Kady’s mouth dropped open. She shut the water off, grabbed a towel, and opened the curtain all the way. Her gaze dragged over his nakedness, and it said something about how important his invitation was to him that he didn’t immediately focus in on her feminine interest. She squeezed the water out of her hair with the towel. “But…but…but we’d kill each other within three days. We always pick on each other. And if I land this contract, I’ll get a promotion.”
“I’m offering you a promotion,” he said. “A big one. To partner. That’s not something you’re going to get at Resnick, no matter how many contracts you land. I need a partner, Kady, and you’re the best there is. And we won’t kill each other. We’ve always clicked around the work, and you know it.”
Dried off now, Kady wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out onto the bath mat so that they were almost toe-to-toe. “It’s an amazing offer, Colton. Really. But what happens if I quit my current job and took this one, and then you and I…”
Colton didn’t like any of the ways he thought she might’ve intended to conclude that question. But he couldn’t say it was an unfair concern. “My gut’s telling me that’s not a problem, Kady, because we fucking click. But even if things didn’t work out, this offer is in no way contingent on us having a relationship. In fact, I’d first thought about this yesterday before anything happened between us. You’re too good for Resnick, and you’re sure as shit too good to have to deal with Bob Chase. We’d be professionals, and your job would be safe no matter what. But if things didn’t work out and you wanted to move on, I’d make sure there was a generous severance package in your contract, just like you’d get anywhere.” He stood in front of her and swiped a droplet of water running down her temple with his thumb. “All these things we can work out, but first you just have to agree.”
Kady’s eyes went glassy. “This is…I’m overwhelmed, Colton. Honestly. I respect you so much, and the thought that you’d want me to work at the company you’ve built over the last two years is such a wonderful compliment. But I just…I can’t….I need time to think about all this.”
The one thing they didn’t have—at least not today. But Colton nodded and slid his fingers around the back of her neck. He massaged her there, loving the way she went soft and pliant under his touch. “Of course.” He kissed her, needing to taste, needing to claim, needing her on his skin and in his mouth and in his life. And needing to remind her how good they were together. “But remember where I started this conversation—I want a chance for us to be something.”
She smiled. “I want that, too.”
He kissed her cheek. “I better jump in real quick,” he said, and then he turned on the water.
They’d talked just long enough that everything after that was a mad dash to get ready. Understandably, Kady didn’t want to look like she’d just rolled out of bed when she saw Beckstein. Given the little weasel’s comments at breakfast this morning, Colton didn’t blame her.
When they were ready to go, Kady reached for the door.
Colton blocked it with his hand. He eased her around until her back settled against the cold metal. God, she was gorgeous, and he wanted her even though his gut did a free fall when he thought about what it would be like if he got her to agree. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said.”
A quick nod as she met his gaze. Instinct told him he wasn’t imagining the warm affection pouring from her eyes for him. “Of course I will. It’s all I can think about right now.”
“Good.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, but not anything that would disturb the lipstick she’d just applied. “Because I’m going to be a fucking crazy man until you give me your answer.”
Her grin was immediate. She tapped a finger to her lips. “Hmm…torturing Colton…that sounds like incentive to drag things out,” she said, eyes full of mischief.
Oh, how he’d love to make her pay for that. And he would. He just had to have faith that she’d find her way to the same conclusion he had—they were something special together. “Troublemaker. Out with you already,” he said, opening and holding the door for her.
Chapter Eight
Longest. Van ride. Ever.
As they finally pulled into the small airport, Kady couldn’t decide which part of the trip had been more torturous. Spending a hundred minutes locked in a small space with Albert Beckstein, who took a half dozen calls on which he acted like a prick and talked way too freaking loud?
Or maybe getting bounced over ruts in the terrible roads made harder to navigate by the huge puddles that congregated everywhere along their trip? There were only two places where they had to slow almost all the way down to cross a deeper pool of standing water, but even the smaller puddles were hell because they hid potholes in the road.
Or possibly, sitting in a small space with Colton Brooks while not being able to touch him or tell him how much his offer and his words meant to her? Worse, she’d had to shut him down when he’d tried to whisper something about his offer to her early on in their trip. No way she was chancing Beckstein knowing something had happened between them in the past twenty-four hours.
Bad enough guys in the industry made cracks about her exchanging sexual favors to get the things she got in her career; she didn’t need Beckstein being armed with any actual proof.
So it was hands off as long as he was within earshot or sight. Which made Kady ache. Her hand itched to hold Colton’s. Her body yearned to feel his against her. Her lips longed for his kiss. She just wanted to curl up in the warm, strong shelter of Colton’s lap and stay there forever.
And it seemed like he’d given her a way to make that happen. Kady was still reeling from his offer. Professionally, it was an amazing opportunity. She could finally be her own boss and lead up her own projects. Brooks Computer Security Services wasn’t as large a firm as Resnick, but Colton’s military experience had given him a very lucrative niche and the contracts flowed his way one after the other.
