by Regina Cole
“See you later,” he corrected. “You’re coming to the gym tomorrow, remember?”
She nodded. Her eyes began to look suspiciously wet. Wait a second, was she going to cry?
“See you tomorrow,” she said, her tone too bright, and she shoved the door open.
For a second, he sat there looking at the space she had just occupied. What should he do? Damn it, why wasn’t the correct answer coming to him? He’d tried pushing; he’d tried pulling back. But none of it had worked to get through to her. He just wanted her, for fuck’s sake. He wanted her to come to him and share everything with him, but she couldn’t. She was too afraid. And no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t push her through the fear.
His trunk slammed shut and she stepped onto the sidewalk with her bag hanging on her shoulder. Rob set his jaw and waved back at her when she lifted her hand.
And then he shifted into DRIVE and maneuvered his way onto the street in the gap in traffic. When he glanced in the rearview, she was turning to walk into her building.
“Fuck,” he said aloud, slapping his steering wheel. The sting of his palm felt good, but it didn’t solve the problem. Did that problem even have a solution he could supply? He didn’t know. There wasn’t exactly a carton of self-confidence he could gift her from Amazon.
He shook his head as he waited at the next stoplight. How long should he keep torturing himself like this? It hadn’t been that long, but he’d shown her who he was. What he was. He hadn’t hidden anything from her, but she couldn’t trust him at all.
His cell phone beeped as he pulled into his space at the garage. The screen revealed that it was Brandi.
“I’m here,” he said when the call connected. “What’s up?”
“We’ve got problems,” Brandi said, sounding out of breath. “Flowers is back and he won’t leave. Silvio is keeping him out of the classroom, but he’s insisting he teach his class.”
“Fucking hell,” Rob said, yanking his bag from the backseat and slamming the door in one quick move. “I’m coming right now. Have you called the cops?”
“Called them first. They’re starting to get loud.” Brandi, normally unflappable and tough, was sounding just a teensy bit nervous.
“Try to keep everyone away from them. Let Silvio handle him until the cops get there. I’ll be inside in twenty seconds.” Rob killed the call and shoved his phone into his jacket pocket.
He’d been toying with the idea of a restraining order on that nut job, but his shortened schedule at the gym had kept him playing catch-up everywhere, and that particular task had slipped through the cracks. Damn it. His idiotic pursuit had put his business in jeopardy—again.
Goddamn his horny ass. Stacey was incredible, but if she didn’t want him in the same way, why was he risking everything for her? It didn’t make sense.
But even as he shoved his way through the front doors of his gym, he knew it didn’t matter. As long as she was around, he would have to try. She was too precious to give up.
A crowd was starting to gather near the hallway that led to the classrooms, Brandi doing her best to keep them back. Rob tossed his bag behind the counter and shed his jacket before heading that way and rolling up his sleeves.
He hoped Stacey started to trust him soon. If she didn’t, he just might lose everything.
Chapter 24
Surrounded by her project lists, files, her focus playlist playing through her computer speakers, Stacey could almost pretend things were back to normal. Hannah had greeted her with a huge hug and gushing praise on how great she looked. Stacey had filled her coffee cup in the break room, said hello to the interns who were working at a table in the copy room, even skirted by the double whammy of Vance and Walter. The sun was out, shining through her windows, and the responses she’d gotten from her inquiries to the solar panel companies were encouraging. The numbers were adding up, and her proposal had all the finishing touches.
So, why did she feel like shit?
Every time she turned her chair to pull a page off the printer or grab her stapler, she caught sight of her overnight bag in the corner of her office. Enterprise was delivering her rental car sometime this afternoon. Hannah was bringing her lunch, and they’d have a quiet one here in the office to catch up. Things were back to normal—well, as normal as they could be considering Stacey herself was completely different.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Rob. He’d looked sad this morning as he’d driven away. That expression didn’t belong on his handsome face. But she didn’t know what else to do. She’d tried to make it clear that she was interested in him, without coming right out and asking him to be her boyfriend.
Heat climbed into her cheeks, and she pressed a palm to one to cool it. God. She couldn’t do that. Her fear of rejection was much too real. But it was maddening to think that she was this close to someone she cared for this much and she didn’t have the guts to come out and tell him that she wanted to be with him.
“Stupid,” she muttered under her breath as she thunked proposal pages together on the desktop to straighten them into a neat stack. “Just be honest with him. It’ll work out.”
Despite her words, she wasn’t so sure.
A knock on her office door drew her attention. “Come in.”
Her boss, Ed Cramer, poked his head inside. “Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Ed,” Stacey said, smiling at the director. “I’m very glad to be back.”
“I need to go over some things with you. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” she said, putting her pages aside in the notebook she’d laid out for them. “Want to come in, or should I go to your office?”
Ed came in and shut the door behind him. Stacey tilted her head in question. Her boss was normally a loud, jovial kind of guy. Shutting the door wasn’t like him.
He sat down across from her, an unusually serious expression on his face.
