If I woke up this morning with the notion that Claudia would be here tonight, looking at me the way she did, I would've laughed at myself. It didn't seem possible after nearly a month of rejections that she'd change her mind.
But she has, and I can't get through my duties as host fast enough. Her expression when she said the words it's over is stuck in my mind. The shadow that's been in her gaze since we met was gone, replaced by the spark of a person I always suspected was beneath her thick exterior.
Thanks to Todd, I understand what this means, even if I can't tell her I know. She's done running, and Todd can stay here like he wants to.
I get my shot with Claudia after all. I can't recall the last woman who managed to touch my emotions and stir my blood with this amount of intensity. There's one obstacle left, now that hers are gone.
My leg.
My step slows as I ascend the stairs to the second floor. If I had to guess, Claudia isn't the kind of person who will care that I'm half a man, but the voice is there, challenging the idea any woman could accept me as I am.
Quashing it, I reach the top of the stairs and stride down the hallway. I haven't been this nervous or excited about spending time with someone since I was a teen, and knowing it's the woman I've been waiting for …
I take a deep breath to settle my rattled senses. I want tonight to last forever.
The second floor is vacant for now. A little later, when family return to their guest rooms, it'll be more crowded.
Claudia is in the middle of the couch where we first kissed, her legs tucked beneath her and head resting on the back of the couch while she stares into the fire. There's a softness to her features that hasn't been present before now, a light in her eyes as if she's found new life.
"Just my luck. You decided to show up," I tease and sink onto the couch beside her. Wrapping an arm around her, I pull her into my body and breathe in her scent. She rests a hand on my chest and relaxes into me.
I love it, the tiny sign of surrender after two months of restraint. We sit together in silence for a long moment. It's harder than I expect for me to keep my hands from roaming her body. If I've learned anything from our interactions, it's that she sets the pace and tone, which means I have to be patient a little longer.