Miles rushed through his shower and got dressed. When he came out of the bathroom, he noticed that Chloe had already made the bed and picked up her clothing from last night. The girl moved fast, he thought, with approval. In fact, he liked the way she moved, period.
She was downstairs waiting for him in the foyer, dressed in her cocktail dress and heels again. He felt that now-familiar tug of attraction when he saw her. Man, it didn’t matter if she was dressed to the nines or simply wearing his robe and fresh from a shower. The magnetic pull between them did not abate in any way.
“I feel strangely underdressed,” he said, gesturing to his T-shirt and chinos.
“You look perfect,” she replied, then blushed.
He cocked his head and looked at her. “Perfect, huh? You’re good for my ego.”
She laughed out loud. “Somehow I don’t think your ego needs a lot of boosting.”
He pulled a face. “Are you saying I’m conceited?”
“No, in fact, with someone with your level of privilege, you’re refreshingly unpretentious.”
He studied her again. “My level of privilege?”
She waved her hand to encompass the lavish entrance of his home. “Need I say more?”
“Okay, you made your point. Let’s go get you into something more suited to a day out with an unpretentious man of privilege.”
“Are you going to tease me about that all day?”
“No, I’m sure I’ll find something else to tease you about,” he said lightheartedly.
But her comment had stung just a little. He’d grown up in a family with immense wealth and privilege and a father whose sense of entitlement had made him a difficult man at the best of times. Miles had done everything he could, his entire adult life, not to become the man his father was. But did a man have to live in a hovel and dress like a pauper to make his point? Miles had never thought so. Yes, he was wealthy, but he’d earned that wealth based on sound business decisions and his own intelligence. And he’d held on to it and continued to build it in the same way.
As he and Chloe drove out to Midlothian, he wondered what had prompted her remark. Obviously she’d been burned somewhere along the line. But how badly, and would it make an impact on their chances of building a future relationship?
And was he putting the cart before the horse by overthinking this entire thing? They’d only just met two days ago, after all, and they’d been more intimate in that time than he’d been in any of his past three relationships. He’d brought her home, and he never did that. He’d always wanted an out, in the past. But with Chloe, he just quite simply wanted her.
He reached across and grabbed her good hand and gave it a squeeze. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her look up at him and smile. He smiled back, realizing he’d probably laughed and smiled more in the past forty-eight hours than he had in the past forty-eight days.
Yeah, he wanted her, and sure, they might not be financial equals, but he had no doubt that when it came to the things that were important to him, like honesty for example, he and Chloe were very much on the same page.
Six
He really needed to take time off more often, Miles realized as they left the aquarium and headed to the pier. Chloe had exhibited a genuine delight in all they’d seen so far, and he found her enthusiasm infectious. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d really relaxed and simply been in the moment like this. And sneaking kisses when she wasn’t expecting them was fun, too.
However, walking around in a state of semiarousal all the time was something to get used to. Especially if he was planning to spend more time with Chloe. When they’d arrived at her house, she’d suggested he come in with her while she packed her bag for the weekend so he could advise her on wardrobe selections. Of course, being in her bedroom with her like that—well, one thing had led to another, and w
hile he hadn’t yet replenished his supply of condoms, it turned out that Chloe had a healthy supply of her own. Less one, now, he thought with a deep sense of satisfaction.
When they reached the pier, she dragged him onto the Ferris wheel. They were stalled at the top while people loaded in a car at the bottom, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He’d already told work, no calls unless it was a life-or-death situation—and in their line of work with clients all over the world in difficult circumstances, that could actually happen.
He slid his phone from his pocket and checked the screen. Sebastian? The elder of his twin brothers rarely called, but in light of the news reports about WinJet failing their safety inspection, hard on the heels of the news they were being sued by employees hurt in the recent fire at the plant, Miles knew this had to be important.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to take this,” Miles said to Chloe.
“No problem,” she replied breezily. “I’ll just remain enraptured by the view.”
She gave him a look that went from head to toe and back again, and Miles couldn’t help the pull of attraction that flared under her gaze. He answered the call.
“Sebastian, what can I do for you?”
“What? No hello, brother, long time no see?”
There was an edge to his brother’s voice that confirmed to Miles that this was definitely not a social call.