He swung his legs over the edge of the bed knowing that sleep wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. His brain scrambled for the words to convince her this could work. “We said we were gonna take this slow, and I know this is slower than either of us thought, but I don’t want you to walk away again.”
“I’m not walking away. I’m afraid that we’re both going to end up resentful. I don’t want that to happen. I like you.”
“I like you too. That’s why I believe we can figure this out. If that means I have to drag my ass out of bed every day at five a.m. to have breakfast with you, I will.” Even though the thought of early mornings made him cringe, the chance to see her and kiss her every day before work was appealing.
“You’re thinking about having sex in my office, aren’t you?”
Her voice was low and seductive, so while he hadn’t been thinking that, now he was. Her comment definitely lightened the conversation, so he went with it. Scooting back on his bed, he asked, “What did you say you’re wearing again?”
She chuckled. “You’re such a guy. I didn’t say.”
“I’m visual. If I can’t be with you, I want to be able to picture it.”
“I’m wearing a navy blue tank top with Wonder Woman on the front. Black panties. Hold on.”
Since he’d never been in her bedroom, he imagined her sitting next to him in his bed. “Hair up or down?” he asked.
“Check your phone.”
He pulled the phone away from his face to see that she’d texted him pictures. His cock grew hard at the sight of her kneeling on her mattress so he could see her whole outfit. It was better than seeing her in some lacy lingerie. She was cute and playful and comfortable.
“You trying to kill me?”
“You asked. I delivered. Plus, I want you to know what you’re missing.”
“I am.”
“You are what?”
“Missing you.”
Another pause. “You, Kevin O’Malley, are pretty damn good with words.”
“I’m good with a lot of things. I’m going to figure this out. What does your weekend look like?”
“I have back-to-back wedding deliveries on Saturday and Sunday.”
“How about I tag along? Then you can come here to hang out and spend the night.”
“It’s not a date if I’m working.”
“I didn’t say you should come over so I could have sex with you. I want to spend time with you alone, without any distractions.”
“You work crazy hours all week. How about I just come over when I’m done?”
“I don’t mind extra work. I want to spend time with you.”
“You won’t have any fun delivering flowers. Plus, this way, you’ll have time to clean up your man cave to impress me.”
Kevin glanced around his dimly lit room at the laundry scattered on the floor. “Point taken. We’ll order in Saturday night and watch a movie. I’ll even give you a foot rub.”
She moaned. “Now you’re just bribing me.”
“I’m willing to offer much more than a foot rub.”
Her gentle sigh whispered in his ear. “I know. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night. This will get easier. It has to.”
“I hope.”
He disconnected. While settling in to fall asleep, he stared at the photos she’d sent to his phone, wishing she were there with him.
* * *
Kathy was used to being busy in the summertime because of weddings. She worked long hours and took every job she could fit in because it made up for the slower months with no holidays demanding flowers. But this summer had suddenly exploded with other jobs, ones that she felt Kevin was behind. Deb had used her two more times, and during the last event, Kathy found out that either Kevin or Deb had gotten Love in Bloom on a preferred vendors list for the city, so she was fielding more calls than usual.
Her long hours almost matched Kevin’s. She knew he was striving to get a promotion, or at least a job shift, but because of that, they were having a hard time connecting. He usually called when he took a break for lunch and they talked at night before going to bed, but she needed more time with him.
She hated to admit it, but neither of them seemed to be putting in much effort to make this relationship work. He’d been so apologetic when he called late last night that she felt bad for even suggesting that they weren’t in a good place to start a new relationship. He hadn’t called her on her lack of effort, so it was a little unfair to blame his job for everything.
This morning she decided that she wasn’t going down without trying. When she finished a set of arrangements for a luncheon, it was about eight-thirty, so she knew Kevin would be awake. Sitting at her desk in the office, she called him.
“Hey, beautiful, what’s up?”
“I want to have lunch together today. What time will you be free?”
“Uhh . . . I don’t usually plan lunch. I take it whenever I get a chance. Name the time and I’ll meet you.”
She thought about her afternoon and decided earlier would be better. “Can you do eleven-thirty?”
“Hang on.”
She heard some rustling on his end.
“I have a meeting on the Gold Coast at ten-thirty. How about I come to you?”
She loved the sound of that and before she could reconsider, she blurted, “Excellent. Come to my apartment as soon as you’re done.”
“Want me to bring lunch?”
“Nope. I have it covered.”
“See you in a few hours then.”
She disconnected and butterflies took flight in her gut. She just demanded Kevin come to her apartment for lunch. Although they still hadn’t had five dates, they’d had three solid ones, if you counted the wedding. And a ton of substantial conversations. She believed Kevin was committed to their relationship, but they were both failing at making it happen.
They needed a physical connection. If nothing else, they would each have something to carry them through until the next time they