Personally, taking Colton up on his offer would allow her to move back home and be closer to her family. Not spending as much time with them was something she regretted about living so far away. She was a little concerned about how her roommate might react to the idea of her moving, but no doubt she’d absolutely squee when she found out that Kady and Colton had hooked up after a lifetime of her wanting him and thinking he was outside her reach.
Finally—and most importantly—she’d get to explore this thing with Colton. Her gut said the same as his—that they were too well matched and had too much history for any relationship they might have to totally crash and burn. But if the worst did happen, it would be disastrous on so many levels. That wasn’t necessarily a reason not to give it a try, but she needed to think all of the possible fallout through before she could truly decide.
Plus, a part of her was balking at the idea of moving for someone she’d only just begun to date…or see…or whatever it was they were maybe possibly doing. Then again, she’d known Colton almost her whole life, had had feelings for him for at least half of it, and now knew he had feelings for her, and had for some time. Couldn’t that be enough of a foundation? Couldn’t that be enough off which to take a leap of faith? Wasn’t Colton worth the risk?
Damn, she had a lot of phone calls to make when she got home! Her girls were going to flip.
Those questions lingered in her mind as the van finally pulled into the small terminal. It was only a matter of moments before they unloaded and made their way inside. And just because Kady wasn’t in any hurry to part from Colton, they sailed right through check-in and security.
The only thing going their way was that Beckstein didn’t seem to want to hang around them any more than they wanted to be in his presence. He took off for his gate the moment he had his shoes back on.
“Well,” Kady said, sadness slinking into her gut. “I don’t know what to say. Everything that comes to mind seems inadequate or silly.”
Colton smiled, but she didn’t think she was imagin
ing the sadness in the set of his eyes and mouth, too. “Yeah. Know just what you mean. Have a bite to eat with me before you go?” he asked.
Regret weighted down her shoulders. “I don’t think I have time. My flight will be boarding in about ten minutes.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Then, when can we talk again?” he asked.
Kady’s heart squeezed at his questions, because they were all evidence that he was as unprepared to part with her as she was with him. “Um, tonight when we get home? Or, really, any night this week—”
“Tonight. Done.” He nailed her with a stare and arched a brow. “I’ll call you around nine your time?”
“Yeah, that’ll work,” she said, smiling.
The three feet separating them was excruciating to bear, especially as an awkwardness settled into the air between them. Kady wanted to throw herself at Colton, climb up his body, and kiss him silly. But this airport wasn’t that big, and she wasn’t sure exactly how close Beckstein’s gate might be. God, she wouldn’t put it past him to be hiding behind some potted plant with his camera phone at the ready.
“Okay, then. I’ll talk to you tonight, cupcake,” he said with a wink. And then he leaned down and gave her the quickest of pecks on the cheek.
Kady rested a hand on his chest before he pulled fully away. “I really want to kiss you,” she whispered. “But thank you for understanding why I can’t.”
“I’d do anything to protect you,” he said, patting her hand where it laid on him.
Her heart and stomach both ached with icy dread as the moment of separation approached.
And then Colton was saying good-bye and walking away across the concourse, other travelers interrupting her line of sight of his tall, broad back until she couldn’t see him anymore. Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d taken her heart with her. What else would explain the hollow, aching emptiness she felt inside her chest?
An incredible sensation of loss swamped her, but Kady forced her feet to move as she went in the opposite direction in search of her gate, which of course ended up being at the very end of the terminal. On the way to the airport, she’d been hungry, but now the restaurants she passed along the way held absolutely no interest for her. Because the only thing that would satisfy her right now was having Colton back in her arms.
Then just say yes.
She couldn’t decide this so quickly, though, could she? There were pros and cons to be argued, arrangements and logistics to be considered, and details to be hammered out.
True. Except on some level her gut said none of that mattered. Not a single bit.
You already know how you feel, Kady. How you’ve always felt.
Also true.
So what are you going to do?
…
Being in the Army meant that Colton had had to say a lot of good-byes over the years. None had been harder than the one he’d just said to Kady Dresco.
Dropping heavily into a seat at his gate, Colton settled his laptop bag at his feet. His plane would start boarding in forty minutes, so at least he didn’t have long to wait.
Colton felt a whole lot like someone had parked a mainframe computer on his chest. The farther he got from Kady, the harder it was to breathe, and the more an aching pain radiated out from his chest.
Ridiculous reaction, maybe, or maybe it made perfect sense. After all, how was it supposed to feel when you’d just left the woman you realized you’re in love with less than a few hours after making the realization? And now he didn’t know when he’d see her again.
Needing to distract himself from missing and wanting Kady, Colton pulled out his smartphone and scrolled through his email in-box. He had a message from Colonel Jepsen. Anticipation squeezing his gut, Colton opened it. As his eyes skimmed over the words, he wasn’t sure to whether to laugh or get down on his knees and thank God.
Jepsen’s team liked some parts of his proposal and some parts of Kady’s. Before they decided which to go with, Jepsen wondered if Colton would be willing to consider sharing the contract such that he and Kady would each head up different parts of the work.
