Chapter 16

Sixteen

Gia

T he next morning, I woke up feeling slightly panicked to find myself still at Silas’s house. I needed to get to work early, but I had to drive home and shower.

Silas’s arm tightened around me. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

I shifted in his arms so that I could see his face. “I can’t believe I stayed overnight. I need to get to work.”

“I’m positive you hire competent employees who can handle things if you’re running late one day.”

Anxiety curled in my stomach. “That’s not the point. I should be there. I’m the face of the company.”

“And it’s a beautiful face,” he said as he rolled me so I was flat on my back, and then he was kissing me.

“You’re distracting me.”

“That was the point.” He shoved my shirt up and palmed my breast. I was putty in his hands when he touched my nipples. There was a zing that traveled straight to my clit, and I lifted my hips, seeking friction.

He obliged by moving between my legs and grinding his cock where I needed him most.

“Too many clothes.” I needed to feel him.

He raised a brow as he hovered over me. “You’re not worried about work?”

“Hurry,” I demanded as I pushed up his shirt.

He reared up to remove it himself. “I can be quick and thorough,” he said as he shoved his sweatpants down and off, and I hurried to remove my T-shirt and shorts sleep set. When we were naked, he settled between my legs, the scruff of his chin scraping my skin as he placed wet, open-mouth kisses on my chest and stomach. But I needed him lower.

I placed my hand at the nape of his neck and widened my legs. “I need you, Silas.”

I knew when I said his name he couldn’t resist.

He devoured me as if I was his breakfast and he was starving. It wasn’t a slow buildup, but an onslaught of his tongue, teeth, and fingers.

Then he stopped, and my skin heated as he moved up my body, wiping his mouth on his hand before settling his cock between my legs. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he slowly sank into me. As always, it felt amazing. As if no one else could fill me as well as he could.

He surrounded me with his presence and scent.

He wrapped an arm around my back and pressed me to him as he moved inside me. I felt so close to him, so open and vulnerable, I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.

Nothing about this morning was slow. There was no sense of savoring the way it felt. Instead, it was fast and quick, as if it was a rush to the finish line. It also had the added effect of not letting me think about what was happening. All I could do was feel his skin pressed hot against mine, his cock impossibly hard inside me, and his mouth covering mine.

We went over together, his tongue tangling with mine as my muscles squeezed him tight. He groaned when he finally lifted himself off me and held his hand out to me. “Shower.”

I went with him because I was hot and sweaty and needed to get ready for work. In the warm shower, we washed quickly and efficiently. There were no lingering touches or teasing words. Then we got dressed.

“I’ll take you back to your car. Do you have time for breakfast?” Silas offered as he got dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt.

I glanced at the clock and winced at the time. I was usually at my desk working by now, waiting for Harper to join me for our morning meeting. I sent her a text to let her know I’d be late.

“I’ll call ahead and have something made up for you.”

Without looking up, I said, “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”

I gathered my things and went outside with him to his SUV. He drove me to the hotel, not saying anything.

“Are you going to work?” I asked him.

“I’ll see you off and then check in.”

I wanted to ask him more questions like what his workday was usually like, or how he spent it, but it wasn’t my place. Besides, we were in an awkward spot this morning. I was distracted by work, and he had to be too.

This was another good reason to keep my wits about me. Sunday was an anomaly, a break from the norm, but it couldn’t happen again.

When we arrived, a hotel worker met him at the curb with a bag of fragrant food.

Silas took the bag and carried it to my car. “I ordered a bit of everything. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.”

At my car, he placed the bag on the roof and spun me so that my back pressed against the metal. “I’ll miss you.”

I smiled despite my misgivings.

Then he kissed me, one of those toe-curling ones that you wanted to place in a box and remember forever. I forgot that we were kissing in the parking lot of his resort.

When he finally eased back with small kisses, I wanted to take him upstairs to his penthouse and try out a few more positions.

“We both need to get to work,” Silas murmured, his voice low and tempting.

“Work. Right.” How had he made me forget the most important thing in my life? I felt a little shaky as he put my bag in the backseat, and I slid into the front.

“Don’t be a stranger this week,” he said, his hand on the doorframe.

“I’m working with John and Emma.”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Right.”

