Page 62 of Trusting Mr. Sterling
His thumb brushed her jaw, slow and absentminded, like he already knew the answer and was willing to wait for it.
He was going to win.
“One condition.”
“Name it.”
“You actually set the alarm. Early.”
His smile was wide and warm. “Deal.”
The car turned toward Tribeca.
And Tessa stopped pretending she wasn’t exactly where she wanted to be.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then back at her.
“Ronan wants to know if we’re free next weekend.”
“For what?”
“A trip to their beach house in the Hamptons. You, me, and my entire inner circle.” His thumb stroked the inside of her knee. “No pressure.”
Right. A weekend with the people who mattered most to him. No pressure.
“I’ll check my calendar.”
But they both knew she had already said yes.
Chapter 13
GABRIEL
She had stayed that night.
The next morning he had driven her home so she could change before work. By Tuesday she had brought a garment bag and a tote. By Thursday there were actual hangers in his closet that weren’t his. It hadn’t been discussed. It had simply progressed.
Now the Long Island Expressway stretched ahead, and the Friday traffic thinned as they left the city behind.
He drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on Tessa’s knee. She had kicked off her sandals and put her bare feet on the dashboard, a hanging offense according to his mother. He glanced at her feet, at the pink polish on her toes, and let his thumb stroke the inside of her knee.
“You’re staring again,” she said.
“I’m driving.”
“I can feel it.”
“I’m admiring the road.”
“The road doesn’t have legs.”
He squeezed her knee. “The road has excellent legs.”
She laughed, the full unguarded sound he had been hearing more often this week.
Seven days ago she had agreed to one condition. Since then she had been at his place more nights than not. She went back to her apartment for clothes, for the event prep, and for the illusion of balance. But she always came back.
He wasn’t sure what the rules were supposed to be. He had spent years avoiding them entirely, and it turned out he wasn’t particularly skilled at this part. She didn’t appear concerned.