If this wasn’t the universe giving them a giant shove in a particular direction, Colton didn’t know what was.
And now the feeling of missing her was that much stronger. How would Kady react when she received this message?
Damnit. Colton wanted to know—no, he needed to know—what she was thinking, especially given this new news.
But it wasn’t just about the job that he wanted to talk. He hadn’t told her everything he should—namely, he’d never told her exactly how he felt.
Would telling her help her decide or just make the situation that much more confusing?
Certainty flooded through him—if this was a fight, he needed every weapon he could get to win her over—and that meant being honest with his feelings. They needed it, she deserved it, and he couldn’t have meant it more. Amazing how he’d gone thirty-two years before he’d fallen in love—most of that time wondering if he ever would. Now that he had, his heart was in an urgent rush to let the girl know and get her by his side.
Looking at his watch, Colton found he probably had about five minutes to locate Kady’s gate before she’d be on the plane and beyond his reach. He was on his feet and moving almost immediately. Across the aisle from his gate, he spied Beckstein seated and working on his laptop. Perfect, now Colton knew he wouldn’t be anywhere near them when he talked to Kady. Walking at first, then more briskly, and then finally breaking into a run, Colton didn’t care about the looks and stares he was getting.
His phone rang in his pocket. Figures someone would be calling now, but Colton couldn’t take the time to deal with whoever that was. He had to get to Kady before she got on her plane and put a whole lot of airspace between them.
Colton skidded to a halt in front of the bank of monitors, looking for the gate from which the San Francisco flight departed. Gate B-15, which was all the way down the far end of the hallway. Good thing he kept in shape. He took off running again, just as his phone rang for a second time.
As he dodged parents with strollers and people wearing headphones and small families meandering at almost a leisurely pace, Colton strained to see Kady’s gate number as he rushed through the crowd. Finally, the sign came into view, and Colton’s heart nearly sank to the floor for the fact that there were only a few passengers remaining in line.
“Kady?” he yelled in case she was one of them. “Kady!”
She stepped out from behind a column, her phone to her ear. Her arm eased down and she slid her phone in her purse. “Colton?”
Oh, thank God.
“Beckstein’s at the other end of the airport” was all he said as he stalked right up to her. Then he swept her into his arms and kissed her as if he was trying to make up for every other time he’d wanted to do this but couldn’t. Kady’s arms came up around his neck and Colton groaned in triumph as he held her tight against his chest. It felt so damn good to have her in his arms that he wasn’t sure how he’d survived the past few hours of not touching her. Their lips pulled, tongues twirled, and hands grabbed tight. The passion and desire in this kiss alone gave Colton the confidence he needed to know that what he’d offered her would never turn out to be a mistake.
“I’m so—” she began just as he said, “I realized—”
They both laughed, and Colton took Kady’s beautiful face in his hands. “I realized I forgot to tell you something very important that might help you make your decision.” His heart was a bass drum pounding in his chest.
“Okay,” Kady said, smiling broadly. He didn’t think he was imagining the hope and relief shining from her eyes.
“I love you.” A weight lifted from his chest at expressing what he felt. “I don’t know when it started. Maybe that night three years ago when I decided I’d have to be satisfied with loving you from afar. Or maybe it was some other time altogether. All I know is that being with you the past two days awakened feelings that had been all boxed
up inside me and now they’re all I can think about. I love you, Kady.”
Kady’s eyes went glassy but there was so much happiness radiating from her face. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, pressing a kiss into one of his palms. She stepped into him and laid her hands on his chest. “I’ve loved you my whole life, Colton. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted. And I love you, too.”
Satisfaction and relief and a thousand other feelings he couldn’t sort out surged through Colton’s body. She loved him. She loved him, too.
Tears leaked from the corners of Kady’s eyes.
“Aw, don’t cry,” he said.
“Can’t help it,” she said through a watery smile that turned into a small laugh. “I’m so happy I can’t hold it all inside.”
Colton tugged her into his chest and held her tight. For a long moment, they just stood there, totally wrapped in each other and in the feelings they both shared.
“Did you get an email from Jepsen?” he asked against her hair.
She nodded. “I was trying to call you.”
Colton smiled. And he’d been irritated at his phone ringing. “So, what do you think?”
“Miss, if you’re getting on the plane, you have to do it now,” the gate attendant called.
Kady pulled out of his embrace and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll be right there.” She tilted her head back to meet his gaze again. “I think the universe might be sending us a sign.”
He threw his head back on a laugh. “I thought the very same thing. So then, what do you say, Kady? Say you’ll come be with me. Say you’ll come work with me. Say you’ll let me love you. Just say yes.”
“Miss, we’re about to close the door on the plane,” the woman called again.
Bright-green eyes stared up at him. Kady nodded. “Yes,” she said in a choked voice. “I have a lot to figure out, but I don’t have to think about this—about you—a minute more. So, yes.”