Beg for It (22 page)

“No.” He paused. “Are you sorry you did?”

It was her turn to shake her head. “I have two amazing kids. So, no. I don’t regret it. I’m sorry about the way things turned out, if only because at the end it was ugly for a bit, and it never feels easy to hurt someone. But I’m not sorry I got married.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “What happened?”

“Oh.” She laughed. “We fell out of love, I guess. And then he fell in love with someone else.”

“He cheated on you?”

“I never asked him, but yeah. I think so.” Corinne shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s happy with his new wife and the kids are okay, and I…well. Here I am with you.”

Reese let his hand slide a little higher to caress her knee. “Do you ever think you’ll want to do it again?”

“Get married?” Surprised, she blinked. “I don’t know. Do…you?”

His answer was a smile. She poked her toes into his side, hard enough to make him wriggle away. He captured her foot and lifted it to his mouth to kiss.

It was way too early to even think about such a thing. She moved to kiss him, though, then rested her head on his shoulder. His hand came up to pet her hair, slowly. She breathed in the good, clean scent of him.

“This is so nice,” she whispered.

His kiss pressed against her hair. “Yeah.”

They sat that way for a few minutes in silence. Reese’s breathing slowed. Beneath her palm, his heartbeat did too. He was falling asleep.

Also too early for him to be staying over. She rocked him gently until his eyes fluttered. “Wake up. You need to go.”

He frowned, pulling her close to kiss her mouth. “Do I?”

“Yes. But the kids are with their dad this weekend. You could take me out on the date you promised. And I can stay over at your place.” She nipped his bottom lip, making him groan, but pulled away before he could kiss her again. “Now, though, you need to go.”

He yawned. “You sure? I could make it worth your while.”

She poked his shoulder lightly. “You’re so much more argumentative than I remember.”

“Sorry.” His grin said he was utterly unapologetic.

She put a fingertip beneath his chin, tipping it up and watching his eyes half-close. “Just be aware. I’m keeping a list, and it’s not of rules.”

“Uh-oh.” He nipped at her finger, but she pulled it away. “I think I remember that list. What’s on it?”

“A list of things you’re going to need to be disciplined for,” she said, meaning to tease, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she meant it.

Reese’s voice got husky. “Yes, Ma’am. I look forward to it.”

“Kiss me again.” He did, slowly, sliding his fingers into the hair at the base of her skull and tugging gently. She broke the kiss sooner than she wanted to. It was going to be really hard to say goodnight.

She made herself, though. She hadn’t set any hard or fast rules about dating postdivorce, but it didn’t feel right to have him sleeping there with the kids in the house, no matter how well they’d all gotten along. Not so soon. And if he slept here, she knew, they’d have sex, and having sex with her kids and sister in the house also felt inappropriate, especially the kind she wanted to have. The sort with a lot of loud noises.

“The weekend,” she promised him with heat already curling in her belly at the thought of it. “We’ll have the whole time together.”

Chapter Thirty

Reese had texted her last night to pack a weekend bag, and now, as four thirty rolled around in the office, he showed up at her office door with his own bag in tow. “Ready?”

“It’s not even five o’clock,” she told him.

He laughed. “Who’s the boss here, me or you?”

“I reserve the right not to answer that right now.” She typed a few more things into her open document and saved it, then glanced at him. “You’re serious, you’re ready to go now?”

“Yeah, I let Sandy leave already. If we get on the road now, we might avoid the worst traffic on the Schuylkill.”

“Is that even possible? That road is awful. I take it we’re going to Philadelphia?” Corinne shut her computer down and came around the desk.

She looked fucking amazing in a navy blue skirt that showed off her sweet, tight ass and those legs…those legs. Reese gave himself a mental shake. “Yeah. If that’s okay with you?”

“The kids get off the bus at Douglas’s house on his weekends, and Caitlyn told me she had plans to visit some friends in Pittsburgh, so she’s already gone. I’m free to go wherever you might take me.”

“Perfect.”

He’d planned what he hoped was going to be the perfect weekend to…well, not to impress her, exactly. Not to show off. To treat her as the queen she was. That was all. The way he’d always wanted to, but had never been able.

“You didn’t tell me what to pack, so I threw in a bunch of things. If I need something special, we can run back to my house—”

“Whatever you need, we can buy.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes a little bit, but looking pleased. “I see.”

“Anyway, I hope maybe you’re mostly going to be naked…”

Corinne clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Tsk, tsk.”

“Is your list getting longer?”

“Oh, yes. Much, much longer.”

He grinned, then grabbed her bag to sling over his shoulder. “Oof. Wow. What’s in here?”

“You know, the usual things a girl needs for a weekend away with her boy. Chips, dips, chains, whips.” She stopped at the look on his face and laughed. “I’m teasing you. Shoes. It’s mostly shoes.”

He hefted the bag. “It’s two days, Corinne.”

“I told you I overpacked!” She swatted him, and he snagged her wrist to dance her closer for a kiss, which she denied him by turning her head. “If you start that, we will never get on the road.”

“Sandy’s gone,” he reminded her with a pointed look toward her desk.

Corinne shook her head and pushed him away, turning him at the same time toward the door. She swatted him on the ass. “And I told you, no fucking in the office. Let’s go, c’mon. If we get stuck in traffic, I’m going to add that to the list and you will not be happy with what happens.”

“Promises, promises.”

In the parking lot, she stopped with a look of surprise at the sleek black Town Car and the uniformed driver waiting. “Reese?”

“I hate driving in traffic,” he explained as the driver took the bags and settled them into the trunk. At her assessing look while they took their seats in the back, Reese paused. “What’s up?”

