She smirks. “They’ll have to drag me away.”
Again, with that feeling in my chest—the lightness, the contented feeling. I swallow.
“Are you okay?” I ask, pulling her closer. Her hair is up in a messy ponytail, and she’s not wearing a stitch of makeup. Her freckles line her cheeks, and her dark eyelashes make her light brown eyes pop.
Fuck me, I’m a goner.
“You’re askingmeifI’mokay?” she chides, shaking her head. “Don’t be stupid. I’m fine. How are you?”
I smile. “I’m great now that you’re here.”
She twists her lips to the side, giving me a conspiratorial look. “Are you trying to get laid?”
I grin. “Is it working?”
“Definitely not,” she jokes, leaning down and kissing me. Her breath is fresh, and I reach up and grab her hair, fisting it between my fingers. It’s so soft, so silky, and that reminds me of how it feels to be inside her…
“You need to rest,” Natalia croons. She pushes me back against the bed gently, tucking me in and brushing the hair off my forehead.
Fuck.
Me.
“I need to tell you something,” I mumble, my voice raspy.
She narrows her eyes. “About the email from Kelvin?”
“Yes,” I answer, suspicious.
“I saw it pop up when I borrowed your laptop earlier.”
I should be freaked out—should be irritated that a woman I’ve known less than a month helped herself to my personal things—had the audacity to use my computer. Mere weeks ago, I might’ve been. But I don’t feel that. I only feel warm, like the ice inside me is thawing out, bit by bit. Like I want her in my space—only her. Like we already saw the worst of each other, already laid ourselves bare completely.
She doesn’t scare me, and neither does a future with her. And that means being completely open and honest with her.
“I think it’s best for the company,” I say slowly, waiting for her reaction.
“Yeah, Luca filled me in. It would’ve been nice to be privy to those conversations so that I wasn’t so surprised seeing Kelvin’s email.” She gives me a lopsided smile.
“You will continue to have a job at Gather,” I clarify. “The sale is still weeks away, and even when it does happen, the day-to-day won’t really be that different.”
She looks away. “While I appreciate my brother taking me under his wings, I think it’s time for me to go after what I really want.”
“And what’s that?”
She shrugs. “My old co-worker wants to start a boutique literary agency with me.”
I smile. “Oh. You have to do that. That’s the perfect job for you.”
She wrinkles her nose and shrugs. “I think so, too. It’s scary how much I want it.”
I take her hand and pull her closer. “I’m proud of you.” My eyes start to get heavy from the meds. “Come cuddle with me.”
Her face softens, and she gets up to dim the lights before pulling her chair closer.
“What are you doing?” I ask, patting the space next to me. “Get in here.”
And then I fall asleep with her warm body against mine, her hand in my hair.
