Chapter 32

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Rose

AS I WATCHED AUNT Kate and Mr. Andrews glide across the dance floor, I couldn’t help but think how perfect they were together, laughing and smiling the whole night. There was definitely some sort of history between the two of them and maybe with a little luck, history would repeat itself once again.

“Care to dance?” I jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice as he snuck up behind me.

“That depends. Are you only asking me because I look pathetic and desperate, sitting here by myself, or because you find me sexy and irresistible?”

“Pathetic and desperate.” He chuckled.

“Well, then…why not?”

We stepped on the dance floor, keeping a comfortable distance from each other. A distance that wouldn’t have given any indication to anyone that we had once been intimate together. No. Instead, it screamed just two acquaintances making the most of the night by accepting the other’s invitation to dance. But for me, it was still close enough to awaken something inside.

“So, have you decided if you’re going to meet with Tina Wellington?” I asked, trying to take my mind off any sexual thoughts of him that were slowly creeping in.

“Nope.”

“You haven’t decided or you’re not meeting with her?”

“I haven’t decided.”

“Well, I think you’re foolish if you do.”

“And why is that?”

“I just think we should see how the ad in Her goes first.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I think you had a really good point with your strategy. If she’s willing to pay the price for a spot in the December edition, then why not change things up a little with Him?”

“Well, maybe I was wrong with my thinking.”

“You, wrong?” he teased.

“I know, I probably just gave you the biggest shock of your life with that admission, right?”

“No more shocking than when you pulled a condom from your purse.” He grinned.

I laughed, catching a glimpse of Aunt Kate and Mr. Andrews looking our way. “Hey, it came in handy. Didn’t it?”

I inched closer to him as we moved across the dance floor while Michael Bublé belted out his version of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” Alex’s hand pressed into the small of my back, pulling me even nearer to him while memories of that night came flashing to the forefront of my mind. His lips moving across my body while my hands explored every inch of his, and the undeniable connection I felt when I was with him. I promised myself I could do this, and things wouldn’t change just because we had sex, but the more I was with him, the harder it was to keep that promise. Especially when he looked as handsome as he did at that moment or when his cologne smelled so damn good.

I wasn’t sure how many songs played while we were out on the dance floor. I just knew we only stopped dancing when the music finally came to an end completely as the night winded down, and even then, I wasn’t ready to leave the safety of his arms. I was lost in my own little world of conflicting thoughts of wanting him so badly, but at the same time, staying true to my word I’d given him and myself. He stared down at me, seeming like he wanted to say something. His eyes glimmering from the dim light coming from the chandelier overhead, only heightening the battle going on inside me.

“You’re a pretty good dancer,” I finally spoke, breaking up the awkwardness of the moment. “You surprise me in many ways…Mr. Andrews.”

“Not half as much as you surprise me, Miss Perkins.”

I gazed up at him, trying to decipher his cryptic message, to no avail. When our hands unlatched, he backed away and it was like a warm, soft blanket being whisked from my body on a cold, dreary day. I was wishing the DJ would start up the music once again, just so I could have an excuse to be close to him. I tried my hardest to pull it together and pretend I was unaffected, but I had a feeling I was failing miserably.

“Well, you two were a regular Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers out there,” Aunt Kate remarked when we made our way back to the table.

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you and Mr. Andrews.” I smirked when her faced reddened and she looked away.

“Rose, will you please call me Henry? You make me feel so old when you call me Mr. Andrews,” Mr. Andrews joked.

“That’s gonna take some practice for me to get used to, but I can give it a try.”

He chuckled over my reply.

I looked around the room as everyone began wrapping up the evening and wondered where Alex had slipped off to.

“Rose.” Mr. Andrews tapped me on the shoulder as I visually scoured the room.

“Oh, yeah. What’s up?”

“I think he went outside to take a phone call.”

“Oh, that’s not who—”

He held up his hand to stop me from my feeble protest. “Tell your father thank you for being so willing to purchase a ticket for this evening, but you and your aunt were already taken care of.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m confused.”