“I hope your recovery is going well?”
“Yes,” Stacey said, trying to calm the butterflies that were banging against her rib cage. “I’m slowly getting back to normal.”
“Are you ready to present your project to the city council tomorrow?”
Hannah, bless her efficient and well-connected soul, had performed a miracle. She’d managed to convince Ed and his boss to call a special meeting of the city council to consider the solar panel proposal tomorrow.
“I’m putting the finishing touches on the presentation right now.”
“Good,” Ed said. He nodded. “It will be nice to have that project in the works. You’ve done an excellent job on it.”
“Thank you,” she said, his praise making her smile. But something was still off. “Was there something else?”
He nodded, his expression inscrutable. “I wanted to let you know that I received a few very interesting e-mails and phone calls while you were away, about our partnership with the Atlanta Police Department.”
The floor fell out from beneath Stacey, and her mouth went desert-dry. “Oh. Um . . . Yes. I can explain that.”
“Please do,” Ed said, propping his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepling his fingers.
She launched into the story of the fight at Rob’s gym, glossing over the fact that she’d been staying with him. Let Ed think she was there for physical therapy. It wasn’t pertinent to the discussion anyway. As she spoke, her palms went clammy, and she was certain a flush was climbing up her neck.
It was bad. She hadn’t stopped to think about how bad it could be when it happened; she’d just wanted to help. But to have lied like that?
“So, in the interest of helping a local business, I let the onlookers believe it was a training exercise.”
“So, you lied.” Ed stated the fact calmly, without any anger.
“Yes. I did, in fact, lie.” She could have said more, tried to point out that she’d been an exemplary employee, that she’d come up with more projects than anyone else this year, had streamlined the department, but she didn�
��t. It wouldn’t matter. At the end of the day, she had to answer for her actions.
“Well, you might have lied, but it was a damn good idea.”
Her heart flopped over like a dying fish. “It was?”
“Yes. The police chief and I are already coordinating on it. I contacted him on the off chance he’d been thanked like I was. He hadn’t, but when I explained the premise as I understood it, he was on board. It’s a great publicity tool for the city and the police.”
Relief made her sink back into her chair. “Oh good.”
“That being said, you’re not off the hook for this, Hough.” Ed sat forward, his sharp green eyes pinning her like a butterfly to a corkboard. “You stuck your neck out pretty far, and you could easily have been fired for this kind of stunt.”
“I know. Thank you.” Stacey crossed her legs at the ankles, wincing as her boot brushed up against her bruise. “I promise I won’t do anything like that again.”
“As for your punishment,” Ed said as he stood, hiking up his khaki pants, “you’ll be working with Vance Farmer to head up this project.”
“With . . . him? Vance? But he hates my guts—you can’t . . .”
Ed grinned, his usual levity returning. “Gotcha. You’re on your own. Draw up the ideas and have them on my desk by Tuesday morning. I’ll see you tomorrow at the city council meeting.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Stacey smiled as Ed turned to leave her office.
Well, that had gone much better than expected. Stacey hummed to herself as she turned back to her proposal. If—when, she mentally corrected herself—the solar panel project was approved tomorrow, she would definitely have time to dedicate to the police project.
And maybe, with a couple of major career successes under her belt, she could find the courage to just come out and ask Rob if he wanted to make things more official between them.
Maybe she’d do that. Soon. She nodded as a sense of confidence filled her. Yeah.
Maybe things could really work out after all.
* * *
It was late. The gym was empty, other than Rob. The only sounds were the rhythmic pounds of his footfalls on the treadmill’s deck. He ran, staring straight ahead, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain.
It had been a hell of a day. The cops had come, and there had been no Stacey to distract from what was actually happening. Three of his regular clients had canceled their contracts. If things kept going like this, he would lose the gym. It sucked.
Maybe he had made a mistake in taking time off when he did. No, he definitely had. But taking care of Stacey had shown him a glimpse of what life could be like with someone like her. Someone caring, funny, who shook him out of his normal comfort zone and helped him see things in a new light.
But he hadn’t been able to make that work, either. For some reason, despite his best efforts, Stacey still didn’t trust him.
Over and over his feet hit the deck, his steady run taking his breath, making him sweat. The televisions were off, and everything was quiet, but why was the noise inside his head so loud?
He would see her tomorrow. But until then, how was he supposed to distract himself from what was going on inside his head and heart?
He should tell her that he loved her. He should ask her to share his life somehow, to explore what they could be together. But he knew that would scare her even further.
When he glanced down at the treadmill’s readout, he was surprised to see that he had gone nearly ten miles. It hadn’t felt like that long, but apparently it had been. He slowed the deck to a walk, and placing his hands on his hips, he looked down at his toes as he began his cooldown lap.
“You’re not supposed to look at your feet. You’ll fall.”
He jerked his head up and nearly stumbled at the quick movement. But he righted himself, and stopped the machine dead.
