Page 54 of Not the Plan

“I’m not responsible for my reaction when you do that. I almost caught fire when you did it last night.”

“Hmmm…You did catch that signal, didn’t you? Wasn’t sure how else to get your attention.”

“Maybe it’s another cliché, but it flips a switch that can be very…hard…to un-flip.”

“Hmm,” she murmured. “That’s good to know.”

“Careful, beautiful.” He picked up her hand, praying she didn’t feel his nervous tremble. He brought the inside of her wrist to his lips, softening his voice. “We still have a long way to go.” He teased her skin with his stubble and caressed it with gentle parted-lip kisses. She gasped.

“Oh, really?” he said, flashing her an impish grin. “I wonderwhat happens when the kisses become more intimate?” He made sure she caught his glance at her skirt.

Then her hand was gone from his and back on the steering wheel.

“I potentially crash your car.” She took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders.

He chuckled, tapping the Play button to return to the podcast. The narrator said “run” and something clicked. She hadn’t run. He’d told her the truth, and she hadn’t assumed that his wife’s departure meant something was wrong with him, hadn’t shied away. She’d done the opposite—wanted to know more. About him. He swallowed hard. His therapist had said he’d know when he was ready. Was he?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Isadora

As she took the exit for Sacramento, Isadora’s mood dipped. She weighed the pros and cons of inviting him in. She would have loved spending the night with him. But the reality of their situation became harder to ignore the closer they got to the capitol. She agreed with him, wanted to see where whatever this was might be going. Even though they were technically enemies, her gut was telling her that he was genuinely interested in her as a person and not getting her to let her guard down to help his boss.

Karim made her wonder if he was savoring their last moments together as well. At a red light, he leaned over and asked if he could kiss her. She tucked her chin but nodded and gasped as he nuzzled into her neck, mouthing from shoulder to ear. Her eyes fluttered. The honk from behind them forced her back into the present.

As they reached her complex, the warm cocoon melted away when she pulled up to her building. Her door was ajar.

“Well, beautiful, let me help…What’s wrong?” he asked, following her gaze.

“I think…” She squinted. “I think my apartment door is open.”

“Which one is it?”

“It’s 3C.”

The door swung wide, and a man in dirty overalls steppedoutside. He wiped his hands on a rag, pulled a phone out of his pocket, and started dialing.

“Do you know him?” Karim asked.

“Not at all.”

“Wait here?” He hopped out of the car before she answered and took the stairs two at a time. She stood and closed her door as the two men spoke. Karim’s body language softened.

“Bad news, beautiful,” he said, returning to her. “There’s been a big leak.”

“The pipe burst at the joint leading to the kitchen,” the maintenance man explained once they’d joined him in the apartment. “Sorry we had to come in without your permission. I guess I have the wrong number for you. But as you can see, it was an emergency.”

The kitchen, dining area, and half of the carpet were damp. Her laptop, sitting at the other end of the dining table had been spared, but not the presentation and documents she and her assistant had prepared for the healthcare bill working group the following morning.

“How much longer do you need?” Karim asked him.

“Oh, not even fifteen minutes. I was finishing the final seals on the new tube. Then I’ll turn the water back on and be out of your hair.”

“That’s good news,” Karim said, turning to Isadora. She didn’t notice, still dumbstruck. She would need several hours to get even close to being prepared, and she was already tired.

“Well, we appreciate it,” Karim said. “We’ll let you finish.” He guided Isadora by the arm into the only other room in the apartment. She sagged onto the edge of her bed.

This is not what I wanted to deal with this evening.

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