Page 52 of Seductive Swimmer
“Do you?”
“Christ, yes. I’ve never bought a woman a coffee maker before, or taken one to dinner with Brayden and Lo, or spent the night wrapped up in her arms. Only you, Savannah.”
I let him pull me into his lap. His hands are trembling, but his gaze is steady when he looks me in the eye.
“Only you, love. You’re different. You’re special. I want this to work between us.”
I nod, because I’m at a loss of what to say. I suspect this is as close to a declaration of feelings that Alex will get, and I want it to be enough. I really do. But I’m falling in love with him, and all he can say is that I’m special and he cares about me.
Eventually, we climb out of the hot tub and go to change back into our clothes. When we meet up in the lobby, Alex takes my hand in his, threading our fingers together.
“Want to come to my place for a shower?” He leans in close to whisper in my ear. There’s that pesky shiver of lust again. Apparently, even when I’m distracted and upset by something, he still has the ability to turn me into a quivering ball of arousal.
“I don’t have any clothes for the office,” I murmur as a smile creeps across my face.
“Ah, didn’t we tell you, naked Tuesday is officially a thing at the office.” He manages to say that with a straight face as he walks me to a cab waiting outside. This time I don’t protest the ride.
“Oh really? Is poor Rhonda going to walk around in her birthday suit?” I say, referencing the sixty-something admin.
Alex winces. “Fine. We’ll work from my apartment. There, it’s naked every day at the office.”
I slide into the backseat of the car, and Alex gives the driver my address before turning to me with a soft smile.
“Or we’ll just shower at your place. As long as I’m with you, I’m good.”
God, this man. His seduction skills are off the charts. Does he even realize how romantic he can be? But why can he flirt and charm and woo, but not outright say how he feels?
When we get back to my place, we somehow manage to shower and dress without too much distraction from each other. Then we head to the office together. I’m pleasantly surprised by how normal it feels to walk in the building and ride the elevator with my hand still in his. But when we step off on the DC Group floor, I drop his hand immediately. He looks at me but doesn’t say anything. We go our separate ways, and I try to focus on the work at hand. Terry and I are just about finished with everything we can do, which means my contract here should end sooner than anticipated. Brayden’s already promised my full fee, so if I finish earlier, it’s a bonus for me in terms of available time.
I manage to lose myself in the numbers for a few hours, and next thing I know, it’s lunch time. I decide it’s my turn to take the lead, so I go in search of Alex, intent on asking him to join me for a late lunch of Dim Sum. But when I can’t find him anywhere, I head to the front desk.
“Oh, he said he had an appointment and would be gone the rest of the afternoon,” Rhonda tells me casually.
That’s odd, he didn’t tell me he was leaving for the day. What kind of appointment, I wonder.
Confused, I grab a sandwich from the cart in the lobby of the building and eat at my desk while I finish up. If he’s busy all afternoon, then I’ll entertain myself. A walk with Molly is in order. My heart pangs at the thought of not seeing her anymore, and if I have to face the reality that I may not be able to adopt her, I’m going to soak up all the time I can get before that happens.
When I get to Forever Grey later that afternoon, Carlene isn’t working. Someone new is behind the front desk who says her name is Amara. I show my volunteer ID, introduce myself as the accountant, and grab a leash. Thankfully, I now know where Carlene stashes her spare clothes and shoes, so I take the liberty of borrowing them again. Once I’m changed, I head into the back to grab Molly.
Only her kennel is empty.
My heart is pounding, and hot tears are building behind my eyes. Trying to stay calm, I first check the logbook to make sure she hasn’t been taken out on a walk. But judging by the empty cage and the erased name tag, that’s not the case. She’s gone.
I walk swiftly back to the front, to ask Amara if she knows anything.
“Oh, the pretty brindle one? Yeah, she was adopted earlier today. Suzette came in to handle it specially.”
“Can you tell me who took her?” I ask, blinking away the tears.
“I can’t do that, sorry. I’m new here and don’t have the records.” Amara shifts on her feet, giving me a nervous and apologetic look. “Is everything okay?”
I nod, brushing away tears. “Yeah. Umm, is Suzette still here?”
“No, she went to a meeting at city hall after dealing with that adoption.”
I let out a huff of air, trying not to completely lose it in front of a stranger.
“Right. Okay. Well, I’m gonna go then.”
I grab my bag and hurry out into the noisy street. I don’t care that I look like a crazy person, tears streaming down my face. All that matters is getting home. And calling Alex. I need him to hold me and help keep me from being heartbroken over a dog.
Just thinking that brings a fresh wave of sobs to my throat. Thank God I live close by.
But as I near my building, through the haze of my tears, I see something strange. Standing outside on the sidewalk is Alex, holding a leash attached to a very familiar dog.
Relief wars with anger, excitement with disappointment. I know in an instant what happened. Alex ignored my wishes and adopted Molly for me behind my back.
I drop down to the pavement and wrap my arms around Molly’s neck. True to form, she leans into me, and I soak up the comfort of her warmth. I’m glad to see her, but I can’t take her like this. HeknowsI don’t want to be indebted to him. And he did it anyway.
“Alex,” I ask brokenly, hating what my conscience is telling me I have to do. “What did you do?”
