Loving the CEO (Whitley Brothers #7)

Chapter Seven

Tory

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We arrived at the food hall fifteen minutes later.

"This is going to be so much fun. I have a feeling that I’ll get to see parts of Boston I didn't know existed."

Leo grinned, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. "It will be my pleasure to show you the finer side of life."

After we got out of the car, I kept looking around, soaking in all the details. It was a gorgeous evening. I loved that it wasn’t as humid as in New Orleans.

We ended up eating a bit of everything, from tenderloin to sushi, and we even had some delicious donuts for dessert.

"Wow. I am full," I exclaimed after my last bite of custard-filled donut. “Remember in college when we used to go to the Donut Parlor? No one else wanted to go with us because they thought it was a dive, but the donuts were fantastic.”

“I remember.”

"It's good to be with someone who can appreciate food as much as I do.”

"Always," Leo replied.

"Hmm... somehow, I still don't feel like going home."

"Funny you should say that. I had the same thought. Wanna hear what I have in mind? "

I leaned over the table, putting my elbows on the counter and resting my chin on my fingers. "I'm all ears."

"Let's go dancing."

I gasped. "That’s weird. I was thinking about that. Do you know a good place?"

"Yeah, I do. There’s a rooftop bar right here in the financial district. They play good music."

Oooh, fun! I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been to the financial district. There was no reason for that when we were in college. Everything was out of my price range.

"I'm sold. You can talk me into anything tonight. I obviously keep saying yes to everything you come up with." I waved my hands around in excitement.

Leo stilled. It looked a bit as if he were having a conversation with himself. To my astonishment, he didn't say anything as we got up from the table after splitting the bill. He insisted on leaving the tip, though.

I didn’t think Leo would berate me like Walter did whenever I used my hands in conversation. Actually, he’d said as much, but I couldn’t help feeling self-conscious anyway.

“Are we taking the car?” I asked, trying to get my mind on something else.

“No. It’s literally not even a block away. And after a few drinks, I’m going to order a taxi or an Uber anyway.”

“You plan to get good and drunk, huh?” I asked.

“I don’t intend that, but you never know."

It was a bit chillier outside than it had been when we left the house. A gust of wind blew around us, and I shuddered.

Leo instantly stepped next to me, putting one arm around my waist. "You're so cold!"

"And you're not." I pointed at his shirt. “ How come?”

"I don't know. I'm rarely cold." He pointed at a glass building just a few feet away. “We’re going in there. The bar has its own separate elevator."

He led us to the side of the building and pressed the button for the elevator.

“So smart. That way they don’t need security in the building even on weekends.”

"Exactly."

It was just the two of us inside the elevator. Even though we'd just been in a food hall where the aroma of various foods had wafted through the air, I could still smell him. His scent was somehow imprinted in my memory. I shuddered again, taking in a deep breath.

"You’re still cold?" Leo asked.

"A bit." It wasn't completely a lie. I wasn't feeling warm, but I wasn't shuddering because of the weather. It was because my senses were going haywire.

The bar was pretty full when we arrived. A few men wore suits, but most people were dressed casually. The music was rhythmic and inviting. Quite a few people were dancing, so we wouldn’t stand out at all.

“Drinks or dancing first?” Leo asked.

“Drinks.” I felt a bit shy suddenly.

What's gotten into you, Tory? Since when do you need liquid courage to dance with your best friend?

Well... since the veil has somehow lifted from my eyes, and I can see that he's the hottest man on earth.

The reason didn't matter. Drinks were welcome at any time.

They had a lot of bartenders behind the counter, so it took no time at all to get someone's attention.

"Shots again?" Leo asked with a wink .

"Let's go for a cocktail. We had shots yesterday," I added for the bartender’s sake.

He seemed on the verge of laughter. We probably sounded like silly college students. I ordered a daiquiri, and Leo got a gin and tonic.

"Your drink looks amazing." Mine was delicious, and I wasn't usually a gin girl, but for some reason, Leo's was tempting.

He grinned. "You want to taste it, don't you?"

"I’d love to. You're welcome to try mine too."

"That pink thing? No way."

I rolled my eyes. "You think you'll be less manly if you drink something pink? I don't think your manhood is in any danger."

"No, I just know how it tastes, and it's exactly as pink as it looks. But you're welcome to try my gin."

I grabbed another straw and put it in his glass, sipping slowly. "I love, love, love this. This is going to be my second drink."

"Easy there. Let's see how you feel after one drink. You never were good with cocktails."

Him remembering that detail caught me off guard—again. Our gazes met, and something passed between us. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, though.

We’d always been close in college, but this was different. Maybe I was just on edge after all that celibacy before the wedding. In hindsight, thank God Walter insisted we do that, since he was fooling around with God only knew how many women. He could have given me an STD if we hadn’t. Dumping him helped me dodge a bullet in more ways than one.

"Ready to dance when you are," Leo said.

Was I imagining it, or was his voice lower? Seductive, even.

"Sure. "

"Let’s leave our drinks here." He pointed at a table farther away from the counter. We could hold our drinks and dance, but I preferred to have my hands free.

Already thinking about feeling him up, huh? This is going to be interesting.

The music was slower now but very inviting. As soon as I put my drink down, I started swaying my shoulders and my hips.

I closed my eyes and moved to the rhythm, feeling so light for some reason. I didn't know if it was because I'd had a few sips of alcohol or because Leo was right behind me.

