She shoots me a look. "Part of the deal is you going with me, isn't it? You want me to spend three days in a house all alone with you."
That's the plan although it's not quite as cut and dry as she thinks. "You'll be in the master suite. I'll take up residence in one of the other bedrooms. I'm going to head up there on Friday morning to get the place ready for you. I'll be there for the weekend too, but I'll need to work. That will give you plenty of time on your own. "
"You're working this weekend, but I'm not?" Her brows lift. "This is the problem, Crew. You think it's easy for me to tap out of work but you can't pull yourself away from your own."
I stare at her for a beat before I say anything. "I can work remotely. I have endless resources but bringing the clinic and all its patients to Westhampton Beach isn't one of them."
She rubs her hand over her mouth trying to hide a smile. "So you'll work and I'll sunbathe?"
A jolt of desires races through me at the thought of her in a bikini. That's a bonus I didn't consider when I hastily planned out this trip.
I saw how ragged she looked earlier. She's driving herself to the edge without a safety belt. This is a break that she needs. "You'll sunbathe, read, swim in the pool, sleep, or whatever the fuck you want to do."
"Why are you doing this?" she asks with nothing but honesty in her expression.
"I don't think we can solve everything in this club tonight." I gesture to the dance floor with my chin. "This getaway will give us a chance to figure out where we stand. You'll have time to do your own thing. I'll cook for you and we'll come back here in a better place than we are now."
Her eyes meet mine. "I don't want to play Truth or Dare again."
I translate that to mean she doesn't want to kiss me again or do anything beyond that. I get it. If she felt the same insane hunger that I felt when our lips met, she's running scared. I'm not about to. I've never experienced anything close to that with a woman before. I want more. I know she does too. She can't mask her feelings as well as she thinks she can.
"You set the rules. I'm there to cook for you and hang out with if the mood strikes you."
Her lips purse. "I'll go, but I can do half the cooking."
I shake my head. "I need to come back to New York in one piece, Ad. Your talents are not in the kitchen."
She smiles that smile that tells me that I've got a chance. I'm taking it because if I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
Chapter 19
Adley
The other night after Crew invited me to a weekend away at his family's house in the Hamptons, I left Veil East. H
e didn't press to talk about things between us and I didn't either. The idea of spending time on a beach away from the city sounded like heaven.
The only communication we've had the past few days have been short text messages related to the trip.
He arranged to have a driver take me to the Hamptons. I'm in the car now and although I've spent most of the drive trying to focus on a novel my mom loaned me, I can't remember one word I read.
"Bill?" I call to the driver in the front seat. "Have you ever been to the Hamptons?"
He doesn't take his eyes off the road. "I've never been."
I scrunch my nose as I look at him in the rear view mirror. "I don't know what to expect."
"From what I've heard I think you should expect the opposite of Manhattan."
"So paradise, then?"
"Exactly." He nods briskly. "Use the time wisely. That's what I do every chance I get a break from the day-to-day."
I take a breath before I ask the same question I've already asked three times. "Are we getting close?"
"Closer than the last time you asked." He laughs. "Close your eyes, Adley. Dream a little dream and before you know it, you'll be standing in the doorway of Mr. Benton's home."
***