She smiled. “I will.” She was determined not to overthink things and to enjoy her time with Decklan. He knew she needed time, and as long as he respected that, things between them would be fine.
ELEVEN
Amanda waited in the airport with unfamiliar feelings of excitement and longing winding their way through her. She couldn’t understand how one man had worked his way into her head and her heart so thoroughly, so quickly when she’d never allowed anyone in before.
She scanned the crowd that was suddenly coming through the gated area when she caught sight of Decklan in a navy tee shirt and faded jeans hugging his strong thighs. He hadn’t shaved, and the razor stubble added a dangerous edge to the overall look. She knew the minute he caught sight of her because his lips lifted in a sexy grin. He had a duffle bag in one hand, and when he reached her, he dropped the bag, grabbed her face with both hands, and soon she was kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in months instead of one week.
His lips were soft, but the kiss was anything but. He devoured her with a hunger she matched. She grasped his shirt and held on, reveling in the taste and scent she’d missed so badly. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she moaned, her fists clenching in his shirt.
“Get a room,” someone called out, breaking the intensity of the moment.
She jumped back and ducked her head, grinning at being caught making out like a teenager.
With her cheeks burning, she met his heated gaze. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi back.”
They stared at each other, her heart growing bigger with each second that passed.
He winked, then picked up his duffel and hefted it over his shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.”
“No luggage?”
“This is it.”
She shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”
They walked through the airport and out to the parking lot where she’d left her car. She beeped the remote and the trunk popped open.
“Nice wheels,” he said of the Audi she’d purchased when Brad had threatened to sell the old clunker car she’d had since college.
She smiled. “Thanks.”
They climbed into her car, and she started up the engine. Decklan watched her in silence. He didn’t know what he’d expected when he arrived in D.C., but Amanda’s warm welcome was a solid start. That he’d managed to get her to let him come visit was a feat in and of itself, and he planned to take advantage of every minute they had together.
He glanced over at her. She wore a fitted skirt and short-sleeve blouse, with killer heels. As he’d come down the escalator and through the gate, he’d been unable to take his eyes off her long legs, and the way the skirt hugged her ass, it’d taken all his restraint not to cop a feel in public.
“Did you come straight from work?” he asked.
She nodded. “It was easy enough to leave to get you by three. Brad had someplace to be, and I’d already wrapped things up for the weekend.”
“Well, you look amazing.” He reached over and tugged at a strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun.
Her cheeks flushed a hot shade of pink. He was glad she reacted to him each and every time.
“How far are we from your place?”
“Not far.”
Sure enough, in a few minutes, she pulled into an apartment complex of low-rise units. A key card got them beyond a guardhouse.
“Good security,” he noted.
She nodded. “It makes me feel safe. I’m more used to this kind of living than Manhattan.”
“That’s why I like where I live. It’s not the city. I don’t know how Gabe and Isabelle do it.” He preferred grass and trees to sidewalks and crowds.
“To each his own, I guess.”