So he’d called her his girlfriend. Why had that irritated her so much? She’d spent several hours staring at the dark ceiling of her bedroom last night trying to figure that out.
She’d been leery of relationships ever since her divorce. The last thing she’d wanted was to tumble into yet another relationship with a man who’d want to control her. So maybe Flynn’s labeling of her as his girlfriend triggered something that made her uncomfortable, and she hadn’t even realized it. Then, subconsciously, she’d lashed out at him for no reason at all. Because if there was one thing she knew, it was that Flynn was nothing like her ex-husband. He was kind and encouraging and not at all controlling.
She heaved a sigh, then took another sip of coffee.
She owed Flynn a huge apology. If he intended to ever speak to her again.
When her phone buzzed, she reached across the table to check it. Surprisingly, it was a text from Flynn.
Are you awake yet?
She smiled and texted back. Having coffee. What are you doing?
Just got home from taking Mia to the airport.
At least he was speaking to her. That was a good sign.
If you’re not busy, would you like to come by for coffee? She texted back to him, then waited, chewing on her bottom lip.
Be there in 10 mins.
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath on his reply until she received it. She exhaled, then dashed into the downstairs bathroom to examine herself. She’d showered when she first got up to see if that would help jolt her awake, so her hair, though kind of a mess, was at least clean, as was the rest of her. But she definitely looked like she hadn’t slept last night. There were dark circles under her eyes and she didn’t have time to make herself look presentable.
With a sigh, she turned off the bathroom light and went to brew more coffee. She wondered if Flynn had eaten breakfast this morning. If not, she could—
He knocked at the door so she went to answer it. Her heart pounded as she took in the sight of him wearing a dark blue peacoat and black jeans. It was cold out this morning so she shut the door after him in a hurry.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey. I made coffee. Take your coat off and come have some.”
“Okay, thanks.”
He followed her into the kitchen. She poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him.
“Thanks.” He wrapped his hands around the mug.
“It’s cloudy and cold outside today,” she said, feeling ridiculous for talking about the weather.
“Yeah. Looks like it could rain.”
At least he’d jumped all over the weather conversation. But since she’d started their fight, and he’d been nice enough to text her this morning, it was up to her to break the icy wall between them. “Flynn. About last night.”
“Yeah, about that. Look, Amelia. I’m really sorry. I assumed our relationship and that’s on me.”
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. I had too much to drink, and then my mouth opened and everything awful came out. I did a lot of thinking and not sleeping last night and I came to the realization that I thought you were trying to control me. Which, by the way, you weren’t. I guess it was ghosts of the ex coming back to haunt me and I was being overly sensitive. Which, by the way, is no excuse. So I’m the one who’s sorry. I was out of line. Like . . . really out of line.”
He came over to her and swept his hand over her hair. “It’s okay. You’re entitled. You had a bad experience and it’s all right if that affects you every now and then. Now, can you forgive me for not reacting well?”
“Given how shitty I behaved, there’s nothing to forgive. I’m surprised you’re even speaking to me. Frankly, I’m shocked you didn’t fire me.”
He frowned. “Amelia. Let’s get one thing straight right now. Our relationship is now and always will be separate from the job. One has nothing to do with the other. You could tell me right now to go fuck myself and you’ll still have a job tomorrow. You understand?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay.”
She appreciated the line of demarcation separating their personal relationship from their work relationship. And he’d given her a really nice out considering her bad behavior from yesterday. She laid her forehead against his chest. “Thank you for understanding about yesterday.”
He put his coffee cup down on the kitchen island, then tipped her chin up with his finger. “So we’re okay now?”
She smiled at him. “Yes, we’re okay now.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. This was what she needed, that affirmation of affection, of warmth between them. She’d felt so awful last night and this morning, not only because of how she’d behaved, but also because she’d missed him. She was grateful to find him so understanding.
And now, as he pulled her against him, she wanted to show him how much she appreciated him as a man. She leaned into him, pressing her body against his hard muscle, drawing in his strength as he deepened the kiss. When he let his hand roam down her back to cup her butt and draw her sex closer to his rigid erection, she moaned against his lips.
He pulled back. “I need to fuck you.”
She nodded, every part of her trembling with the same need. “Yes. Right now.”
She thought he’d take her hand and lead her to the bedroom. Instead, he swept her sweater off her shoulders and laid it on the bar stool, then pulled her tank top off, filling his hands with her breasts. His mouth was next and she whimpered at the heat and wetness as he sucked her nipple. She held on to his arms as he took her to that place where every part of her quivered with awareness.