Say You Do

by Weston Parker

  Our bodies moved together in a staccato rhythm as we rode out our climaxes, holding on to each other as though trying to use the other as an anchor. When we finally stilled, I felt Cyrus’s breaths warm my skin and wrapped myself around him even tighter, holding him to me for just a minute longer.

  Hearts slamming against the other’s chest, we lay like that for a long time before he finally pulled out to take care of business. I’d felt empty of him before but never as bereft as I did now.

  During the past couple of weeks, I hadn’t even realized how much I missed doing this with him until I had it again. Why had I avoided him?

  Sure, the shop was having financial problems, but it wasn’t like abstaining from sex was going to fix that. I also hadn’t answered him about Italy and not knowing how to tell him why I couldn’t go had been a big motivating factor behind not wanting to spend time with him alone.

  He hadn’t brought it up, though. I supposed it was entirely possible that he’d guessed my answer by now. Cyrus wasn’t stupid, and if a person hadn’t answered a question like that in all this time, it was unlikely they were going to say yes.

  When he crawled back into bed, I laid my head on his shoulder and fitted myself against his side. “Can you stay tonight?”

  “No, I’m sorry.” His arms curled around me too, as if it was starting to feel as natural for him as it was for me. “I have to leave the city for the weekend for a conference upstate early in the morning and I haven’t even packed yet.”

  “Oh, okay.” I tried not to let the disappointment raging through me show. I’d been pulling away from him for weeks due to no fault of his. It made no sense to feel rejected by him. “Hope you have fun at the conference.”

  He chuckled darkly and his features twisted into a grimace. “I’d hardly call it fun, but it’s an event I committed to ages ago. I couldn’t cancel now even if I’d much rather spend the rest of the weekend buried between your legs.”

  “You say the sweetest things to me,” I teased.

  “Only because you have the sweetest pussy around, babe.” He propped himself up on one elbow and treated me to his sexiest smile, that lock of hair falling across his forehead again.

  It was too tantalizing to pass up, so I reached for it and brushed the hair out of his face, letting my hand linger there. “You know I was being sarcastic, right? That’s really not a sweet thing to say.”

  His body shook against mine with laughter. “Coming from me? That’s just about the sweetest it gets. I wouldn’t want to spend a weekend burying myself to the hilt in just any pussy.”

  For some reason, his statement made flutters go off in my stomach. In his own, highly inappropriate way, Cyrus had just told me that he still only wanted me. It shouldn’t have meant a thing to me, but it did. Because despite the nature of our relationship, I still only wanted him as well.

  No one else. Just Cyrus.

  “I have a conference call on Monday, but I’ll talk to you sometime after,” he said. “We’ll see if we can meet up. Unless you’re going to be too busy with the shop?”

  “No, let’s talk after. I won’t be too busy.” The shop wasn’t too busy either, which was the problem. “Do you mind staying for a little while? Just until I can fall asleep.”

  “Sure, baby.” He kissed my eyelids and lay back again. “I’ll leave your keys in the mailbox, okay?”

  “Okay,” I whispered, the overwhelming exhaustion I’d felt earlier creeping up on me again.

  When I woke up a couple of hours later, Cyrus was gone but his masculine scent clung to my sheets. I had a feeling I should appreciate it being there for now because sooner or later, I was going to have to start working on my actual escape plan and not just the point when I would have to do it.

  Chapter 26

  Cyrus

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Coning,” Eddie, the owner of one of the businesses I’d invested in, greeted me on Monday. “Thank you for calling in today.”

  “It was the least I could do, considering that you rescheduled the meeting for me,” I said, smiling into the webcam mounted on top of my laptop.

  I was at home, relaxed in shorts and a T-shirt. One of the perks of my job was that I could be naked most of the time while making million-dollar deals and no one would ever know.

  I’d tried it once or twice, just to see what it would feel like, but it had been too weird. Even for me. Most of my business was done with men anyway and being naked while talking to a bunch of boring men wasn’t really my thing.

