I stepped onto the sidewalk and expected to say goodbye there. “Well, I’ll see you on Monday.”
He stared at me for a few seconds before he turned to the entryway.
“What are you doing?”
He opened the door for me. “Walking you to your door.”
It was sweet, really sweet coming from him, but he was my client and I was working. He didn’t need to take any time out of his life to do that for me. “Thank you, but I’m fine. It’s been a long night, so you should get home.”
He continued to hold the door open while he stared.
Instead of arguing, I just rolled with it. I went inside, took the elevator with him to my floor, and then walked to my front door.
He stood next to me with his hands in his pockets, watching me fish my keys out of my clutch.
I got the door unlocked but kept it shut, so he wouldn’t see the pigsty inside. “Thank you for walking me, Deacon. Goodnight.”
He stared at me for a few seconds before he walked off, going back the way he came.
I did something I shouldn’t, something really unprofessional, and I turned to watch him walk away, watched his broad shoulders shift as he moved, watched his strong back remain rigid as he carried himself, watched his powerful arms swing back and forth as he moved.
And I stared at his ass.
Ten
Deacon
“This whole room is mine?” Tucker asked incredulously. He looked around the bedroom—the king-sized bed, the large TV on the wall, the walk-in closet, and the private bathroom. “This is bigger than the average apartment—and you don’t even use it.”
I stood in the doorway, bored by this conversation.
He walked around and came back to me. “Now I understand why you gave me a deadline.”
“And you better keep it.” I turned around and left the bedroom so he could get settled. I returned to the living room and headed to the dining room, prepared to sit down and get back to work.
Then a knock sounded on the door.
It had to be Cleo. I didn’t have any friends, and no one at work knew my address. “Come in.”
She used her key to get inside. She was in her usual pencil skirt and blouse, her hair in curls down her front. When she’d worn that purple dress the other night, I had to do a double take. Her legs were beautiful in that short dress, tanned and toned, and the rest of her frame was eye-catching. She looked like the women I saw in the bar.
Better than them, actually.
She had a few brown paper bags filled with groceries. “I just wanted to drop these off.”
I nodded to the kitchen.
She carried everything inside and started to put things away.
I came to her, stopping at the kitchen island as I watched her unload everything. The last time I’d seen her was almost a week ago at the dinner, and she turned a horrible night into a bearable one. She had all the skills I lacked—social ones. She carried on conversations when I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. It just came naturally to her, and she somehow drew everyone’s attention away from me.
It was like she understood exactly what I wanted without having to ask.
“How are you?” She put the carton of orange juice in the fridge then put all the bottles of beer inside.
“Good. You?”
“Good. Is your brother here yet?”
“He’s looking at his room right now.”
She folded up the bag to recycle it then moved to the next one. “How long will he be here?”
“I gave him two weeks.”
She smiled. “Think of it as an opportunity to spend time with your brother. You probably haven’t lived together since you were kids.” She took out more things and put them away in my kitchen.
I hated being a kid. I was ready to move out when I was twelve.
“He seems nice.”
“He is.” He teased me a lot, but he always had my back.
His voice came from behind me. “Hey, Cleo. Need help with that?”
“No, I got it,” she said with a smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Tucker.” She shook his hand before she turned around and put a box of rice in the cabinet.
Tucker gawked at her ass and turned to me, shoving his fist into his mouth as he pointed at her, like he couldn’t believe how hot she was.
I sent him a furious stare.
When she turned back around, Tucker behaved normally.
She faced me at the kitchen island, her blue eyes innately kind, her small stature authoritative. “Text me if you need anything else. I’m always here to help.”
I nodded to her.
“Have a good night.” She gave my brother a polite smile before she walked out.
The second she was gone, Tucker turned on me. “She has the nicest ass I’ve ever seen—”