“I’d better go. I have a long drive.” It was more of a reason why we weren’t a good idea. We lived too far away from each other. This would never work long-term.

“Have a good day.”

“You too,” I said evenly as my heart thumped its own rhythm inside my chest.

He shut the door and stepped back, his hands in his pockets as I backed up and drove away. I felt like I was leaving more than memories in that lot. I felt a little torn. As if it was possible to stay with Silas when I had a business to run. As if he could take a break when he had the same responsibilities.

Silas was fun while it lasted. We had a good time, and he showed me how a man could be in the bedroom. He’d raised my expectations for what a relationship could be.

But he and I weren’t in the right time or location in our lives to pursue anything other than what we’d already shared. One great day, a few amazing nights, and that was our story.

I told myself the same thing as I drove home, and when I arrived, I almost believed it. I quickly changed, throwing my clothes into the hamper and grabbing a coffee before heading to the office with my now-cold breakfast.

I heated it up in the office kitchen and took the plate to my office. Silas had ordered eggs, waffles, fruit, and potatoes, and it smelled heavenly.

When I walked by, Harper came out of her office and followed me into mine. “Where have you been?”

“I worked with that couple yesterday at Chesapeake Resort.” I refrained from saying Silas’s resort, but just barely. “We worked late, and I used the suite Silas reserved for me."

Harper’s eyes narrowed on me as I sat at the desk and picked up my fork. “You met with the couple on Saturday.”

How had I made that slip? “We had more to work on, so I stayed Sunday.”

Harper raised her brow. “Gia Giovanni, are you lying to me? How stupid do you think I am?”

I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can you just let it go?”

She shook her head as she plopped into the chair across from my desk. “Nope.”

“You kept your relationship with my brother a secret for weeks,” I exclaimed.

She shook her head again. “You are not using that against me. Silas isn’t my brother.”

“How do you know I spent the day with Silas?” I asked, trying to bide myself time to think.

“Where else would you be? Am I right? You spent the weekend with Silas Sharpe—your archenemy, the bane of your existence.”

I gave her a look. “That’s a little over the top.”

She dropped her chin. “Yet completely in character for you.”

I thought about what I should say for a few seconds. “I’ll admit I’ve been a little harsh over the years when it came to him.”

“A little?” Harper’s voice was raised.

“Okay. A lot. I may have misjudged him. Slightly. I slightly misjudged him.”

Harper snorted. “You hated him, and you told us we had to hate him too.”

I waved a hand in her direction. “You’re being overly dramatic.”

“I don’t think I am, but I was right about you two. I knew there was something there—something explosive.”

“I’ll admit there’s chemistry. Whether it’s smart to act on it, that’s another story.” I sipped my coffee.

“I don’t know. I think that’s the best way to start a relationship.”

“There’s no relationship. We aren’t together. So get that out of your head.” I dug into the eggs, enjoying the breakfast.

“Is the food from his resort?”

“Yeah, we didn’t have time for breakfast,” I said before I realized my mistake.

“You spent the night with Silas?”

“At his house,” I decided to admit. Harper was my best friend, and I couldn’t keep this from her. Not after she’d already guessed it.

“I thought he stayed in the penthouse?”

“He has a house. It’s really nice.” I was surprised that it wasn’t modern. Instead, it was traditional and cozy, and I suspected a lot of his furniture was handcrafted, which made it even more appealing. Silas wasn’t as flashy as I thought he would be.

She ticked off the events on her fingers. “He took you to his house. You spent Saturday night, Sunday, and Sunday night together. Then he ordered you breakfast because you quote ‘didn’t have time.’”

“That’s right,” I said nonchalantly, even as my cheeks heated.

She dropped her hands to her sides. “Okay. I can read between the lines. So, you’re just sleeping together?”

“I guess. I don’t know. We didn’t discuss labels or what any of it meant.” I was pretty sure I was the one who had set the tone for that kind of talk. I wasn’t open to discussing it.

“What did you do?” Then she held up her hand. “Nope. Don’t answer that.”

I wanted to share something with her. I needed to get someone else’s take on the situation. “He took me out on his boat. We went to this secluded cove, swam, and ate a picnic lunch. He has this hammock on the boat deck, and I was able to read my book finally. It was the perfect day. When we came home, we were hungry, and it was late, so he took me to his house and cooked for me.”