“Let’s just say a certain somebody who wishes to remain nameless paid for you, making me feel a little bit like a cheapskate. So, in turn, I paid for Kate’s.”

I stared at the check in my hand, lifting my head as Alex walked back in the room. Mr. Andrews looked his way as well, then winked at me before turning his attention back to my aunt. Why did he have to make this even harder on me? As if being attracted to him physically wasn’t bad enough, now he had to go and ruin the one thing he had going for him by being a nice guy.

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Work had been nonstop all day on Friday, which was a good thing because it didn’t allow me time to think about Alex and me out on the dance floor the night prior, or the kind gesture he’d done by paying my way. The fact he’d been out of the office in meetings all day aided in keeping my thoughts at bay as well. But as the day came to an end with still no sign of him and his potential drink meeting with Tina Wellington drawing closer, my mind was going at warp speed once again. She definitely had more than business on her mind and judging by the way he was gaping at her humongous boobs, I was pretty certain he did as well.

Why did I care anyway? We had casual sex—that was all. It wasn’t like either one of us was going to fall madly in love with each other. So why was a knot forming deep within the pit of my stomach with thoughts of him and her together?

“Hey there!” Lucy poked her head in my office, breaking me from my inner turmoil. “Are you gonna meet us for happy hour?”

I tapped my fingertips on my desk and pondered for a moment. “Who’s us?”

“Me, Declan…”

“I know you and Declan, but who else from work?”

I needed to stop. I was bordering on eager to desperate, hoping she would say a certain person’s name because then I would know he wasn’t meeting up with Bodacious Boobs for a little tryst.

“Let’s see, Kent…” She continued naming names of my coworkers, but she may as well have been speaking Greek because not one of them was the one I wanted to hear. I was just about to decline, when she redirected my thoughts. “Oh, and Alex had said he was gonna try and make it.”

“Oh, umm…yeah, I’ll probably be there.” I tried my hardest to play it off as if that new tidbit of info wasn’t the only reason for my reply, but I was pretty sure she was on to me. “What?” I asked as she gazed at me with a huge smirk on her face.

“Nothing…nothing at all.” She giggled. “I’ll meet ya there.”

“Okay, sounds good!”

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I was just about to enter the bar when my phone rang with an unknown number flashing across the screen. It was more than likely another annoying telemarketer, but I decided to answer instead of sending it to voicemail like I usually did.

“Hi, is this Rose?” the female voice on the other end inquired.

“Yes, this is she.”

“It’s Audra Miller.”

“Audra. Hey, how are you?” Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. I thought for sure she had taken my information and tossed it. Alex had been to visit William several times over the past week but never mentioned our visit to his daughter because we both figured it was a lost cause.

“I’m catching a flight up on Sunday morning, and I’d like it if maybe you could arrange some time on Sunday afternoon so I could meet with William.”

“Consider it done!” I couldn’t hold back my smile.

After agreeing on a time and place to meet on Sunday, I hung up the phone, feeling like I had won the lottery. William was going to get his dying wish after all. I walked into the bar, bursting to tell the news to Alex, but when I located the group of familiar faces, he wasn’t one of them. My happy moment quickly turned back to dread.

“There she is!” Kent shouted as I came closer.

“Hey, guys!” I flashed a faux smile, scanning the bar while still holding out hope. “Is Alex here? I’ve got some really good news I wanted to share with him.”

“No, he’s not. I was in the afternoon meeting with him, and he got a phone call just as we were getting ready to head here. Turns out, he had made plans for tonight he forgot about,” Kent replied.

“Oh,” I whispered, staring into space, trying to soften the blow that had just been delivered to my gut. This was all my fault for insisting he meet her. Of course, she was going to find him undeniably gorgeous and vice versa. I had led them to one another, so what right did I have to pout over it now? I needed to pull it together. I needed for things to be like they were B.S.—Before Sex. I could totally do this. I took my phone from my purse and sent him a text.

Me: Call me when you can. I have some great news!

I stared at the message I had just sent, wishing I could drop the phony façade and text him how I was really feeling. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, so please don’t meet her for drinks and please don’t sleep with her because it will break my heart.