Damage Control (15 page)

“While we're in Chicago, we're going to have fun.”

She sniffled. “Excuse me?”

“We'll go out at night. Have a great time. Really take in the sights. Just you and me.”

“We'll be too tired. We can't.”

“When's the last time, besides those sick days, you even took a day off?”

She shrugged. Hiccupped.

“Exactly. Trust me. It'll be a blast.”

 

 

 

Andrea stepped out of the elevator, her hand pressed to her stomach. She was getting sick again, and right now was the worst possible time. Her head once again felt full. Hazy. Her stomach hadn't stopped rolling all week.

Of course, that could have something to do with the partnership slipping out of her grasp when she'd been so damned close she'd practically been able to touch it. She pressed her fingers to her lips to quell the nausea. The last thing she needed was to puke on the hotel carpet. Talk about embarrassing.

Brian, as if sensing her distress, settled his hand on the small of he back, warming her skin around his touch. “You promised me you weren't going to worry this weekend.”

“I'm not worried.” What she felt had passed worry a long time ago. She didn't think there was a strong enough word in the dictionary to describe what she was feeling. But worried? Nope. Not her. At least not tonight. “It's jet lag and stress. Not a pretty combination. I just need a good night's sleep.”

“It's six o'clock.”

“And?”

“And we have reservations at seven.” Brian winked, using his key card to unlock the door next to the one she'd stopped in front of. “Take a few minutes to get ready. And wear something nice, okay?”

He didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead, he went into his room and let the door close behind him, leaving Andrea to wonder how he'd managed to surprise her yet again.

Chapter Ten

“Now what?” Andrea asked as they stopped in front of their room doors. The night had been incredible. Brian was…amazing. He'd rented a private room in a fancy waterfront restaurant and had spent the whole night wining and dining her, listening like he was hanging on her every word and spoiling her the way no man ever had. Why hadn't any woman snatched him up before now?

Why hadn't
she?

If she'd had any doubts before, they'd all fled now. She was falling in love with the guy. She hadn't even been able to stop it from happening. There was only one possible snag—the two of them had different expectations.

Brian caught her gaze. “That's up to you.”

“Do you want to come inside?”

“Is that what you want? I didn't take you out to dinner expecting to get laid afterward.”

She laughed at the humor in his tone. Leave it to Brian to know exactly when the mood needed to be lightened. “I want you to come inside.”

“Are you sure about that?”

In answer, she crossed to him and wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Their lips brushed once, twice before he stroked his tongue into her mouth. He backed her up against the wall, fitting his body to hers. His hands rested on her waist, his fingers gripping the skin through her dress.

His lips left hers to trail down her neck, and she arched into the touch of his warm, wet mouth. He'd been right. The conference, the whole experience would be freeing. At home, there were too many obstacles in the way. Here, she could pretend there were none.

She pulled his shirt from the waistband of his pants, sliding her palms up his rippled abs. He smiled against her neck in response before nipping the skin where her neck met her shoulder.

A throat clearing from just down the hall made Andrea jump. Brian broke the kiss and they both glanced in the direction of the sound. An older couple in dress clothes stood in front of a room a few doors down.

“Maybe we should move this inside. It's probably not appropriate for the hallway,” Brian whispered in her ear. “At least it won't be in a few minutes.”

Giggling, Andrea opened the door to her room and let them inside. Once the door shut behind them, Brian threw the deadbolt, grabbed her, and yanked her against him. The kiss resumed, hotter than it had been before. He reached behind her neck and untied the straps holding up the top of her dress. He let them fall, then moved his mouth to her breasts to lave her nipples with his tongue.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders, letting her head drop back against the wall. The man knew how to turn a woman on.

When he lifted his mouth, a chill washed over her. She reached for him, but he shook his head. “No. This is all about you tonight.”

“Brian.” The single word sounded suspiciously like a whine.

He didn't seem to mind. He gave her a half-smile and waggled his eyebrows. “Deal with it.”

He took her hand, threaded his fingers through hers and led her into the bathroom, where he knelt by the tub and started filling it with water.

“You want to take a bath?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “I don't think we'll both fit in that tub. It's a little on the small side.”

In fact, she had serious doubts Brian would fit in it alone. It couldn't be more than four feet long.

“Not me. You. Take off the dress.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just trust me, okay?”

She had no choice but to relent. She unzipped the back of the dress and peeled it off, kicking out of her shoes as she let the fabric drop to the floor. Next, she took off her panties and thigh-highs, and looked Brian's way just in time to see him adding bubbles to the water. Once the tub was filled, he helped her inside. She lay back, letting the warm water calm her tired body. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was until this moment. Her eyes drifted closed.

“This feels nice.”

“Don't fall asleep.”

“I'm not making any promises.” She smiled, but then jumped when something soft touched her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she saw Brian had grabbed a washcloth. He wet it and trailed it over her skin, the touch a light tease that made her shiver.

He washed her body in long, thorough strokes, apparently wanting to make sure every inch of her was clean. He paid special attention to her nipples, plucking and rolling them until she cried out. When he spread her legs and moved the cloth between them, she was more than ready for him.

He stroked the cloth over her clit, driving her closer and closer to the edge. When she came, she saw stars. Her body thrashed in the water and she grabbed his hand to anchor herself as the tremors raced through her.

Once she could breathe again, she sank down in the water, a huge smile on her face.

Brian laughed. “If you stay in there much longer, you're going to turn into a prune.”

As if she cared? She was feeling too good to care about anything right now. She raised a hand in front of her face and studied her wrinkled fingers. “Too late.”

