Off the Record (With Me in Seattle Mafia 3)

“A?”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking.” I clink my glass to hers, take a long sip of the whiskey, and then pull her in for a hug. “My mother spoke out of turn, that’s all. I just have thoughts running through my head. But before I do anything that would commit either of us to something for the long haul, I’ll have a conversation with you first. Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. That sounds good.”

She smiles up at me, looking relieved. I’m still stuck on her for a little while comment, but I decide to let it be for tonight.

We’ve made no promises.

But if she thinks I’ll let her move away from me, she’s got another think coming. But it’s early days yet, and we’re finally in a place of getting to know each other again—and being together.

The rest will happen in due time. For now, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of her.

At her pace.

“Are you sleepy?” I ask when I hear her yawn.

“I think the past week is catching up to me,” she says and sips her wine as she follows me back to the bedroom. Of course, she’s exhausted. She packed up her house, her business, and left her life in Denver. We wandered all over the market today, and she had dinner with my parents.

I’m surprised that she’s still standing upright.

“I have an idea.” I kiss her forehead, run my hands down her arms, and then lead her into the bathroom. “I think you need a hot bath.”

“Oh, God, I’ve been dying to take a swim in that tub.” She does a little happy dance. “You run the water, and I’ll go get my things.”

I take my time setting the temperature of the water, sprinkle in a generous amount of Epsom salts that smell like lavender, and light a few candles that I bought a day or two before Annika came to Seattle.

When she returns, her eyes widen.

“I might fall asleep.”

“If you do, I’ll wake you up. No drowning in my tub.” I tip up her chin so I can kiss her softly. “Just yell if you need anything.”

“Thank you. This will be heaven.”

I close the door behind me so she has privacy and find my laptop. I sit in the chair by the window and open the computer. I should check my email and see if any clients need me this week.

But things are quiet on the work front. It seems everyone is happy where they are for now. And I won’t complain about that because it gives me more time with Annika.

I put the computer away and use the other bathroom to take a quick shower and change. When Annika’s been in the bath for more than thirty minutes, I knock on the door, just to make sure she didn’t make good on her word and fall asleep.

“You alive in there?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m just in bliss. But I’m a prune, so I’ll be out soon.”

“No hurry, honey. Just checking.”

I turn down the bed and slip between the sheets, feeling exhausted myself, just as Annika steps out of the bathroom, a whoosh of warm air trailing after her.

“That was the best thing I’ve done in a long time,” she announces as she tosses her dirty clothes into a hamper and then joins me in bed. “It might become a nightly ritual.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” I trail my fingertip down her nose and then lean in to kiss her gently. I’ve been taking it slow with her. There’s no need to hurry.

It’s torture keeping my hands to myself. Keeping myself from stripping her bare and having my way with her.

But there’s plenty of time for that.

Annika starts to unbutton her pajama shirt, but I take her hands and bring them to my mouth, then turn her away from me and press her back against my chest.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“’Night.”

I’m just about to drop into sleep when I hear her sniffle. My eyes shoot open, and I frown as I pull Annika onto her back and cup her cheek gently.

“What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and tries to pull away, but I hold her close, panic setting up residence in my belly.

“Honey, I need you to tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it.”

“I am too damaged,” she says, her bottom lip quivering.

“What are you talking about?”

“You said that I wasn’t, that everything I’d been through didn’t repulse you. But, damn it, it’s my second night here, and I just practically threw myself at you, and you turned me away.”

She’s crying in earnest now, and I feel like the biggest asshole to ever walk the face of the Earth.

“I didn’t mean to turn you away.” I wipe at her tears and am pretty sure I’d like to beat myself up for causing them. “I just…I’m trying to take things slow.”

“Why?”

“Because you matter, Annika. Because you’ve been through hell in the past year. And what kind of a prick would I be if I just jumped you? If I pushed you against the wall and had my way with you?”