Corinne glanced at the driver, now behind the wheel. “I just didn’t think about us being chauffeured.”

“Does it matter?” Reese buckled his belt.

In reply, she leaned back into her seat with a shake of her head. “No. Not really. Just feels fancy.”

“Nothing’s too fancy for you.”

She gave him a familiar look. “Uh-huh.”

“Is that a bad thing?” He took her hand, linking their fingers.

“It’s just strange to me, that’s all.” She let her thumb rub the back of his hand.

They did hit traffic, of course, but even in the standstill moments it wasn’t awful. The driver was capable enough to keep them moving the best he could. Reese’s conversation with Corinne was entertaining. She held Reese’s hand, tracing small circles on his palm with the tip of her finger and sending repetitive shivers of anticipation all through him.

In front of his building, Reese helped her out of the car as the doorman came out to take the bags. He tipped the driver, and, excited about showing off his apartment, he put a hand on the small of her back to lead her inside. She sidestepped him though, turning.

“Thank you…” She looked at the driver’s name tag. “Terrance. For driving us.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

In the elevator, she looked Reese over, and though he hadn’t said a word about how the driver had addressed her, she knew him well enough to guess. “Other people are going to call me ma’am, Reese. I’m a woman of a certain age, I don’t qualify for the title ‘miss’ anymore.”

“I know.” Frowning, he pulled her into his arms. “I just don’t like it.”

She tipped her face to his. “You didn’t say a word to him, that’s all.”

“What was I supposed to say?” he asked, surprised.

“He drove us for over an hour. You tipped him, but didn’t bother to even look at him. The same with the doorman. You let him take the bags away but didn’t even acknowledge him. I don’t know. It bothered me.”

The doors opened onto the penthouse floor, a small lobby with the broad double doors to his apartment on one side. His was the only one on this floor. The doorman would deliver the bags to the service entrance off the kitchen. Reese had intended to wow Corinne with this first look at his home, but her words stopped him from making the grand entrance he’d planned.

“Why did it bother you?”

“I guess I’m just not used to having people
serve
me,” she said with a slight curl of her lip.

Reese had no idea what she was talking about. “You should be. You should be treated like a queen wherever you go. I’m trying to do that for you, Corinne.”

Her smile looked a little forced. “I see that.”

“C’mon inside. We can grab a drink, freshen up before dinner…” He spoke as he led her to the door, opening it and stepping aside so she could go through, first. “I picked this apartment for the view. Had it totally gutted and redone to open up the space so you can see the river from just about every room.”

“It’s gorgeous, Reese. Wow.” She cast a glance and a grin at him over her shoulder. “Who knew New Jersey could look so good?”

He came up behind her in front of the living room’s vast wall of glass overlooking the Delaware River. “New Jersey always looks better when it’s on the other side of a river.”

Laughing, she leaned into his embrace and sighed when he kissed her neck. “Mmm. That’s good. But you promised me a drink, didn’t you?”

“Kissing first,” he murmured. “Please.”

“How could I say no to you?” She twisted to face him, letting him back her up to the end of the sofa facing the windows. She gave him access to her throat, sighing again when he slid his lips over the soft skin.

His hands on her hips to make sure she didn’t fall, Reese nuzzled at her collarbones for a moment before standing and pulling her upright. “Drinks. The powder room is through there, but you can use the master bathroom if you want. It’s down that hallway.”

“I’ll do that.” She pushed up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.

At the bar, he poured them both glasses of her favorite red wine and carried them into the bedroom. It had also been laid out to showcase the view, with glass on three sides and the bed facing the windows. No curtains other than a few billowy white gauzy ones the decorator had chosen. This high up and far away from any other buildings, there weren’t any neighbors to peek in, and he liked the natural light. He could hear water running in the bathroom sink, so he set the wineglasses on the small table set between two comfortable chairs.

“Hey,” Corinne said from behind him, and he turned. “This room…this entire apartment. It’s amazing. I mean, I guess I didn’t expect anything less. But wow, Reese. It’s gorgeous.”

“Not much like the old farmhouse. Or that shitty apartment on Queen Street,” he added.

“I loved that apartment. It had character. It was cozy.” Corinne took one of the glasses and sipped it as she went around the bed to look out the windows. “This
is
beautiful though.”

He joined her, looking out over the water. “Are you hungry? I made reservations for dinner.”

“You’ve thought of everything. I’d like to change first, if we’re going to someplace fancy.” She looked down at her work clothes. “My bag…?”

“I’m sure it’s been delivered to the kitchen. I’ll bring it.”

One of the things he’d always admired about Corinne was how little time it took her to get ready. She’d changed her clothes, done something different with her hair and makeup, in under twenty minutes. She came out of the bathroom looking so good he had to take a step back with a low wolf whistle.

“Damn,” Reese said.

She dimpled, twirling on stiletto heels to show off the sleek red dress that hugged her every curve. She stopped, hugging herself. “I can’t tell you the last time I dressed up and went out to someplace nice without kids, without it being work related.”

“You deserve to be taken out, Corinne.”

She crossed to him, the high heels putting her nearly at eye level. “Thank you, puppy. You make me feel special.”

“You are special.” He brushed a lock of curling dark hair off her shoulder.

She hugged him. “Thank you.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Reese had taken her a Creole place in Center City Philadelphia, a tiny restaurant tucked back along a cobblestoned street very close to the Betsy Ross House. They’d indulged in Chicken Bonne Femme, cocktails, steaming rolls glistening with butter. A bourbon bread pudding to die for. She was going to need a week to recover from this one meal.