A Clandestine Corporate Affair(37)
But not yet. Not until after the holidays. It just seemed cruel to deny him his grandson’s first Christmas.
Nathan lifted his arm to make room for her, and she curled up against his side, laid her head on his warm chest, feeling the thump-thump of his heart against her cheek. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Since you’re not going to your father’s, why don’t you and Max and I go out for breakfast.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? What if someone sees us together?”
“There’s a diner I go to by the university. Odds are pretty slim we’ll run into someone we know there.”
“Okay. That sounds like fun.”
“When does Max usually wake up?”
“He should be up anytime now.”
Under the covers she felt the warmth of his hand settle on her hip, then slip down to stroke her right cheek. “Do you think we might have time for a quick shower?”
She slid her hand under the covers and down his stomach. He groaned as she wrapped it around his erection and squeezed. “I think it can’t hurt to try.”
Though he should have put a few hours in at the office yesterday, Nathan ended up spending the entire day and the whole evening with Ana and Max. First they went to breakfast—where no one seemed to recognize them or care who they might be—then they did some last-minute shopping for Max. Because the temperature was mild, they took Max to the park for a while, pushing him on the baby swings and walking him in the stroller down the nature trails. They picked up Thai food on the way back to her place and had dinner, and though he could tell Ana wanted him to spend the night again, he had to be into work early the next morning.
He left after Max went to bed, and when he walked into his apartment, it felt even less like home than usual. If things with Ana and Max worked out the way he was hoping—and he was hoping they would—they would have to think about getting a place together. Preferably a house with a huge yard for Max to play in, in a family-friendly neighborhood with parks. In the current market, he was sure they could get a great deal. But he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He couldn’t make a move until he had the CEO position in place.
He spent the rest of his evening online, on the F.A.O. Schwartz website, buying more gifts than Max would probably ever have time to play with, and paying exorbitant shipping prices to guarantee his purchases would be delivered by Christmas Eve. He had already committed himself to dinner with his mother and Jordan Christmas night, but he planned to be at Ana’s Christmas Eve after the office party, and Christmas morning when Max opened his presents. It was hard to believe that it was only six days away. And he had a slight problem. He had no idea what to get Ana. She wasn’t really into fine jewelry, and besides, that just seemed so…impersonal. What did a man get a woman who had the means to buy herself anything she could ever need or desire?
He wanted to get her something he knew she would really appreciate, something she would never think to get herself. He was in his office Monday morning combing the internet for ideas, waiting for inspiration to strike, when his mother called.
“I’ve been invited to take a holiday cruise with a friend, so I won’t be available to spend Christmas with you and your brother,” she told him, without having the decency to sound even the least bit regretful. He was sure wherever she was going would be warm and exotic, and her “friend” was probably significantly older and very rich.
“Well, have a good time,” he said, wondering if she heard the relief in his voice.
She didn’t suggest they try to reschedule, or even bother to apologize. She just wished him a happy holiday then hung up. His mom, the ice queen. But if nothing else, her call gave him one hell of a gift idea.
He did a quick internet search, finding exactly what he wanted on the first hit. It was perfect!
He considered contacting a travel agent for the finer details, but with Ana’s name on one of the tickets, he decided it was best he did this himself over the internet. He made the arrangements, printed off his confirmation email and cleared the history on his browser five minutes before he was due to meet several members of his team downstairs in the lobby coffee shop.
The meeting lasted through lunch, and just as they were gathering their things to head back upstairs his secretary called. “Your brother is here wondering when you’ll be back to your office,” she said. “Should he wait or come back later?”
“I’m on my way up now,” he said, punching the button for the elevator.