“You dressed up for me,” she remarked with surprise and delighted approval.
“Yeah, a little. You said you were, so . . .”
She went to him, running her hand over his crisp white button-down shirt. He hadn’t worn a tie, just the shirt and navy dress slacks, but she seemed to revel in his outfit. Her eyes lit as she looked back up at him with a smile. “You look very handsome.” She leaned in and dropped a quick kiss on his mouth, then went across the room to the cabinets. She bent over to pull out a tremendous crystal vase and he almost groaned from the view. Blood rushed south.
While she wrestled the roses into the vase, he crouched down to say hello to Bubbles and play with her for a bit, needing a distraction. He was too turned on; he wouldn’t be able to go to dinner with this raging hard-on and burning need.
“When you suggested getting together for Valentine’s yesterday”—Tess fussed with the roses, positioning them to her satisfaction—“well, I got you a little something. Now that I’m staring at these gorgeous flowers, I’m doubly glad I did.”
Logan straightened to his full height. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know. That’s what made it fun.”
He had to smile. He’d thought the exact same thing about her, hadn’t he? “Then thank you in advance.” He moved around the kitchen island, the outsized bouquet of flowers between them. “Is it edible?”
Chuckling, she went to one of the many drawers, polished wood beneath marble countertops, and pulled out an envelope. She held it out to him with a smile. “Only if you like to eat paper.”
He opened it to find a season pass for skiing at Ajax Mountain—for the following year, all bells and whistles included. It was a great gift. And too expensive. And showed real forethought. His eyes flicked up to hers. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“You love skiing,” she said. Her long, graceful fingers reached out to push around some of the flowers in the vase. “This will assure me that next year . . . Well, forgive me, but if your mother’s gone”—she glanced at him, and he nodded to show it was okay—“and I’m not going to be around to drag you to the slopes on a regular basis, since I’ll hopefully be home in New York with a newborn—I thought if you have this, you’ll be motivated to get out and do something fun once in a while.” Smiling gently, her voice dropped as she added, “And maybe you’ll think of me with a smile when you do.”
A slow wave of heavy emotion rolled through him . . . something that made his heart squeeze and his insides warm at the same time. Jesus, she’d cut him off at the knees with this. He tried to swallow back the lump in his throat. His voice was rough as he managed to say, “I’ll always think of you with a smile, no matter what I’m doing.”
Her smile deepened. “I’d love to think so.”
Damn. He adored her. Only that second did he realize that he did, much less the depth of feeling. He cleared his throat. “This is an incredibly considerate gift. Thank you.” He moved around the island to gently pull her into his arms. She melted into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting her head fall onto his shoulder. His eyes slipped closed as he savored the feel of her against him.
And it hit him like a sledgehammer to the gut: This time next year, he’d be completely alone. More so than ever before.
His mother would likely be gone, which was devastating. He couldn’t bear to think of it, though he knew full well it was reality. And Tess would be living her life in New York with her baby, thousands of miles away. She’d become such a presence in his daily life . . . someone to chat with, laugh with, and yes, make love with. She’d be gone, their bargain completed, her need for his presence and services fulfilled. So she’d go on with her life, he’d be here, alone . . . and he’d miss her. He’d miss her like hell. The thought of that left him reeling, like a hole had been blown right through him.
He drew a long, deep breath as it all crested over him, trying to hold his ground. His hands ran over her long hair, up and down her slender back, sliding along the soft fabric of the dress as he breathed her in. She smelled so good, a musky vanilla scent that always made his senses fire to life. “You won’t visit once in a while?” His voice felt thick in his throat.