  Eddie’s eyes flashed with surprise as he looked into his own cam, leaving me to wonder why. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and now that I was looking at him properly, I realized he looked terrified.

  “What’s up, Eddie?” I frowned. “Have you got bad news?”

  He shook his head. “No, not at all, sir. In fact, I have great news. We’ve doubled our profits since this quarter last year, and as of last week, we’re the leading small environmental cleanup company in the state.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that.”

  “We received the news on Friday afternoon, sir. Only after close of business, which is why I didn’t call you right away. It’s being announced this week.” The man was practically sputtering. His face went red and I was pretty sure I saw sweat streaming out of even his ears now.

  “Jesus, Eddie. Are you okay? Congratulations, but you look like shit. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, sir. It’s just that…” He trailed off, his eyes not even meeting mine on his own computer screen. “I was a little afraid of giving you feedback after last time, sir.”

  “What? Why?” I tapped my screen, and sure enough, he finally lifted his head up again. “Why the fuck would you be afraid of reporting back to me?”

  “Well, sir…”

  It dawned on me then. “I was that much of a dick?”

  He flushed but nodded and laughed nervously. “Yes, sir, but I mean, it’s to be expected. You invested a whole bunch of money with us and—”

  “Tell you what. Let’s start over today. I’m in a good mood and your company is doing better than we ever expected. Call me Cyrus and stop fucking stammering.”

  “Yes, sir—” He swallowed. “Cyrus. I meant to say Cyrus.”

  I chuckled. “Sure, you did.”

  Fuck. I enjoyed knowing I could strike fear into the hearts of certain others, but I’d never meant to become someone the business owners I dealt with were afraid to report back to.

  My insights weren’t vital to the success or failure of most of their enterprises, but I liked to think they knew they could come to me for help if they needed it. Eddie was right, even if he had said it in more of a Luna way than a me way. I had invested a whole bunch of money into most of these businesses.

  I’d invested a shit ton of money into this particular business, and if it had tanked because he was too afraid to speak to me, I’d have ripped his fucking junk off and fed it to him with a spoon.

  I’d rather have any of the business owners come to me than fail just because they felt they couldn’t approach me. On the other hand, I’d never wanted any of them to approach me.

  “If you don’t mind me saying, Cyrus, you’re looking well,” Eddie said cautiously. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in such a good mood.”

  I laughed and raked a hand through my hair. “Yeah, well. I had a good weekend. Relaxing.”

  Despite my nerves and misgivings about Luna meeting my brother and his fiancée, the night had gone better than I ever could have wanted it to. Drinks at the bar had given me insight into Luna beneath the surface and had also taught me that we shared some of the tragic events in our pasts, and then as an added bonus, I’d gotten to make her come a couple times before she fell asleep.

  It had been the best night I’d had in a while and I’d ridden the high of it ever since. I’d also convinced myself to stop overthinking all the confusing shit and to just live in the moment with her.

  That was what I did best an
yway and I didn’t see why I had to change now. I grinned at Eddie and gave him a casual shrug. “Yeah, well, finding out that you guys are climbing so fast in one of the up-and-coming industries to watch sure doesn’t hurt.”

  Eddie’s eyes slid away from mine to focus on someone off screen. When he focused on me again, he reminded me of the shy kid who had first pitched to me two years ago. “Actually, Cyrus, now that you mentioned our climbing, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. Something that we think will give an edge over even our biggest competitors.”

  My brows rose and I rested my elbows on the armrests of my chair, linking my fingers together across my stomach as I inched my face closer to the screen. “Oh? What’s that?”

  “It’s a bit of a long story to get into over a call, but maybe we can schedule a meeting sometime.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to make it to your neck of the woods for at least the rest of this month. Texas isn’t exactly on my way to the gym, you know?”

