Loving the CEO (Whitley Brothers #7)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Leo

I noticed that she had several long pieces of wood resting against the wall. When had she gotten those, and what did she plan to do with them? They looked like shelves. Why didn't she tell me anything about it?

I went over to the stack and saw an instruction leaflet on the end table next to it. She’d already mounted one, and by the looks of it, it was a botched job. I could do it so much better.

She'd left the tools, so I checked the clock. She always needed a long time to wash and fix her hair. We'd arrive at our picnic later than I’d planned, but I had enough time to do this.

I glanced over the instructions once and then set them aside. I'd always been very handy at putting things together. It was one of the reasons why I liked to flip houses from time to time. I certainly didn't need the money, but I enjoyed the manual labor.

The shelves were easy work, and within thirty minutes, I'd managed to put all of them up. I could hear the hair dryer from the bathroom, so I knew she wouldn't need much longer.

A few minutes later, she came out fully dressed and twirled around.

My heart went boom, boom, boom in my chest, threatening to burst through my rib cage. Wow .

"What do you think? Ready for whatever you have in mind for tonight?" Then her mouth formed an O . "You built my shelf.”

"Of course."

"Leo! Oh my God, you didn't have to. I mean, I started working on it this morning, and I was going to finish it eventually."

"Why didn't you tell me you needed help around here today? I would have bailed on tennis with my brothers."

"Don't be silly. Why waste your time doing stuff for me?"

"Tory," I said, realizing she didn't understand how seriously I meant this. I gently cupped her face with one hand. "Whenever you need something, just let me know. I mean it. You didn't have to do all this stuff. How did you even lug the wood here?"

"Oh, that wasn't that difficult. I ordered it online." She cast her gaze away.

"What are you not telling me?"

"The delivery guy actually dropped them off in front of the building because the elevator wasn't working and, in his words, 'They don't pay me enough to break my back,' which, I guess, is fair."

"Tell me you didn't carry this by yourself."

She put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I’m in very good shape. And I carried them two at a time, so it wasn't very difficult."

"Babe, promise me you won't pull that shit again. You need something, you call me. It doesn't matter what it is. I'll drop what I'm doing and come here to help you.”

"Why?" she asked as if she couldn't imagine this at all.

"Because you're mine," I said slowly.

Her eyes widened.

"That comes as a surprise to you?" I asked in a tight tone.

"I just... oh, Leo, I didn't... I'm not even sure what this... never mind," she said.

I knew what she was thinking, but I didn't want to explain it to her in words. After tonight, maybe things would be a bit clearer for her, just as they were for me.

"Are you ready to leave?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, sir, I am."

My cock twitched. Fuck, it did that every time she playfully called me sir.

"So, where are we going?"

I figured I could tell her now. The thing about surprises was that it didn't allow you to feel the joy before the event. But in my opinion, if you dropped all the details just before, it still allowed for pre-joy. "We're watching a meteor shower."

She gasped, covering her mouth. "Wait, how do you even know about that?"

"You told me in college that you love meteor showers."

She smiled sheepishly. "Trust me, moving back to New Orleans only fueled my passion for all things that even have a hint of the supernatural. Well, meteor showers don’t, but they're cool anyway. Where are we watching?"

"We're going to the Boston Common Public Garden," I informed her.

"Awesome. I haven't been there in a while. This is going to be so much fun," she exclaimed, overflowing with joy.

Fuck yes. That was what this was all about .

From the moment we left her apartment, she talked my ear off about the meteor shower, how often it happened, what the Incas thought it meant, what Egyptians thought it meant, and the Romans’ take on the astrological event. I had to give it to her—it was pretty fascinating. I wasn't going to start tracking moon phases anytime soon, but anything that made her happy was doubly important in my book.

The public garden was a popular spot for lunch but not for dinner, which was perfect. It meant that Tory and I would have some privacy for our picnic. The June evening was warm but not humid. It was just the way you wanted it for stargazing.

"I didn't know they had restaurants here."

I smiled as I put an arm over her shoulders. "They don't. We’re having a picnic."

She turned around to look at me, stunned. "Okay, I don't even recognize you right now."

"What do you mean?"

"The Leo I remember from college wasn't into romantic stuff. Although, I guess we were just friends," she said, more to herself than to me. "Maybe you were with your dates."

"I wasn't—never. I don't have a romantic bone in my body."

"And yet you brought me here to watch a meteor shower and have a picnic? Hmm."

"Fair enough," I said.

"So, what are we eating?"

"There’s an Eataly store close by. I went earlier and bought some things you like." I guided her toward where I knew our place was and texted Jackie quickly.

Leo: We're here, you can go. Thanks a lot!

We went off through an alley and a canopy of trees. I'd specifically asked Jackie to find us a spot where the sky was visible but we’d be shielded by greenery. She’d done well.

When our spot came into view, Tory did a double take. So did I. The whole setup was far more professional than it had been in my mind. For one, there were candles around a blanket, plus an actual ice bucket with a bottle of white wine. Jackie had put the snacks on small tables .

"Leo," she whispered as we walked closer. “When...? Okay, I need details about logistics because how did this happen? If you were picking me up, who was watching the food?"

I grinned. "My assistant helped me."

She covered her mouth. "Leo, you make her work on Saturday?"

"Trust me, she's not upset about it at all. I pay my people well. She scouted this particular spot. I simply went to Eataly and bought everything.” I urged her forward. “Let’s start. We have about half an hour to eat because someone took too long in the shower."

"I have zero regrets. Imagine me coming here looking half-assed after you put in so much effort."

I walked around her so she could see me properly. "I fucking love seeing you disheveled."