She pulled the plug on the drain and stood. Brian held a towel in his hand and she reached for it, but he pulled it out of her grasp. Instead of letting her dry herself, which she could have accomplished quickly, he took his time drying her himself. By the time he finished, she was shaking all over again. Her sex quivered and she had to grip his shoulders to keep from falling down.

When he finished and had tossed the towel into a corner of the room, he surprised her yet again by lifting her into his arms and carrying her back into the hotel room. His gallantry seemed to end there, though, when he dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed.

She laughed. “What's with you tonight?”

His expression turned serious and he looked on the verge of saying something, but then the stoic look faded and he smiled again. “It's not me. It's you. You make me crazy.”

“And that's a good thing?”

“Oh, yeah.”

He stripped out of his clothes and joined her on the bed. When she thought he'd slide right inside her, he surprised her by rolling her to her back, spreading her legs, and pressing his mouth against her sex.

She cried out, still sensitive from coming the first time. He worked her with his lips and tongue, stroking and licking and suckling her tender flesh until she writhed underneath him. She tangled her fingers in his hair, alternately trying to push him away and pull him closer. So quickly, he managed to push her right toward another release. Her body bowed and her lips parted in a silent scream, she came again, thrashing against the hold Brian had on her hips.

Her eyes closed and she rolled her head to the side, so thoroughly satisfied she wasn't sure her blood would ever stop humming. And once Brian had sheathed himself and climbed over her, fitting his cock against her entrance before he stroked inside, another round of tremors pulsed through her. Tears clouded her eyes. What was she supposed to do about him? She loved the man, but it would never work. They wanted different things out of life.

Brian pressed his mouth against her neck as he came, shuddering above her. She stroked her hands down his back and wished things could have been different. She didn't have the time to fight for a man and fight for a partnership at work, too.

 

 

 

“We're never going to get this together, are we?” Brian asked, leaning back against the seat of his car. He'd given her a ride from the airport. The weekend had been wonderful, and now that they were home, she could already feel things starting to change between them. They'd pulled up in front of her apartment ten minutes ago, but she'd made no move to get out of the car.

She let out a breath heavy with frustration. “I wish I could say we will, but in all honesty, I really don't know.”

He nodded, but said nothing for a little while. Instead he trained his gaze out the window. When he spoke, she caught the disappointment in his voice. “I love you, Andrea.”

Her heart nearly broke at the words. She sniffled, swiping at the tears in her eyes with the backs of her fingers. “I love you, too.”

Brian let out a bitter laugh. “Then why isn't this a happier moment? It feels like goodbye.”

“Because I know what you want. You want forever with a woman. I'm not ready to make that kind of commitment yet.”

He swung his gaze to hers. “Yet? Does that mean you will be sometime soon?”

How she wished she could tell him she would. “It all depends on the partnership. Until I hear differently, I'm still in the running. I have to work my ass off if I want to have a shot at it. You can understand that, can't you?”

Brian nodded. “Yeah. I can. Unfortunately. Let me help you with your bags.”

He popped the trunk and got out, going around to the trunk to pull out her travel bag and small suitcase. He turned to her when she followed. “Do you want help getting these upstairs?”

“No, thanks. They're light. I'll be fine.”

Brian raked a hand through his hair before he pulled her close for a tight hug. It seemed to go on for ages, and when he finally let go, he backed up a few steps. “I'll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay. I'll see you at work tomorrow.”

He didn't answer. Instead, he got into his car and drove away.

Chapter Eleven

“Are you pregnant?”

Andrea gaped at Claire, unable to believe her sister had even asked. “Of course not. What would make you think that, anyway?”

“Your scatterbrained behavior, for one. Also, the way you seem to be sick to your stomach all the time. And the way you're moping around? Come on. You're serious, Andrea, not tragic. Get over it already.”

“I'm not pregnant.” Even as she said the words, she counted back to the last period she'd had. Two months earlier, before she and Brian had started sleeping with each other. “I'm not.”

Her stomach rolled again, as it had been prone to do in the last week or so, but she hadn't considered pregnancy as a possible cause. Losing Brian had devastated her, and had forced her to start rethinking her priorities. What if everyone around her had been right? What if her career had been slowly ruining her life? What she'd thought of as essential for so long now seemed trivial, and the idea of that had been tearing her up inside. All this time striving for what she'd imagined as the perfect career, and she didn't even know what she wanted anymore. Up until she'd let Brian go, she'd had purpose in her life. Now she felt like she was floating around, no destination in sight.

“I don't know who you're trying to convince.”

Myself.
This couldn't be happening. She didn't even know if she wanted kids, ever, and she was definitely sure she wasn't ready for them right this second. “What if I am?”

Claire smoothed down a lock of Andrea's hair. “Oh, sweetie, even if you are, it'll be okay. Brian will take care of you.”

She bristled. Brian wouldn't do shit. She replayed his last words to her over in her head again, for what seemed like the millionth time.
I'll talk to you later.
He hadn't mentioned then that he'd been planning to cut himself completely out of her life. “I don't need a man to take care of me.”

“Yeah, I know. But don't you want one to, even sometimes?”

“No.” She hadn't spent all of her adult life trying to avoid those sorts of attachments for nothing. Brian had broken her heart, and she hadn't even meant to let her emotions get involved in the first place. Now she was without the man she loved, as well as her best friend. “Brian and I split up. We aren't seeing each other anymore.”

A tear formed in her eye, but she batted it away. They weren't even friends now. She hadn't seen him that Monday morning at work, since she'd been told when she'd arrived that he'd given notice before they'd left for the conference. He'd apparently planned on finishing his two weeks, but Gerald had given him the option of leaving early, and he'd taken it. That whole weekend he'd already known this was going to happen, and he hadn't even breathed a word to her. Not even when he'd told her he loved her.