Fucker. I thought it, but I didn’t say it. “Some of us are happy to show our true feelings to those we care about. It’s not immature. In fact, the ability to express and manage emotion is a sign of intelligence.”
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was gathering his thoughts. For a moment, I wondered if maybe he was jealous of my enthusiastic welcome to Tucker. Wouldn’t that be something?
When he looked at me, he had his professional face on again. “About last night—”
I held up my hand. “Don’t. I’m sick of the regret—”
“I wanted to apologize for being aggressive, rough. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I hadn’t expected that, but of course he’d worry about that. He saw me as some fragile little girl. I leaned over his desk, noticing how his gaze flickered to my breasts for an instant before looking up to my face.
“Newsflash, Mo. I liked it.” I waggled my brows for effect.
He shifted in his seat, and I wondered if his dick was growing despite his efforts to keep things cool with us.
I straightened. “Now that we have that out of the way, I was hoping to have the afternoon off. I told Tucker I’d go with him to look at an apartment.”
His eyes darkened. “You two are close.”
“Yep.” I watched him closely. Was he really concerned about professional appearances, or was he jealous?
“I know we’re secretly married here, but we did agree to not see other people.”
I rolled my eyes to annoy him, but inside, I did a little happy dance, because I was pretty sure he was jealous. “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just suggest that I’d cheat on you. Remember, I was a virgin.”
He grimaced, and again I felt a little victorious. It was probably mean to tease him like that, but it was better than yelling at him.
“You can have the afternoon off,” he said, returning his attention to his paperwork.
I smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”
This time, he rolled his eyes. I practically skipped out of his office. Perhaps it was a bit schoolgirlish of me to be so happy that he was jealous. I’d known he cared for me as a friend and lusted after me as a woman. But now, I thought perhaps there was more to what he felt about me. He didn’t want to, and he was fighting it, but it was there. I could work with that.
19
Maurice
Seeing Brooke in the arms of another man had me seeing red. It wasn’t just that she was pressed tightly against his body as he swung her around that had my blood boiling. It was the look of elation on her face. It was beautiful. She was happy. But it was for him, not for me. I knew that was my own fault, but it didn’t stop my heart from breaking open. I wanted to be the one that made her smile like that. I wanted her to be that happy to see me.
I didn’t make it any easier on myself by acting like a jealous ninny. She knew it, too. I could see it in her eyes that she caught on that I didn’t like another man’s hands on her. She enjoyed poking me about it.
I don’t know why she wouldn’t think I wouldn’t be jealous. The fact that I couldn’t stop myself from touching her was proof that I wanted her. But the way I always pushed her away, I suppose this was her revenge. She deserved to have it. I’d been an asshole to her, and if all she did was poke me a bit, I was getting off far easier than I deserved.
My calendar alarm beeped, reminding me of an appointment. Looking at it, I cursed. I’d totally forgotten I’d agreed to meet with Quinn Thompson for lunch today. I considered canceling. I had no interest in running for governor. But I remembered that I’d set this up to see what he could do to help Sinclair, which was more important than ever if Stark was going to back Jay Wallace.
I had no doubt that Sinclair had what it took to be mayor, including the respect of the town. But she didn’t have the funds Stark would be able to infuse into Jay’s campaign. And I suspected there were still some old traditionalists in Salvation who would prefer a man for mayor. So, I’d meet with Thompson to see what he could do to help her campaign.
I put my coat on, let Trina know where I’d be, and headed out to the restaurant. It was an Italian place several blocks down from City Hall. It was a bit fancy for lunch, but since he picked it, I’d go.
I decided to walk so I could have time to clear my head. It wasn’t easy, because all I could see was Brooke looking so exuberant as Tucker scooped her up. I remembered her talking about him before, but for some reason, I’d pictured him as being gawky and homely. He was quite the opposite, which made me wonder why they’d never become an item. She insisted they were just friends, but after seeing them this morning, I had to wonder if that was true. Or would stay true. There was no doubt he was better suited. For one, he made her happy. Two, he was closer in age. And three, he was moving to town. I considered that perhaps I needed to let her go so she could be with someone better for her. But how in the hell would I pay back the trust?
I reached the restaurant, and taking a deep breath to focus my mind on the issue at hand, I entered. I knew Thompson right away, mostly because I hadn’t met him, and being the mayor of a small town, I knew everyone in the restaurant. But also, he wore city slicker all over him, from his tailored suit to his expensive haircut. He wasn’t much younger than me, mid-thirties maybe. I was sure he thought a place like Salvation was too small, too beneath him, making me wonder how I even got on his radar.
He extended his hand. “Mayor Valentine. Nice to meet you.”
“You too, Mr. Thompson.”
“Call me Quinn,” he said, gesturing for me to sit. “Can I call you Maurice?”