I moved a bit closer to him and heard his sharp intake of breath. Still, I didn't open my eyes. I was just following my instincts. Then I felt one of his large, strong hands on my waist.

"You smell amazing," he whispered in my ear.

I opened my eyes, looking up at him. "Thanks. It's that new perfume I grabbed this morning at the airport."

"It suits you."

It had been an impulse purchase. Miss Dior Cherie. It was very sweet but also bold, nothing like my usual perfumes.

New fragrance, new me .

Leo moved with the same rhythm I did. Feeling the heat of his body so close almost made me want to lean into him even more, but I couldn't do that. We were already in dangerous territory. Our bodies weren't touching, but there was no more than two inches between us.

When the tempo of the music got faster, Leo put his other hand on my waist before slipping it down my hip, moving my body the way he wanted. I loved that he took charge. I was complete putty in his hands.

"You’re a great dancer," I whispered.

"So are you."

Then I felt one of his hands move between my head and his face .

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Your hair got stuck to my lips."

I laughed and leaned forward just a bit, pulling all my blonde hair to one side so it wouldn't be in the way. It was so thick that it took two tries.

I’d always loved my hair. It was my favorite feature. Only now, with it out of the way, I was feeling every one of his exhales on the back of my neck, and it had a strange effect on me. My entire body was heating up. Was it from the drink or because I was moving? Or because of Leo?

I didn't want to overthink this. He was my best friend. We were dancing. There was nothing weird about it.

But then Leo leaned closer. I felt the brush of his belt buckle against the small of my back. I instinctively leaned against him, too, the zipper flap of his jeans pressing against the crack of my ass.

I wasn't just feeling warm now, I was burning, and I knew for certain that it wasn't the alcohol or the temperature in the room. It was all Leo.

My heart rate sped up, and I turned around, smiling. We kept dancing at the same rhythm, but he didn't pull me close again.

Do I have cocktail goggles on, or has this man grown even more attractive in the past few minutes?

I closed one eye, looking at the bar. I saw the liquor bottles lined up perfectly on the counter. Then I switched eyes. Yep, I was still seeing 20/20, so I couldn't blame the alcohol.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked on a laugh.

"I was just checking if I'm actually tipsy or—" I caught myself just in time before I finished the sentence. Then I swallowed hard and looked at him.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Once again, he put a hand at the side of my body, splaying his fingers across my rib cage.

If I say yes, will you touch me somewhere else ?

I had to be inebriated. There was no other explanation. Why else would I even have these thoughts about Leo when I was supposed to have married someone else today?

“You are a bit flushed."

I was tempted to say that I was fine and wanted to keep dancing, but I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. Instead, I averted my gaze, glancing down.

Damn! How can he look so sexy in that T-shirt?

"You were right about my tolerance to cocktails." I stopped dancing, and we moved closer to the table.

"You didn't drink much, though. Want some water?"

"Yes, please."

"I'll get it right away."

While he went to the bar, I took out my phone and decided to text Debbie. I needed to share my thoughts with someone, and I knew she wouldn't judge me.

Tory: I'm having weird reactions around Leo.

I was considering how to best explain what I meant, but she’d already texted back.

Debbie: Jump his bones.

I brought the phone closer to my face. Maybe I was reading it wrong.

Nope, she really had written that.

Tory: What?

She replied immediately.

Debbie: The guy is hot, hot, hot, and I bet he wouldn't mind some sexy action. You need it.

Tory: Oh my God. I thought you were going to talk some sense into me.

Debbie: This is me talking sense into you. You're a free woman.

Tory: Leo is my best friend .

Debbie: No, I'm your best friend.

I laughed, typing quickly.

Tory: You know what I mean.

Debbie: What I know is that you're probably still in shock. If being with Leo makes you feel better, then why not?

I loved Debbie, but that sounded a lot like I would be using Leo, and that didn't sit well with me. Besides, maybe the man wasn’t even interested in me. After all, we'd been friends forever before I got engaged. I'd been single off and on during those years, and he'd never hit on me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leo returning with two glasses of water, so I texted even more quickly.

Tory: No, I’ll cool off. I just need time.

I saw another reply before I slipped the phone back in my bag.

Debbie: Ha, you're living with the man. I don't think you really have space to cool off.

She had a point, but I was going to ignore it for now.

"Tory, you’re even more flushed than before. Want us to go near a window or something?"

"Oh, no. It's not the temperature. It's just—” I froze.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just texting with Debbie."

"Did she tell you something to upset you?"

"No, no, not at all. I told her that we’re having fun. She approves of it."

He winked at me. "I like her."

"So do I."

I took a gulp of water, my brain extremely fuzzy. A second later, I realized that gulp was a bit too much, because it splattered all over the front of my body. I yelped, taking a step back and putting the glass on the table. I was soaked. Crap, you could even see my lacy bra in all its glory.

I looked up at Leo, and he saw it, too, no mistake about it. He was staring straight at my boobs. He must have realized I’d caught him because he moved his gaze up.

I cleared my throat. "We should head home."

"Absolutely."

"I'm going to the bathroom real quick to try and dry it up a bit."

"Sure. I'll wait here."

His gaze dropped to my chest again for a split second, and I sucked in a breath and whirled around, hurrying to the ladies’ room.

Holy shit, Leo was checking me out! But was it just because I was flashing my boobs? Or was there something more to it?

I could feel my body temperature rising. How was I supposed to cool off when we were going home together?

And how on earth could I pull off living with him?