Taking the red-eye after he finished his last meeting with Viacom, he didn’t get in until seven. Fueled on caffeine alone, he made it home and collapsed into bed after setting an alarm for noon.
Feeling marginally more human, he took a shower and got dressed. Stretching out on the couch, he went through the mail that had piled up. Moving the important things to his desk, he threw away the bulk of it.
About 1:15 p.m. his phone rang. Seeing it was Sara, he picked up.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey. Welcome back!”
“Thanks. Glad to be home.”
Sara said, “Don’t hate me. I’m running about a half hour late. I should be to your place around like…2:30 p.m. Is that okay?”
Grumbling, Deacon said, “This ruins my early afternoon plans, but okay. I guess.”
“And just what did you have planned?” Sara asked, a smile in her voice.
“You’ll have to find out later now,” he said, teasing.
Chapter 15
At 2:28 p.m., Sara buzzed Deacon’s apartment. Hearing his scratchy voice through the intercom, she smiled. After she identified herself, he buzzed her up. Knocking on his door, she had barely lowered her hand when the door opened.
She yelped with surprise as he pulled her against him and attacked her mouth with his. Tilting her head back as he deepened the kiss, she twined her arms around his neck.
When he backed away, she asked, “So that’s what you had planned?”
His eyes darkening, he said, “No. What I had planned will have to wait until later. It’s going to take much more time than we have right now.”
Her lips still brushing over his, she murmured, “Can’t wait.”
Backing up so she could come inside, he took her overnight bag and the gift bag she carried. He moved it to the bedroom. Picking up his keys, he said, “My fridge is empty. We’ve gotta hit the grocery store.”
Smiling, she said, “Figured as much.”
He locked up, and they headed to the elevator. When they stepped inside, he pulled her into his arms,
and rested his chin on the top of her head. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Sara sighed happily and said, “I really missed you. I’m glad you’re back.”
Kissing the top of her head, she heard him murmur, “Me too.”
Despite their attempts to be quick, they ended up taking almost an hour in the store. By the time they got back, they had to immediately start on dinner in order for it all to be done on time. True to his word, Deacon did most of the work. Sara really just helped a little bit with the dessert.
By 6:15 p.m., he said, “I’m gonna go change. People should be showing up in the next few minutes.”
Laughing, Sara said, “I need to get ready, too. I’ve gotta change and try to do something with my hair.”
He reached down to brush a kiss on her lips, then moved into the other room. Sara went into the guest bathroom with her purse and began applying makeup. Satisfied, she attempted to tame her hair into something presentable, then put it up in a clip.
Walking into the bedroom, she went through her bag, grabbing her dress, and the strapless bra she brought, then started to change. Not hearing him come back into the room, she jumped when his arms slid around her naked waist. Leaning back into him when he pressed a row of kisses on her neck, she enjoyed the light stroking of his hands for a moment before saying, “Uh. Guests coming over soon.”
Pulling back reluctantly, Deacon said, “Yeah. You’re right.”
Hearing the intercom buzz, he said, “I’m gonna go get that,” and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Finishing her wardrobe change quickly, Sara stepped out into the living room to find Chris had arrived. Feeling somewhat shy, she walked over to Deacon. Breaking off midsentence, Deacon said, “Wow. You look great.”
Looking back at Chris, he said, “You remember Sara?”