She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost lunchtime. She tookthe cheesecake from the mini-fridge in her office and finally came out of hersanctuary to carry it to the main conference room, where they were setting upfor the holiday luncheon. Fall colors decorated the room, and cornucopias andpaper turkeys centered the table. Thanksgiving was just around the corner, andEmma had no idea how November had gotten here so fast. Possibly because she’dspent practically every moment enjoying the days with Dex.
Brent spotted her and attached to her like metal to a magnet asshe walked. “Where have youbeen?”
“In my office working.” She set the cheesecake with the otherassorted items on the dessert table and cut a small slice.
“I didn’t even know you were here.” He lowered his voice to awhisper. “Why are you hiding out?”
This conversation was so not going to happen right now. She took afork, sliced it through the cake, and shoved a bite into his mouth.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” She spoke softly with a slight lilt.
His eyebrows rose. “You made this?”
She nodded and waited for his reaction. Not that she neededBrent’s approval, but it was always nice when he gave it.
“This is awesome.”
There it was, the atta-girl she was hoping for. She spread herlips into a satisfied smile. “And Iactually made it.”
“Seriously?”
“Well, I had a little help from Dex. That woman can really cook.”In more ways than one. Her body heated at the thought of seeing her again.
“So you were with Dex last night.” She could see it wasn’t aquestion. The man could read her like no other.
She shook her head. “Busted.” She wondered just how red her cheekswere at this point. They felt like they were on fire.
“From the circles under your eyes, she can do other things aswell.” He took another bite. “How was it?”
“Phenomenal.” She took in a breath. “Monumentally phenomenal.”
“Sounds impressive. Maybe she can give me some tips.”
Emma slapped him on the shoulder. “Shut up. You are bound by thecone of silence, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, that.” He shrugged. “I didn’t think that counted onceyou were a couple.”
“Whoa. You’re getting way ahead of me here.” He was, wasn’t he?They hadbeen kind of inseparable since the party, but they hadn’t really discussed arelationship status. “We’re just having fun.” She had a sinking feeling whenshe spoke the words. It wasn’t at all how she was feeling.
“Are you sure?” He gave her a half-grin. “What was last night,your third date? Doesn’t that make it one make-out session and two-plus roundsof sex?”
“Sounds about right.”
“Pretty close to being a couple in a woman’s eyes.”
“Fuck. How are you always so spot-on for a dude?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s a gift.”
From that moment forward, any intention Emma had of doing the workshe’d planned on had gone out the window. All she could think about was Dex andhow she perceived what was happening between them. She’d sat at her deskstaring at her computer. Had she made a mistake? Were they moving too fast?These past few weeks had been so wonderful. Being with someone who actually gother was exciting. She’d been so wrapped up in being blissfully happy, she hadn’teven thought about what came next.
Chapter Seventeen
The reflection Dex was seeing in the full-length mirror wasnot the one she wanted. Too much black. She flopped onto the bed and pulled offthe black pants she’d just put on, then reached for the dark-blue pair she’dtaken off a few minutes ago. The long-sleeved black T-shirt would go betterwith the jeans.
When the phone rang, Dex checked the display and cringed. Grace. It hadbeen almost a week since Dex had talked to her. She’d been responding to Grace’stexts but hadn’t done more than respond with I’msuper busy at work. Dex knew she wanted all the details from herdates with Emma. But Dex wasn’t ready to tell her. Keeping them to herself madethem seem all the more special, and Grace would find a way to spoil thatfeeling. She’d find fault with something Emma did.
The phone stopped ringing and a text came through.
WTF?Are you avoiding me?
She’d barely had time to read it when the phone immediately rangagain. She picked it up on the way to her closet, took in a deep breath, andpressed the green button.
“Hey. What’s up?” Dex grabbed a handful of hangers holdingsweaters and hoodies from her closet and dropped them onto her bed as shesteeled herself for what she knew was coming next.
“Seriously. Are you avoiding me?” Grace spaced the words outphonetically, but her voice was urgent and on the verge of angry.
“No. Of course not. It’s the holiday season, so I’m just superbusy hanging lights.” She wasn’t lying, but she’d been spending all her sparetime with Emma. She picked up one of the sweaters, examined it, and tossed itto the whyhaven’t I gotten rid of this pile. She really needed to do somewinter shopping.
“As you’ve said so many times in your texts.” Grace blew out abreath, and Dex could hear it clearly through the phone. “Are you too busy tosee me today?”
Dex dropped down on the bed. She’d planned to spend the day withEmma. “Well, Emma and I are planning to hang out today.”
“Oh.” Her voice lilted up, and then there was silence for amoment. “Just at the house? Maybe I could come over and hang out too.”
Dex closed her eyes. Grace and Emma alone with her in the sameroom together would be a colossal clusterfuck. Besides, she was hoping to spendtime alone with Emma. “We’re going to Christkindlmarket and then hit thetree-lighting in Millennium Park.”
“But we always do that together.” Grace’s voice sounded soft anddeflated.
Dex’s excitement for the whole day fell. “I thought you’d be goingwith Brent this year.”
“He’s watching football.”
She was trapped. They hadalways gone together, and she didn’t want to hurt Grace’s feelings by tellingher she’d rather go alone with Emma. “I think the game’s almost over.” She’dbeen watching it in the background as
