CHAPTER24
Boston, MA
“Please don’t do this to me!”
“Miss Dawson,” Devyn said, struggling not to laugh as Andi somehow managed to tighten her hold around the passenger seat and held on for dear life.
“I quit!” she managed to get out before returning to mumbling, “We’re going to die!” over and over again as she released the cutest fucking sniffles while he did his best to stop fucking smiling.
She’d smiled the entire way here, talking his ear off about all the things that she was going to do when she finally saw snow only to have all of her hopes and dreams destroyed the moment they stepped outside and she realized just how fucking cold it was. That had been followed by her refusal to leave the airport, ten minutes to convince her to make the short trip from the door to the car, and countless reassurances that she wasn’t developing hypothermia.
“We’re not going to die,” Devyn assured the small woman refusing to leave the safety of the car.
“You don’t know that,” came the sadly mumbled reply that had his lips twitching.
“I grew up around here,” Devyn said, sighing heavily as he glanced at the driver to find him struggling not to laugh.
“Then you should have known better than to come back,” Andi said, making him chuckle as he was finally able to pull her free only to sigh when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Keeping one arm wrapped tightly around the shivering woman in his arms, Devyn pulled his phone out and-
Shit!
Realized that they’d just wasted a trip for nothing when he saw the email letting him know that Charlton Hotel canceled the meeting after figuring out their mistake and apologized for wasting his time right around the time that Andi finally managed to break free and practically dove back into the car. Sighing heavily, Devyn’s gaze shifted to the large hotel behind him with “The Charlton” carved into the stonewall and debated keeping that meeting, only to take pity on the small woman sadly mumbling, “I don’t want to build a snowman,” to herself. He’d come back tomorrow morning and find out what had sent the manager panicking in the first place.
After one last look at The Charlton, Devyn climbed back in the car with a murmured, “The Mason.” A moment later, the car was pulling away from the curb as Devyn rubbed his hands roughly down his face. They didn’t have time to waste with this bullshit. They had three months to figure this out and they needed to make every minute count.
“Please tell me that ‘The Mason’ is code for going home where it’s warm,” Andi said, sounding really fucking hopeful as he dropped his hands away.
“Not exactly,” Devyn said as he pulled his phone out and handed it to her. “Change of plans.”
Frowning, Andi worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she read the email. “Why didn’t he call to cancel this?” she asked, sending him a curious look.
“He’s covering his ass,” Devyn said, watching as she returned her attention back to the email and-
“They already shipped the audit files to Florida,” Andi said, sighing in defeat as she handed the phone back to him, clearly realizing the problem. “I’m not going to be able to help you without those files.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get much done on this trip,” Devyn said, watching her as he debated calling to see how long it would take to get the jet ready so that they could return to Florida, only to find himself doing something that he never would have thought about doing before.
He’d fired men for less, and now, he was doing the same fucking thing, only…
It wasn’t the same.
He wasn’t a married man or some prick bending his secretary over his desk on the company’s dime. This wasn’t just about sex. It had been years since he’d touched a woman, but he’d never had a problem finding a willing woman to spend the night with. It would have been a smarter fucking move to find someone else than to cross that line with Andi, but the problem was, he didn’t want anyone else.
He was risking everything by being with her when he was already on the verge of losing everything. It was a dumb fucking move, but one that he couldn’t regret, not when being with her made him happy for the first time in years.
They just needed to be really fucking careful.
* * *
“It just wasn’t meantto be,” Andi mumbled sadly as she stood there with the comforter that she’d taken off her bed wrapped tightly around her as she stared out the floor-to-ceiling window and thought about everything that could have been.
God, the snowmen that she could have built…
Why did it have to be so cold out? Andi found herself wondering as she reluctantly turned around, resigning herself to never knowing the joy of making a snow angel and decided that this moment deserved a heartfelt sigh. That was followed by a second sigh, mostly because it felt right, as she climbed back onto the king-sized bed that was really comfortable and the decision to work on her super-secret project to pass the time.
At least she had everything that she needed, Andi thought as she reached down and grabbed her iPad and the notebook that she’d been working on along with a carefully select assortment of pens that she’d helped herself to from the supply closet at work, only to realize that she’d left her phone at home. Damn it. Knowing that there was nothing that she could do about it now, she arranged everything on the bed. Once she had everything the way that she wanted, she settled back against the headboard with a satisfied sigh, opened up the file that she’d been working on and found the page where she left off and-
“You really are bad at this,” came the murmured announcement that had Andi frowning as she looked up and found Devyn leaning back against the doorway, looking incredibly handsome in a new suit, his hair freshly combed, and a single white rose dangling between two fingers that had her struggling not to wince.
“I really am,” Andi readily agreed with a nod, really hoping that he’d be willing to overlook the fact that she was completely oblivious. “I did warn you.”
“Yes,” Devyn said, his lips twitching as he pushed away from the doorway and made his way over to the bed, “you did.”
“I don’t think that I properly conveyed just how bad I am at this kind of thing,” Andi said, nodding solemnly as Devyn leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
“I’m taking you to dinner, Miss Dawson,” Devyn said, smiling as he slowly brushed his lips against hers one last time before he stood up as she sent a panicked gaze at the window and-
“You won’t have to risk hypothermia to have dinner with me,” he explained as she looked down at the oversized tee-shirt and flannel pajama pants that she’d changed into after her shower and felt her shoulders slump when she realized that might be a problem.
“I didn’t bring anything dinner-worthy to wear,” Andi admitted, feeling like an idiot, knowing that any sane woman would have packed something sexy to wear after spending a weekend with Devyn, but sadly, the thought never occurred to her. As soon as he mentioned going to Boston, she’d found herself focusing on what they needed to do for work and all those plans that she’d made over the years to frolic in the snow. It never even occurred to her to pack a dress or anything sexier than her Eeyore slippers.
God, she was so bad at this.