Loving the CEO (Whitley Brothers #7)

Chapter Fourteen

Tory

I woke up to the sound of sirens. I blinked my eyes open, and panic flooded me.

Holy shit, it was the alarm on my phone. But why was it so far away?

I pushed myself onto my elbows and then frowned. I looked like a human burrito lying across the bed with the blanket bunched around me.

Last night’s memories filtered in. Oh my God. Maybe I’d imagined it because I’d fantasized about Leo quite a bit.

I looked under the covers. I was butt naked.

That’s why my alarm clock was so far away—I'd left my purse down the hall.

I jumped out of bed awkwardly, pulling the cover with me so I could put it around myself. Then I skidded down the stairs and grabbed my purse from the entrance, taking out my phone and silencing the alarm. It was five thirty in the morning. I hoped to God it hadn't woken Leo up. I listened intently for a few seconds, but there were no sounds coming from upstairs, so I headed back up.

My heart was thundering at a million miles an hour. I didn't even have time to process last night because I needed to shower and leave the house quickly to make it to the airport. I'd ordered a cab yesterday, and it was going to pick me up in precisely fifteen minutes .

I jumped in the shower right away, cleaning myself off. I kept replaying the evening in my mind.

Oh, Leo, Leo, Leo.

I couldn’t believe I was leaving like this without even talking to him. But no way in hell was I going to wake him up at this ungodly hour.

Besides, I didn't even know how to talk to him. Last night, he was so seductive and sexy, I'd completely lost my head.

I hurriedly dressed and grabbed my small carry-on, going as quietly as possible down the staircase. I didn't even put the suitcase down when I reached the first floor, just went directly out the door. After closing it behind me, I took in a deep breath.

Mission accomplished: I didn’t wake him.

My cab was already here, so I loaded my suitcase and then climbed into the car.

On the way to the airport, I started and deleted about a million messages to Leo, but I couldn't put everything I felt or feared in a message. I didn't even have everything clear in my mind, so I just wrote something short and sweet.

Tory: Hey, Leo. I hope I didn't wake you up this morning. My flight is at 7:20, so that's why I had to leave early without talking to you. Call me when you see this.

After sending it, I realized how stupid that sounded, because I was getting on a plane.

Tory: If I don't pick up, obviously it's because I'm still on the plane.

After I sent it, I felt even stupider. Of course he’d know that.

I kept checking my phone every few minutes, even after I arrived at the airport, but Leo didn't call me. Then again, it was very early in the morning, and he went to bed late last night, so I tried not to worry about it too much.

I headed straight to the gate and sat down, waiting with my head propped against the wall, hoping I wouldn't fall asleep. I’d slept like the dead, but I only got probably five hours, not nearly enough for this girl—I needed a solid eight or even nine.

I was just about to get up and ask the counter attendant when boarding would start when my phone rang. I sucked in a breath. It was Leo. I answered right away, not giving myself time to overthink.

"Hey," I said.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

"You sound sleepy."

"I just woke up and saw your message. Good thing, because if I’d realized you weren't home at this hour, I would have thought I'd scared you away."

"With all those orgasms?" I asked, then burst out laughing, surprised by my own sass.

He groaned. "Fucking hell, woman. Let me wake up first."

"Sorry, I'm not even sure where that came from.” But I was starting to get an idea. Maybe those three orgasms were helping me discover my inner siren. “Sorry, my bad. You didn't have your coffee yet?"

"No, I'm literally still in bed."

I sucked in a deep breath. Was he naked? Last night, after... well, after everything he'd done for me, did he have to take care of himself too?

The question was on my lips when he asked, "When are you coming back from New Orleans?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"If that idiot gives you any trouble, let me know, okay?"

"What are you going to do, put the fear of God in him from Boston?"

"Yes. That's what phones are for."

Oh, he meant it. Warmth flooded me .

"Thanks, but I don't think it's going to be necessary. I'll just grab my things from the house and stay with Debbie, and in the evening..."

"Fuck no! Tory, tell me you're not still planning to go on that date."

"I was just remembering that was my evening plan."

There was a bit of silence, and then he said, "And?" His voice was on edge.

"I'm going to text Debbie so she has enough time to cancel everything."

"Fuck yes!"

"You really thought I’d go out with someone else after you... well, after last night?” I crossed my legs, looking down at my knees.

“I don’t know. I remember you showing me that picture and getting all excited.”

“I wasn’t excited, Leo,” I said softly. “I was trying to hype myself up.”

“So, you don’t want to go out with him?”

“No,” I said firmly. “I swear to God, if you’re going to tell me that last night was just a mistake, and I'm free to date whoever I want—"

"That was not what I was going to fucking say. Can't you tell that I'm losing my mind at the thought of anyone even looking at you?"

All my muscles felt soft all of a sudden.

"Leo...," I murmured.

"I'll be at the airport to pick you up when you come back."

"Thanks." Silence hung between us for a few seconds. "Do you want to talk? Last night, we didn't..."

"What we did was much better than talking, wasn't it?"

There was that seductive voice again. I shimmied in my seat.

"I’ll need that coffee before I can string two sentences together without sounding like a total caveman."

"I do like that side of you, though. "

He laughed, and that throaty sound filled me with pride and joy. Then an announcement resounded through the airport.

"Boarding is starting," I told him.

"See? Not enough time for me to get my shit together. Have a safe flight. Stay safe in New Orleans too. And send me your return flight details."

"Okay."

"And Tory?"

"Yeah?" I held my breath.

"Last night was fucking amazing."

My face exploded into a grin. "I completely agree."

I disconnected the call and hurried forward so I could be one of the first ones to board. I didn't let myself worry about anything—not what this would mean for our friendship or where it could even possibly lead. At dinner yesterday, it had become crystal clear that Leo and I wanted completely different things. He’d said so himself—he wanted his life in five years to look exactly the same as it did now.

And I... well, I wanted different things. But even knowing that, I was still on cloud nine, and nothing was going to make me descend from that happy place. For once, I was just going to enjoy myself. I wouldn’t allow our intimacy to affect our friendship. After this ended, as it probably would, our friendship would still last forever. We were adults. We could do this.

***

The plane hit more turbulence than I’d ever experienced in my life. I was lucky I didn't order anything to eat because everyone else who did threw up. Still, by the time I walked out into the New Orleans sunshine, I felt downright queasy.

"Welcome back!" Debbie exclaimed.

"You didn't have to pick me up, you know," I told her for the hundredth time.

"Come on, it's the first time I'm seeing my bestie since she became a runaway bride. I want as much time as possible with you. And what was that about canceling the date?"

"Did you do it?" I asked.

"Yes, because that's what you wanted. But I demand an explanation."

I grinned at her. "You'll get one. Let's just go to the car first, though."

She looked at me intently and then said, "Holy shit, you got some."

I jerked my head back. "What? How... I mean, how could you tell?” Was it written on my forehead?

"The sly way you looked down when I said I want an explanation. You almost blushed. You got yourself a hunk in Boston and didn't tell me anything. When did you meet him? What exactly did he do? Was he good at it?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"He was excellent at it," I said. "Can we get to the car first?"

"Bestie, I'm dying here. Give me some hints. Where did you meet him?"

"Funny enough, I live with him."

Watching Debbie put two and two together was priceless. Her jaw dropped open, and then she put her hands together as if about to pray, looking up at the sky theatrically.

"Thank you, God, for granting this request. I'm going to pay an extra visit to the church this year."

That’s when I realized we were both praying for the same thing.