"Let's see what you bought." She immediately looked into the paper bag. "Prosciutto. Yum. And a sandwich with mozzarella."

Watching her light up was a fucking honor.

"Oh, it has dried tomatoes too!”

“I asked them to put tomatoes on it. I know you love them," I said.

She glanced at me sideways, then put her sandwich back in the bag. "Oh, Leo, you’re my dream man. How did I not know that until now?”

Her words reached somewhere deep inside me. I’d never intended to be anyone's dream man. It was why, as Mom had so eloquently put it, I just whored around. I never wanted anyone to have unrealistic expectations of me.

But I didn't simply want Tory to have expectations of me. I wanted to fulfill them. Hell, I wanted to exceed them.

She turned around on her knees and put her arms around my neck. "You have earned yourself a very sexy night."

I grinned. "I know, right? "

“But spoiler alert: you don't actually have to work that hard. You've got me anyway."

I looked down at her and pulled back a bit. "Just because you’re mine doesn't mean I will ever stop putting in an effort." I wanted Tory something fierce. I could actually imagine us doing this every year.

This train of thought was so bizarre that I could barely believe myself. I very rarely thought further ahead than the next few months, especially when it came to dating. It just wasn't who I was.

Until today, apparently.

"Come on, pretty girl. Let's eat so we can focus on your meteor shower afterward."

"I can't believe I'm getting to share this with you. You’ll love it. I promise."

We ate quickly, splitting the treats in half so we could taste everything. The brownie was our favorite, and I let her have the last bite.

The meteor shower started five minutes later.

"Quick, quick," Tory prodded, hustling to find the right spot on the blanket.

"Babe, I have an idea." I lay down and patted my chest. "Just put your head here."

"You’re a genius." She lay on her back, perpendicular to me, with her head right where I'd pointed.

"See there?" She pointed up at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"

I had to give it to her. The whole thing was pretty spectacular even though it was much smaller than I’d envisioned. I thought it would look like fireworks. It kind of did, but very distant. But this was special because it was a natural event.

She sighed, and I took one of her hands and interlaced our fingers. "Happy? "

She brought our hands to her cheek, pressing the back of mine against it. "So very happy," she murmured. "I've never shared anything like this with anyone." Her voice was almost a whisper now. “I mean, I did with Debbie or other girlfriends. There were plenty of people to share my weirdness with in New Orleans. But not anyone I dated."

I was the first man she’d shared this with? Fuck yes.

I couldn't understand how anyone could be with this woman and not cater to her every whim. I wanted to know everything she wanted today, tomorrow, and in life in general—and to make it happen.

It was an urge stronger than anything I'd ever known.

We stayed like that for some time, but the dark gradually turned to pitch-black. Eventually, the candles weren't enough, and we turned on the lights on our phone.

Once the meteor shower was over, I said, "Pretty girl, we should go."

"Yeah. It's a bit creepy at night, isn't it?"

I laughed. "You could put it that way. But don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Oh, I'm not worried about anything when I'm with you," she whispered as we gathered everything.

Fuck yes, that was exactly what I wanted—for her to trust me implicitly.

I kissed her, but only a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh really? Now you're holding back," she teased when I pulled away.

"Let's get you home, Tory. If I give you a real kiss here, we might not leave at all."

"Sexy time in the park, huh? That's a big no for me. Don't want critters all over my body when your cock is inside me."

I was sporting a hard-on. Fucking hell. She hadn't even really talked dirty to me, but I was already on edge. I was now actively fighting my instincts not to kiss her. My body simply craved Tory. But I managed to behave.

"You want to go to my place tonight?" she asked once we left the garden.

"Sure. Why not?" I preferred staying at my house, just because it was bigger, but Tory's place had its charm too. Besides, she had all her stuff there, and that made her feel at ease.

We gathered everything and set it in the back seat of my car, then climbed in the front. I held Tory’s hand the whole way back to her apartment.

After I parked in front of the building, we took the remaining picnic supplies upstairs. Inside the apartment, Tory headed straight to the kitchen.

"Let me find a place for everything in the fridge."

I moved right behind her. "Fuck no, babe. Not now."

She straightened up, closing the fridge, and pushed her ass straight back against my cock.

"Oh," she whispered, laughing seductively. "How long have you been like this?"

"Since we were at the park," I confessed.

"You have excellent self-restraint."

"Fuck no. I just didn't want to risk mauling you right there. The idea of it made you so uncomfortable."

She turned around slowly and rose on her toes. "You’re amazing, you know that? I can't believe I never saw this in college."

"It wouldn't have worked."

"Oh."

I realized this needed some explaining.

"I was not in a good place back then. Even though we'd known for a while about Dad's other family, it wasn't easy. "

"Really? But you’re always so blasé about it. So easygoing."

"It was an adjustment. And I know for a fact that back then, I wasn't the man I am today. Not even close to the man you needed. The man you deserved."

"Ha! Well, I, for one, say that's debatable."

Even though it was dark in the kitchen, I could see her smile.

"But I actually agree with you," she whispered. "I'm glad we didn't... you know... hook up back then. I don't think it would have been good for our friendship. Neither of us was mature enough to part ways and still stay friends."

Fucking hell, was that what she wanted? Was that where she saw this going? That we were just going to fuck for a while, then go back to being friends? That was just not possible. I couldn't be the only one who saw us together next year, too, and the one after that.

Then again, why was I so surprised? I'd always been adamant that I didn't want any of that, didn’t want a future. Why would she assume it would be different with her?

"But," she continued, "now you're mine. And you're a bit too sexy to be standing here with all your clothes on, don't you think?"

I laughed. "I agree. Now I have free rein to—how did you put it before? Attack you."

She grinned. "That's right."