  Eddie chuckled. “True, but didn’t I see your name on the guest list for that entrepreneurial event coming up in Venice?”

  “Um, yes. Yes, you did. I’d almost forgotten about it actually.” Mostly because I’d pushed it to the back of my mind while waiting for Luna’s answer, which still hadn’t come. “Thanks for reminding me.”

  “Sure thing. We’re going as well. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Should we find some time while we’re there to meet up?”

  “Great idea. I have some meetings scheduled there already, but let me check my calendar, and I’ll let you know when I’ll be able to see you.”

  “Whenever you’re available, we will be,” he assured me but then bit his lip. “The only presentation we’re really keen on going to is the one that’s being made by Landon Parker. You know the guy who—”

  “I know who Landon Parker is.” My good mood slipped some and the muscles in my hands tensed.

  Landon Parker was the man now married to my ex-wife. Which meant that the She-Devil was going to be there in all her smug glory. Fuck my life.

  “Let me tell you what,” I said, interrupting Eddie again. “I’ll send you a few times that I’ll have available. You pick the one that suits you best and we’ll meet then. Congratulations again. I’m proud of you guys, but I really need to run.”

  After he said goodbye, I ended the call and groaned as I buried my head in the heels of my hands. Why the hell did she always have to make these appearances in my life whenever I was least expecting her to?

  Not for nothing, but I fucking hated my ex. If I showed up single again, she was going to wipe the fucking floor with me.

  Of course, she wouldn’t do it to my face where I could defend myself. No, I’d spend the entire time hearing from random strangers how I was still hung up on her, how I’d never get over her, and how she had really been the driving force behind my success.

  It was bullshit. All of it.

  Fury rolled through me like a thundercloud, taking my previously good mood and threatening to dissolve it for good. Clinging to thoughts of Luna since I didn’t want to be taken over by the darkness that I associated with my ex, I slowly felt the cloud disappearing.

  Once it was gone, there was nothing I wanted more than to see her. Luna was messing around with some arrangements when I walked up to her back door, and I watched her through the small window.

  She was swaying to the beat of music I couldn’t hear, a smile etched onto her face as she plucked a flower from this bucket and that to add to the arrangement. Before I could startle her again, almost as if she felt me watching her, she turned to face me and her eyes zeroed in on mine.

  I saw her mouthing my name as I opened the door, unable to keep a smile off my face. “Hey, babe. Looking good. Don’t stop on my account.”

  Bringing her in for a hug as the door swung closed behind me, I buried my face in her hair and let the sweet, floral smell of her chase the last wisps of the darkness away.

  She hugged me tightly, then pulled away to look up at me. Her big blue eyes found mine, and though there were questions in them, I was stunned again by how crystalline and deep they were all the same time.

  “Hey, Cyrus. It feels like I’m having deja-vu, but did we have plans for today? I thought you were just going to call me when you were done with your conference call, not come over.”

  “Isn’t a visit better than a call?” I dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that over the phone, would I?”

  “No.” She sighed and ran a hand through the long ponytail her hair was pulled up into. “I wish you’d called, though. I’m busy with these arrangements for a corporate event tonight. It was a last-minute order, but I couldn’t turn them down. I could have saved you the trip.”

  “Worth it to be able to hug you for a minute.” I meant it as a joke, although also not really, but Luna just looked uncertain.

  Eventually, she smiled up at me and pressed a kiss to the corner of my lips. “Yeah, it’s good to see you too, big guy. I really need to get back to it, though. I’m supposed to deliver these just after five.”

  “Can I see you tonight?” I needed to talk to her about Italy and it couldn’t wait any longer. “Please?”

  “I’m sure I can fit you in,” she joked, making a show of removing an imaginary diary from her pocket and paging through it. “Ah, here we go. It says I’m having dinner with you at my place at seven. Apparently, I’m cooking.”

  “Great. Just make a note on there that I’ll bring the wine.” I bent my knees to be at her height, then brought a hand to the back of her neck, and guided her mouth to mine for a deep kiss.

