A variety of emotions spun through me. I knew I should have been at least a little angry and annoyed that she’d lied to me, but I couldn’t quite muster up those feelings. The overwhelming emotion I felt was relief, because maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t completely unavailable to me.
She had her lips between her teeth, biting down on them as she watched me with wide eyes. It occurred to me that she was afraid of the consequences of having lied to me.
The mere thought that she might expect to be reprimanded or even fired over this made me burst out in laughter of my own. “Relax, Adaline. It’s okay. I saw you that night, remember? I completely understand.”
“You’re not pissed off at me for not telling you earlier?” Her eyes were still far too round.
I shook my head and leaned forward, placing my hand over hers and waiting until she tore her gaze away from our connection to meet mine.
“No, I’m not pissed off at you. Your sexual orientation had nothing to do with me offering you the job and I’m not petty enough to let a fib you felt was necessary to give you a break bother me. It’s okay, Addy. Really.”
Tension melted from her expression when she was satisfied that I was being honest. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “Now where were we? I believe you were saying something about the antipasto platters?”
The smile she gave me was positively radiant, her eyes shining in the warm, soft light as she nodded. “Yes. Let’s get one, and we’re going to need more wine.”
“Done and done.” I grinned and signaled for our waiter, placed the order, and returned my focus to only her. “We said we weren’t going to talk business tonight, so tell me more about you. How does a girl from Portland end up living in Florence without any plans to return home if she can help it?”
Addy told me her story, then asked more about me. We devoured our antipasto and several more drinks before I figured it was time to call it a night.
It was getting late, and Addy’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright in an I’m-on-the-verge-of-getting-drunk way. “We should probably head home.”
She sighed. “Okay, if you insist. It’s still early, though.”
“Not if you have to work early in the morning,” I said before signaling for the check.
Addy blinked rapidly, like she was having trouble understanding what I was saying. “I have to work early in the morning?”
“No, but I do.” I took her hand gently in mine and helped her up after I’d paid. “Do you want a ride home? We can get a cab.”
“Okay,” she said, winding her fingers around mine. She tightened her grip, clearly not intending to let go. I was totally fine with that.
She hung onto my hand all the way to her apartment, drawing these maddening circles on the inside of my palm. By the time we reached her place, there was a noticeable bulge in my pants.
Thankfully, it was too dark in the interior of the car to notice. Addy turned to me once the wheels stopped turning, squeezing my hand at the same time. “Want to come up?”
“Uh, okay?” I definitely wasn’t going to turn her down, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous either. She’d had quite a bit of wine, so perhaps she just needed help on her way up.
I paid the driver and followed her up three narrow flights of stairs before stopping in front of a door that had been painted purple. Addy fished a key out of her purse and unlocked it, then wiggled her fingers at me as she sashayed her way inside.
“You coming?” she asked without a hint of a slur in her speech.
“Hopefully,” I muttered under my breath. Louder, I said, “Depends. What am I coming in for?”
“Depends,” she parroted, then flicked on a single lamp in the entryway. It illuminated the small space in a reddish hue. She was standing right in the middle of it. “We have drinks in the fridge…”
Trailing off, she lifted her hand and pulled the pencil out of her hair. The golden waves fell past her shoulders in a tumble of messy waves. She kicked off the low heels she’d been wearing and looked right into my eyes before pointedly dropping hers to my crotch. “Or we could fix that growing problem of yours.”
My breath froze in my lungs. I wasn’t used to being the one getting the moves put on him, but I’d be damned if I didn’t like her assertiveness.
Taking a couple of steps forward until I was past the threshold of her apartment, I kicked the door shut behind me and kept going until my chest was flush against hers. Addy dipped her head back to look up at me, offering me a cheeky little smile.
“Well, I guess we’re not having another drink then.” I didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly, my one arm snaked around her waist and hauled her up against me. Her arms flew around my neck to pull my head down while I was already lowering it.
The next moment, our mouths collided, and I abandoned all pretense of thinking.
Her lips were soft and warm. She tasted like cherries and crisp white wine. Her vanilla and lavender scent was everywhere.
When her lips parted beneath mine, I swept my tongue into her mouth and lost myself in it, hardening so quickly and so much it fucking hurt. The kiss was everything I’d been fantasizing about and everything I’d wanted it to be.
She broke it right as I was getting into it, but it was only to give me a devilish grin and point at one of