Chapter 40

Linny

“Do you want something to drink?” I gesture toward my kitchen. “I have wine and soda. I might have some orange juice.”

“Thank you, but I’m good.” Shaking his head West takes in the open concept space.

I’m proud of my apartment. I purchased it two years ago. My dad was determined to help me with the down payment, but I politely turned him down.

I wanted my signature on the property documents to mean something.

I did this alone. I earned and saved every penny that has gone into making this one bedroom apartment a home.

“Do you live alone?” He shoves his hands into the front pocket of his jeans.

“Just me and my shoes.” I laugh. “I’m not obsessed with nice shoes, but the walk-in closet sold me on the place.”
“You own?” His brows perk.

“Every square foot.” I wave my hand in the air. “All seven hundred and twenty-two of them.”

He looks down at the hardwood floors. “It’s a great space and the neighborhood is good. It’s a solid investment, Linny.”

“Where do you live?”

His hand jumps to his jaw. “Where do I live?”

I nod, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve never mentioned it. I picture you as a Tribeca kind of guy.”

Laughing, he scrubs his hand over the back of his neck. “What exactly does a Tribeca kind of guy look like?”

I rake him from head-to-toe, enjoying the view. He’s dressed casually tonight in jeans, a white V-neck sweater and black shoes. He looks sophisticated and sexy.

I’m still wearing the navy blue sheath dress I had on earlier when I met Ivy and Jax for dinner. Ivy wanted to congratulate me on the success of her campaign. I was happy to oblige since it meant dinner at Calvetti’s.

“They’re hot as fuck and confident. Oh, and fearless.” I tilt my head. “And Tribeca kind of guys know how to kiss.”

His hands are out of his pockets and on my face before I take my next breath.

“How many Tribeca kind of guys have you kissed, angel?”

I stare into his dark brown eyes. “If you live in Tribeca the total would be one.”

A ghost of a grin touches his full lips. “I live on the Upper East Side.”

“I’ll amend my answer to zero.” I perch on my bare tiptoes to press a kiss to the side of his mouth. “Maybe one day I can see where you live.”

His answer is lost in our kiss when his lips slide over mine and his hands glide down my back.

***

The sun is filtering through the sheer curtains in my bedroom and tossing slivers of light onto West.

He’s on his back in my bed with one arm over his head. The other is resting on his stomach.

The sheets are tangled around his legs. The rest of him is bare.

We made love for hours last night, lost in each other.

After his phone rang twice, he turned it off and tossed it onto the cushion of an antique upholstered chair near the window.

I left my phone in the other room, tucked in my purse.

I didn’t want there to be any interruptions during our first night together in my apartment.

I rest my head back on my pillow and close my eyes even though I need to get ready for work.

“Angel.” His whiskered jaw brushes against my bare shoulder. “Are you awake?”

I open my eyes to the sight of his gorgeous face. There’s a faint red mark lingering on his bottom lip from where I bit him last night as he fucked me hard. It was so hard that tears welled in my eyes.

It wasn’t from pain, although the sting of him plunging deep only spurred me on more.

It was from pure happiness.

I’ve never felt this close to a man before. I’ve never wanted to crawl into someone’s arms and stay there.

“Good morning,” I whisper, curling my hand under my pillow.

His lips curve into a soft smile. “The best morning.”

Running my fingertip over the crimson mark on his lip, I smile back. “There’s evidence here of what we did last night.”

His hand sneaks under the blanket to rest between my legs. “Here too. Are you tender?”

I nod silently.

His gaze skims my face. “Was I too rough?”

My fingers caress his bicep. “No. I liked it.”

His shoulders tense, the motion flexes the muscle beneath my touch. His hand moves to my side. “There’s something, angel. I need to ask you something.”

I sense the shift immediately. His jaw tightens and his eyes narrow. A mask of serious contemplation slides over his expression.

“Ask,” I say softly. “You can ask me anything.”

I’ve been steeling myself in preparation for him to ask about my past. I know it’s coming. The question I’ve been dreading may drop from his lips in the next ten seconds and I’ll answer honestly.

“I know that you ended things with Roland.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. Roland . He’s my immediate past, not my distant and forgotten past.

“I did,” I confirm with a nod of my head. “There was never anything between us. It was just two dates.”

He glances back over his shoulder. “Forgive me, angel.”

“For what?” My heart thrums a beat so loud that I can barely hear my own words.

“For what I’m about to ask you.” His voice is quiet and laced with an ache that tugs at my heart.

“Ask, West. Please just ask.” I glide my hand up to his neck. “I want you to ask.”

“You reached into your nightstand to grab two condoms.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward the wooden nightstand that sits next to my bed. “There are a lot of condoms in there. Boxes, Linny. I need to know if you’re sleeping with anyone else.”

Before I can answer, he’s brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. “If I’m out of line, tell me.”

“You’re not out of line.” I swallow hard. “There are a lot of condoms in the drawer.”

His gentle smile encourages me. It soothes me.

“There’s a card in that drawer too.” I gesture over his shoulder. “It’s a birthday card.”

“A birthday card?” His brow furrows.

Sliding away from him, I rise to my feet. I’m fully aware that I’m completely naked and his eyes are pinned to me, but I round the bed and tug open the drawer.

“I’ll find it.”

I yank out the box that I opened. Then box after box of unopened condoms, stacking them on top of the nightstand.

“You don’t have to do that, angel.” West’s hand is on my wrist.

I freeze and look down at him. “I do.”

I tug my hand free and keep stacking boxes until I see the corner of the bright pink envelope. I grab it and slide it out, handing it to him.

“My friend, Harmony, stayed here with her husband a few months ago when I was out of town.” I settle on the bed next to him. “It was a week before my birthday. The morning of my birthday she texted me and told me to open the drawer.”
His eyes dart down to the envelope.

I shake my head and bite back a smile. “I opened it and found all the condoms and that card.”

“This card?” He waves it in the air.

“Open it.”

“You’re sure?” he asks with a rise of his brow. “If it’s private…”

“It’s not.” I rest my hand on his bare chest. “I want you to open it.”

He does. He slowly slides the card out after a quick glance at my face.

I watch as he scans the front of the card before opening it. As he reads, the smile on his face gives way to laughter.

“Happy Birthday to you and your pussy, Linny. Call it wishful thinking, but here’s hoping that this is the year that you both get some action. Love and kisses, Harmony,” I recite word-for-word what Harmony wrote in the card.

West hands the card back to me. “I like Harmony.”

“I love her.” I tuck the card back into the drawer. “I’ve used two condoms. Just two. Both last night with you.”

He reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it gently. “I didn’t mean to assume anything.”

“You were curious.” I look over at the boxes of condoms. “I’ve been curious too. I’ve wondered if you’ve been with other women since we reconnected here in New York.”

I swallow and continue on, not giving him a chance to say a word. “That day in your office, you said that you hadn’t been with anyone since Vegas, but that was in the heat of the moment.”

“I meant every single word I said that day, and every day since. There’s been no one since we were together in Vegas. I don’t want anyone else, angel.”

“I don’t either,” I whisper. “I only want you, Jeremy.”