Stacey. She was standing there in front of him, a shy smile on her beautiful face, wearing her coat and holding her overnight bag.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have come in, but you didn’t answer your cell phone.”
“I left the front door unlocked, huh?”
“Yeah.” She unhooked the strap from her shoulder and set the bag down on the floor. “Hate to bother you, but I need a ride. Enterprise flaked out on me, and I don’t have a rental car until tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Rob stepped off the machine and closed the distance between them. “You know I’ll give you a ride.”
Without thinking, he reached out to pull her into his arms, then stopped. Had the intimacy between them just been for the time they had spent together? What if everything was different now? Besides, he was sweaty from his run, and she was still wearing her professional work clothing.
But she didn’t seem to notice his hesitation, and she went into his arms willingly. He closed his eyes and squeezed her tight.
“I didn’t know how I was going to sleep tonight without you.” Her voice was muffled against his T-shirt. “The thought was not nice.”
“Well, you don’t have to sleep without me if you don’t want to.”
His offer made her look up at him, blue eyes wide. “Really?”
He nodded, not bothering to stifle his smile. “Custard won’t mind.”
She sighed, and pulled back a bit. “I really should get back home. I’ve got a major presentation tomorrow, and I really need to polish it up.”
His sense of loss was deep, but he nodded. “Yeah, I guess it’s for the best. We had to get back to reality sometime.”
“Yeah.”
He clasped his hands behind his back, just to do something with them. The awkward feeling was definitely not going over well with his insides. “Well, if you want to hang out for a second, I’ll get my coat and shut everything down. Then we can head out and I’ll take you home.”
“Thank you, Rob, seriously. I can’t tell you how much everything you’ve done has meant to me.”
“Well, you have to prove to me how grateful you are when you show up tomorrow for your training session.”
She laughed, and the sound lifted his spirits a little. “You bet.”
Rob left her standing in the front lobby while he went to his office to shut everything down and gather his things. As he went, he debated internally. What was his best move here? He wanted Stacey. He wanted her in his life, and he wanted to help her gain the confidence she needed to be his partner. It seemed like he had tried everything, but maybe just being direct with her was the best approach.
As he shrugged into his coat, he debated. Yeah, it might make her run scared, but then again, it might actually boost her confidence to know that he sincerely wanted to be with her. He wasn’t used to talking about his problems. Sadly, that was one aspect of his father’s character that he had inherited. You didn’t talk about problems; you just put your head down to solve them. But this wasn’t a problem that his usual approach had been able to solve.
He killed the lights in his office and headed out to meet Stacey. His mind was made up. He was going to do this, and hopefully it would work out.
Stacey smiled when he met her, and he couldn’t help but notice how the expression lightened his spirits. Yeah. This was the right thing to do.
As they walked across the street to the parking deck, he reached over and caught her hand. She looked surprised, but didn’t pull away, a small smile curling her beautiful lips.
With her directions, he drove to her apartment. It wasn’t far, but with the cold, the car was a definite necessity.
He killed the engine in her assigned parking space, and they sat there for a moment in the quiet.
“Thanks again. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you over the past two weeks.”
“I do. You are smart, you’re incredibly resourceful, and you would’ve been fine regardless. But I am happy that I was able to help in some small way.” He took a deep, steadying breath. For some reason, he was nervous. Well, there wasn’t any way to prepare better for it, so
he’d just have to swallow his pride, say a little prayer, and throw it all out there.
“Stacey, I—”
“Wait, can I say something first?”
Well, so much for that. He nodded.
She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. “I like you. Well, you know that. What I mean is, I think I’m falling in love with you.”
And just like that, he realized he’d worried for nothing. She continued.
“I don’t know if you feel the same way. It’s been amazing to be with you, and if you’re interested, I’d like to continue to see you. Romantically, I mean.”
Something swelled in his chest. A lightness penetrated his heart, spreading and lifting him higher than he’d ever imagined he could feel. The emotions pulled him forward, directly toward her. Leaning across the console, he took her in his arms and pressed his lips against her eager mouth.
She was his now. And he had every intention of keeping her.
Chapter 25
They stumbled into her apartment, barely breaking the kiss long enough for Stacey to toss her bag down on the floor of the living room.
Weak light from the streetlights outside spilled through the window, giving just enough illumination for them to avoid colliding with the coffee table on the way to the couch.
Rob pressed her down into the cushions, and she shoved his jacket down his arms, desperate to touch his skin again.
It was stupid. It hadn’t been that long since she’d seen him. Hell, they’d had longer times apart when she was staying in his house. But for some reason, their separation today had seemed much more distant, more final. And to now be with him again? Stacey was overcome with both love and lust.
He lifted up long enough to yank his shirt over his head, and she made use of the time to do the same. His lips took hers once more while his fingers desperately fumbled with the front catch of her bra. She arched her back while reaching down to slide the elastic of his waistband as far down as she could reach.
“Fuck, I can’t. It’s dark.”
“Here, let me,” she said, sitting up, and took over the bra while he removed his track pants.