The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(53)

We took the elevator to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. “I could describe the first room, but it’s better if you experience it for yourself.”

Her eyebrows met, forming the cutest line between them. “Is it . . . like a red room?”

“You could say that.”

I threw open a set of white double doors. The room was indeed red, but only because it was Mickey and Minnie Mouse–themed from top to bottom. A big red polka-dotted slide swirled down from a loft to a huge red tufted pillow. Icons of the famous couple filled every corner of the room in one way or another, from ceiling to floor to the twin-bed comforters. “I have no desire to have sex in this room,” she said.

I hugged her to my side. “If you don’t make it as a tax accountant, you should do a show on home decoration. Stylish? Who cares. Could you fuck in it? Now that’s the question every homeowner should ask themselves.”

“That show would get great ratings.”

I kissed her cheek. “I bet it would. Ready to see more?”

“Lead away.”

The next room was twice the size. The carpet and walls were varying shades of green. A queen-size bed was built into the trunk of a large tree. Thick branches sprawled out from the trunk. “It even has a wooden swing.” A second later she was on it, testing if it could take her weight. “This is so cool.”

Knowing that the house was equipped with the latest voice-activated everything, I gave the wake word and said, “Night light.” The room instantly darkened except for lights that came on in the ceiling and in strings that decorated areas of the room. Crickets chirped from the corners. “Okay, this room is amazing. Now that everyone has a cell phone, I would be too paranoid to have sex outside, but this . . . this would be just like that.”

I held out my hand. “Condoms, please.”

She tossed me two.

I quickly assessed the room and decided the stash had to be somewhere near the swing. One cluster of leaves made the perfect spot.

She watched me, and her expression turned serious. “Are we just having fun, or are we really saying today isn’t a onetime thing?”

I crossed to where she was standing and pulled her to me. “This house is halfway between where you live and where I do. It’s vacant. No one else comes here. We could use it whenever we want to.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Another man might have rushed to assure her of more than he was certain of. I wanted whatever we had to be based on honesty. If I could give her nothing else, I could give her that. “I want to see you again. Here. In Durham. I don’t care. I like you, and I like who I am when I’m with you. If you need more than that—”

“I don’t. I like who I am with you too.” She went up onto her tiptoes and kissed my lips.

I made love to her in that room, under the flickering stars. It was slow; it was sweet and ended with us naked and entangled on the bed. We didn’t use the swing, but we could the next time we went there—and that was a tantalizing, but also unsettling, realization.

I wanted there to be a next time.

And a time after that.

We napped briefly. When I woke and checked the time, I knew the rest of the tour would have to wait as well. “Heather, it’s time to go home.”

She snuggled tighter to my side.

If it weren’t for Ava, I would have let her sleep. I wanted to wake with her beside me, but part of what I loved about her was her devotion to her daughter.

I selfishly gave myself a few extra minutes of her in my arms, then woke her. “It’s four o’clock. When do you pick Ava up from preschool?”

She blinked a few times quickly. “She’s with Erica, but I did say I’d meet them for dinner.”

“Do you want me or Rob to take you back?”

“Rob can do it. I’ll probably head straight to Erica’s, and with Ava there . . .”

Right. “Rob it is.”

I rolled so I was above her. “So when do you want to come back and see the rest of the house?”

She chewed her bottom lip. “The next couple of days are tough. I could probably get Teri to watch her for a few hours on Saturday morning.”

A few hours would have to do. “Lunch tomorrow?”

She wiggled beneath me. “Lunch lunch . . . or lunch?”

“Wait, is the second one on the menu before Saturday?”

“If we choose somewhere close to my office, I can still have a sandwich.”

She caught my smile. “Hey, I get hungry.”

A rumble of laughter rolled out of me.

Sex and a sandwich, now that was worth driving an hour for. “I’m technically on vacation, so I’ll hunt around for the perfect place.”

Her eyebrows furrowed again. “Vacation?”

It wasn’t something I was ready to discuss with her yet. “I hadn’t taken one in years. Sometimes you have to step away to regain perspective.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, but whatever it was, she changed her mind. “I really do have to get going. Could you text Rob?”

I rolled off her, hunted for my phone, and did as she’d asked. She gave me a half smile that instantly had my radar tuning in to the change of mood.

Things had just been warm and sexy. Suddenly there was a tension between us, but I didn’t know what was causing it. While we dressed, I kept looking over to her. There was definitely something on her mind.