“Am I right that he doesn’t bring everyone to his house?”

“That’s what he said, but he doesn’t date around a lot either.”

“You’re defending him.”

“He’s not who I thought he was, but it doesn’t mean there’s a future for us. I don’t want to get your hopes up.”

“Are you sure it’s not more like you don’t want to get your hopes up?”

I sighed. My stomach was full from the food. “I’m just realistic. He works an hour away, and I’m here. It’s far.”

“You don’t have to get to work so early. Surely, there’s a way you can make it work.”

There was no way to get around the geographical distance between us. I needed to be near my office, and he needed to be near the resort. “There are a lot more reasons than geographical for why it won’t work.”

Harper shook her head. “Because you’re not willing to try.”

“We don’t make sense. We’re both strong-willed people who are wrapped up in their businesses.”

Her brow furrowed. “Doesn’t that make you a good fit?”

“We’re both busy. Neither one of us will compromise.” Although I wasn’t so sure about that.

“Do you know that to be true, or are you assuming?” Harper leaned forward in her chair.

“We haven’t discussed it, so there’s no point in wondering what if. If Silas wanted more, he would ask for it.”

She raised a brow. “Maybe he’s taking his cue from you.”

I gestured between us. “We need to focus on work.”

“Gia, be honest with me. How do you feel about Silas?” Her voice was gentle, and I couldn’t deny her.

I sighed. “Truthfully, I like him more than I’ve ever liked anyone else, but I can’t forget—”

“No one said to forget your past, but you can move on from it and have a fresh outlook on life. Forgive Jeff for not being the boyfriend he should have been and let him go. Stop letting him control your life.”

“Is it that easy?”

“You’ve been closed off to every guy since, and I haven’t said anything because you’ve never met anyone who was worth letting go for.”

My shoulders lowered. “How do you know that Silas is worth it?”

“You’re acting differently than you ever have before. You didn’t work on Sunday, and you were late today.”

“That just means he’s good at distracting me.”

“It’s more than that, and you know it.”

“Fine. I like him. I enjoy spending time with him. But the more I’m with him…” I couldn’t form the words.

“The more you fall for him. Sweetie, that’s not a bad thing. That’s called falling in love.” Harper’s expression was sympathetic.

“I don’t want to be in love. We’re starting this new course. I have no idea what’s going on with the Monroes and their Christmas tree farm. I can’t afford a distraction right now.” I felt a little whiny listing all of that out, and I didn’t like it.

Harper bit her lip. “Maybe you can work less and make more money.”

“What?” That went against every one of my values and beliefs. I worked hard, always had. I was willing to do what others weren’t. I never gave excuses, and I never missed work. Not until Silas. I couldn’t get around that uncomfortable truth.

“Think about it. You’ve hired me to handle the course. You have wedding planners to handle the local weddings. It leaves you free to work solely with the couple at Silas’s resort. You can outsource. You can trust us to do our best job, and you can focus on what’s important.”

“The Chesapeake Resort couple?” I asked, knowing she really meant exploring something with Silas.

She shot me an exasperated look. “Let yourself have this. Take your time and enjoy it. Don’t worry about how it’s going to work.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Think about it.”

“Fine.” I would, because I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering to that scenario.

“Good. Now, back to the Monroes.”

“What’s going on with that?” I asked, cleaning up my trash and sending a thank-you via text to Silas for the tasty meal.

He immediately sent back a flower emoji.

Silas: Nothing but the best for you.

I smiled, the feeling of being cared for and maybe even loved sweeping like wildfire through my body. I lifted my gaze to Harper’s exasperated one. “Can we work now?”

I set my phone aside. “Of course.”

“I have a feeling the Monroes are putting us off. Lori wanted to work with us, but her son, Emmett, is—”

“A pain.”

I should handle this myself, but I wanted to train the newer wedding planners too. “I need to pay them another visit. I’ll take Ireland. You stay here and work on the course.” I found that in-person visits were better when you were closing a deal. It made it more personal. It was much easier to dodge someone via email and phone calls. But when you found me standing on your porch, I was harder to disregard.

