceilings framed by golden accents stretched above us, while the floor beneath gleamed with polished marble in intricate patterns. The massive chandelier my company installed hung in the center, scattering soft light across the space.
Plush velvet seating adorned the room, each piece arranged around low tables that held delicate arrangements of peonies.