  “I’ll see you later,” she murmured against my lips, the sweetest little dazed smile playing on her lips.

  “See you then.” I laid one more kiss on her, then forced myself to leave before I bent her over that table just like I’d warned her I wanted to do before. Maybe later, after we’d talked, I’d get to be inside her.

  Unfortunately, and I never thought I’d even think this, but there was something I needed more from her tonight than just pleasure. I just hoped she would be as willing to give it.

  Chapter 27

  Luna

  “Have I told you how good you look when you’re dressed down?” My eyes drank Cyrus in like they hadn’t caught sight of him in years and had missed him every day.

  When he’d come by the shop earlier, it was the first time I’d seen him in shorts and a T-shirt, and though he was wearing different ones now, he’d remained in casual wear. Maybe it was just because I’d become so used to what an absolute sexy god he cut in his suit that I didn’t notice it so much anymore, but like this?

  Like this, he didn’t just look sexy. He looked approachable, like a hot young exec who knew how to laugh and have a good time. It was a welcome change from the intimidating, scowling businessman who looked like he hadn’t cracked a smile in over a month.

  In the time I’d known him, I’d come to learn there was a lot more to him than that domineering, controlling asshole he’d looked like the first time I’d met him. Having seen him in jeans once or twice, in various states of undress, and my personal favorite, stark naked, it was still jarring to see him look so young and carefree.

  With an olive-green T-shirt clinging to his muscles like I wanted to be, his eyes seemed to have turned to a mossy color rather than the usual emerald. They were still electric, just in an entirely different way.

  Casual navy-blue shorts with little sailboats on them and a pair of honest-to-God flip-flops completed the look. Even his hair looked lighter than usual, giving him a surfer vibe that I liked.

  While I was giving him a onceover, he did the same to me. Those full, kissable lips tugged up into a smirk when his gaze came back to mine.

  “You don’t look half bad yourself. Did you forget to put pants on or did you mean to make me want to bend you over your kitchen counter before we even got around to eating?”

  I
flushed, realizing that I’d put on booty shorts that were actually part of a pajama set to cook in. With my preference for cooking by touch and taste rather than following a recipe, I’d long since discovered it was a much smarter bet for me to cook in pajamas and an apron with my hair pulled up in a messy bun.

  That way, the clothes I wanted to wear stayed clean and I only needed a few minutes before a date started to change. But this isn’t even a date, so why does it matter?

  Right. My subconscious was one hundred percent correct, so I met Cyrus’s smirk with one of my own and put a hand on my hip, jutting it out. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I would actually.” Pupils dilating, he strode into my house and kicked the door shut behind him. He licked his lips a second before they descended onto mine and he groaned into my mouth. “You taste so fucking good. What are we having?”

  “Spaghetti Bolognaise with Parmesan, micro-greens, and a salad. It’s nothing fancy, but my mom taught me how to make it, and since we were talking about our parents on Friday, I thought it would be nice.”

  In an instant, his expression changed from ready to fuck to can I hold you. At my slight nod, he drew me into his arms and crushed me in the tightest, most comforting hug I could remember getting.

  He might be a heck of a kisser and he definitely knew what he was doing in bed. But apparently, the man knew his way around a hug, too.

  “Can I help with anything?” he asked against my ear before he released me.

  I chewed on my lip before I made my decision. Cooking this dish was like a sacred experience for me, given from whom I’d learned to make it, and I usually refused help, but I wanted Cyrus to share in it tonight.

  “Sure. I’ve got all the ingredients out, and the sauce is already simmering on the stove, but you can help me finish it off and decide when we should haul out the pasta.”

  “Sounds good. I’m sure I can manage that.” Giving me a boyish smile I was sure I’d never seen from him before, he held up a finger and disappeared out the door for a second before he returned with a paper bag in his hand. “Told you I’d bring the wine.”