“It would be amazing if we had another holiday venue to offer couples.”

“I agree. We need to secure that location. At the same time, let’s reach out to other farms in the area to see if those could be an option.” I’d offered Lori an exclusive, but if she wasn’t willing to agree on a contract, I’d need to explore other options.

“I already did. I’ll forward you the information.”

That’s what I loved about Harper. She was quick and efficient and anticipated my needs.

“Where are we with the new course?” I asked, eager to get it started.

“I researched the options for a host. I sent you a spreadsheet on the various options and prices.”

“Which one is the best?” I asked as I pulled up the email on my laptop.

“The one I put at the top. It’s mid-priced, but it has the features we’ll need, and it’s user-friendly.”

“Let’s go with that one,” I said, looking away from the screen.

“You don’t want to review everything?”

“I trust you, Harper.” I hired her, and she’d only impressed me more with every task I gave her. I intended to pay her a bonus for taking on the course because I had a feeling it was going to be huge for me.

I hadn’t felt this excited about anything in a long time. It reminded me of how I felt when I first decided to open an event planning business. Back then, I was scared to do the thing I wanted, which was to focus on weddings. Instead, I advertised as a party planner, thinking I didn’t have what it took to handle just one type of event. After I gained a reputation as a great party planner, I expanded into weddings, and once that took off, I limited my services to weddings.

But this seemed even bigger than that. I’d be marketing to other wedding planners, telling them everything that worked in my business and giving them advice. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. One minute, I felt like I was qualified to teach, and the next, I felt like an imposter. Who was I to teach about wedding planning? What certification did I have?

I had to remember that couples came to me because they heard I was the best. I’d built this business in only a few years because what I created was magical. I had what it took. Brides wanted to work with me. I just needed to remind myself a few times a day that I was on the right path.

It was either the biggest risk I’d ever take, or it would be wildly successful. I was hoping for the latter and planning for the former.

“This is going to be amazing. You have so many tips you could impart. I’m excited about getting started on the content. Do you have any ideas for how to organize it?”

“I have an outline in our shared folder. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I started taking notes when I first started out. I was worried I wouldn’t remember what it was like to start out if I didn’t write down the details at the time.”

“Wow. That was smart. And you knew back then that you wanted to teach?”

“I was thinking about writing a book. Online courses weren’t a thing then. Or at least not a respected thing.”

“You should write a book,” Harper said.

“Really?”

“It would bring attention to your course. While we plan it, you should be writing your book at the same time. Then we can release the book before the course.”

“Wouldn’t I need a publisher for that?”

Harper shook her head. “I don’t know if you know her, but Hailey writes fantasy books and publishes them herself. She works at Brooke’s store, Market Tavern.”

“Could you find out more about self-publishing? I would think we’d need a publisher to get the word out.”

“Hailey always says the publishing industry moves very slow, and even if you get a deal, it takes a year or more to publish your book. If you did it yourself, you could put it out quickly.”

I bit my lip. “I wasn’t planning on writing a book right now.”

“You’re writing down what you already know. Just make sure you don’t give out all your secrets in the book. You want them to get a feel for you and make them want to buy the course. Then you’d have to narrate an audiobook. Everyone loves audiobooks. Especially nonfiction.”

I held up my hand. “Hold up. I’m willing to think about the book. I’ve always wanted to write one, and you’re right. It would just be writing down what I know. But let’s focus on the course, and if the book makes sense, I’ll do it.”

“I’ll call Hailey and do more research for you. I want to see how feasible it is. I know she mentioned she was selling her books on book distributor sites but that she preferred selling in her own store. Something about one-on-one contact with her readers.”

Harper gathered her things and rushed out of the office, excited about a new thing to research. I suspected it was her favorite part of her job.

I hadn’t expected to write a book. I’d always been a service provider, but a course and a book would allow passive income.

I couldn’t help but think this would be my big break. I wouldn’t be reliant on couples choosing me. I’d have another stream of income that might be more reliable. I felt a pang when I realized I hadn’t shared any of this with Silas.

I justified it because he was my competitor. But it felt like something you’d share with a lover or someone you were getting to know better. I had a feeling he’d support it. But I couldn’t bring myself to share it. Not yet. Not when it was so new.