“I see.” His voice was no more than a whisper. “Well, I do believe that your day might have been better than mine. I showed my ass about ten times and finally left. I just got so pissed thanks to this marketing issue.”
“You know that I could help with that, Alfie.” I glanced over my shoulder before turning back and dumping the shrimp into the pan. I coated them in the butter as we sat in silence and waited until they were a nice pink to plate them. I turned and carried the plate to the table as he eyed me.
“I know. I just don’t want to burden you, Mol. You’re leaving tomorrow, and you have plenty to worry about. Let’s talk about something else. My company has been around forever, and the same people who worked out the last brilliant launch will figure this one out too.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I just pray they do it before I kill them all.”
I chuckled and reached for his plate, dishing up a little bit of everything before doing the same for myself and sitting down. I let out a content sigh and picked up my fork. “Bon appétit!”
“Yes.” He breathed in deeply and set his wine down. “This smells so damn good. Knowing you made it has me a little turned on, if I’m being honest.”
“Only a little?” I laughed and took a bite. The warm goodness of the butter filled my mouth, and I let out a soft moan.
His eyebrow lifted as he held his fork in midair. “Okay, a few more of those sweet moans, and it’ll be a lot.”
“I might let a few out just to tease you.” I spun my fork around and lifted it again as he closed his eyes and let out a moan of his own. The sound of it rushed across my skin and left me struggling to breathe. The man was everything I wanted in my bed and my life.
“So, tell me about you looking for a new job in New York.” He set his fork down and wiped his mouth with the napkin from his lap. “Are you hoping to go back to the same job, or try for something new?”
“I’m not sure.” I reached for my wine. “My old boss, Gary would probably be thrilled to see me come through the door, but it wouldn’t be to reinstate me as head of marketing for them. It would be to say, ‘I told you so.’ He was quite adamant that I was making a huge mistake chasing after an Englishman.” I gave him a cheeky smile.
He chuckled. “We are all a bit rubbish for sure.”
“I’m not sure I believe that anymore.” I took a sip of my wine and locked eyes with him. There was a neediness in his gaze that had my body on fire. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was the same desire echoed in my own eyes as he watched me ever so closely. “Anyway, he wouldn’t give me the position back. They’ve filled it for sure at this point.”
“So you’ll be looking for something new?”
“Yeah. I believe so.” I leaned back and nibbled on a piece of garlic bread.
“Have you thought about going into consulting instead of signing up to work with a big firm? It might present a better opportunity to you. It would allow you to do what you love doing, but give you some freedom to travel and set your own schedule.” He licked at his lips subtly. “I’d do it for sure if I didn’t own this big company.”
“I like the sound of that, though it does present a bit of uncertainty in my life. I’m thinking stability sounds better.” I smiled as he nodded.
“I get that too.” He leaned back and picked up his wine glass. “I have to say that this is, by far, the best shrim
p scampi that I’d ever had. You, my dear, are a world class chef. Maybe you should look at a second career instead of going back to the one you left.”
Heat raced up my neck and coated my cheeks. “Well, thank you very much, but chefs work nonstop. I’m not interested in that lifestyle either.”
“Then something in the middle, perhaps?” He stood and stretched, his bowl clean and plate empty.
“Yeah, like my old job.” I chuckled and got up as he started to clear the dishes from the table. “I am looking forward to seeing Peyton. We were pretty inseparable before I left to come over here. It’s weird having someone in your life every day and then not seeing them.”
“I understand that.” He moved to the sink and turned it on before rolling his sleeves up. Something about watching a billionaire wash dishes sat funny on me, but Alfie wasn’t pretentious at all. Or maybe, like me, he was just looking for something to keep him busy. It would be better than staring at each other and thinking about the fact that it was our last night together. “I told you about my friend, Logan. Our relationship sounds like yours and Peyton’s.”
“He’s in New York?” I scrapped some of the dishes and moved over beside him. I took a chance and pressed a kiss to the side of his shoulder, glancing up as he looked down at me.
“Yeah, he is.” He smiled. “Did I do something to deserve a kiss? I do believe you’re the one who cooked dinner.”
“I don’t believe in having to earn kisses.” I reached up and rubbed his chest. “I know we’re avoiding the subject of us, and I’m good with it, but I need you to know that I’m going to miss you so much.”
“Are we avoiding it?” He turned off the water and turned to face me, pulling me flush against him. His hands felt so fucking good gripping the top of my ass. “I think we should talk about it. There’s nothing I want to hide from you about how I feel.”
“No? Maybe I’m the one who wants to hide.” I pulled him down for a long, hot kiss. My insides melted, and I knew I was making a mistake in going back to the States. Happiness was in this relationship, and I was running away from one of the best ones I might ever have.
The doorbell rang, surprising us both. I moved back as he held up a finger.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” He winked and turned, walking into the foyer. I poked my head through the door to see an older man in a business suit. Someone he worked with?
Alfie welcomed the man and glanced over to me. “I’ll be a little while. Leave the dishes for the maid. Seriously.”