What was it about this woman that made opening up so effortless? I usually changed the subject when asked about this, but with Lori, I didn't want to hold back or pretend. I wanted to show her all sides of me. And if she didn't like them? Better to find out now than later.
Using my trust fund to bail out the restaurant and club had driven a deep wedge between me and Elizabeth. She didn't speak to me for five weeks after I told her.
She'd always pestered me to use the trust fund for our own benefit, even though we had more than enough money. But we'd always had wildly different opinions of what "enough" was.
"That was clever," Lori said. There was no judgment in her tone, but that could change in time. For now though, she seemed to like the man I was. It made me want to back her against that counter and kiss her until she begged for more. She winked and blew me an air kiss when Milo wasn't looking. Sassy woman. I'd show her who was in charge here as soon as dinner was over.
***
Lori
The cheese was to die for. Seriously. The fries too. During dinner, Graham and Milo dove right back into their soccer talk. Graham answered every question in detail, and they'd been debating a penalty for the past five minutes. I loved that Graham paid attention to what Milo was saying, instead of just pretending to. People thought kids didn't notice, but they did.
"We have fries left," I announced once we'd cleared the plates.
"I want more fries," Milo said.
"Give me a minute. I have a trick." Graham rose from his chair and headed to the kitchen. I couldn't spy on what he was doing through the colored glass, but I thought I heard the oven door open and close. A few minutes later, he set fries with melted cheese on the table. They were divine.
This man was a wizard. How could he make food taste so good? We reached for them at the same time and Graham interlaced our fingers for a brief, sweet second, as if he couldn't help touching me.
"Best fries ever," Milo declared. Making me happy was nice. But making Milo smile? That was the way to my heart.
Once the last of the fries were gone, Milo started firing off questions again, but he was yawning and rubbing his eyes, signs that he was tired.
"Milo, say goodnight to Graham, then go brush your teeth and shower."
"I don't want to go to sleep yet. Graham and I are talking."
Graham grinned at me. I grinned back.
"Buddy, I'm going to leave too. I have to wake up early tomorrow, just like you. Responsible men go to bed early, so they can wake up early."
"I want to be a responsible man," Milo parroted back, squaring his shoulders and standing straighter. He bid Graham goodbye before heading to the bathroom. I started on cleaning the table, and when Graham gathered some plates, I shook my head.
"No, no. You cooked. I'm cleaning."
Graham came next to me, bringing a hand to my waist and tucking me into him. I nestled against him as best as I could. I'd been craving his nearness and his body warmth the entire evening.
"I had a great time tonight, Lori." He cupped my cheek, his fingers feeling warm against my skin.
"We had a great time too."
"You've got a lovely boy."
"Thanks."
As Graham leaned forward, Milo called from the bathroom, interrupting our moment.
"I'm going to see what he needs. His bedtime routine takes about twenty minutes."
"I'll wait."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay."