Page 73 of Forget Me

21

MIMI

I woke in a strange bed,but it was warm and soft and safe. Mateo’s big body curled around me, one muscled arm slung around my waist. I traced a vein down his forearm, trailing my fingertip through the coarse hair gilded by sunlight.

Sunlight?

Oh, shit.

I flung off his arm and the covers and sprang out of bed. Why wasn’t there a clock in his bedroom, and why hadn’t my alarm gone off?

Snatching my skirt off the floor, I ignored his sleepy “Mimi?” and raced stark-naked into the living room. My bra and blouse were on the kitchen floor, and I grabbed them on the way to the front door, where I found my shoes and my purse with my phone inside, still feebly sounding my alarm.

Roger leaped noiselessly to the kitchen counter and watched me with his yellow eyes.

Seven-thirty. Shit. I was supposed to meet Larissa and Natalie at Synergy half an hour ago. If I hurried, I could get there before they left. With one hand, I pulled up a ride-share app, and with the other, I tugged on my skirt.

“Ready for me to drive you home?” Mateo’s voice startled me, and I dropped my phone. He’d pulled on jeans and a thermal Henley. He looked absolutely delicious, but I’d already lingered too long.

“No time. I’m late.” I wrestled into my bra and fastened it in the back. Where were my underwear?

He rubbed his eyes. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had an early meeting. I’ll drive you to work.”

“It’s a foundation thing. With Larissa.” Slithering into my blouse, I raced into the bathroom. No underwear in here, either. At least I’d washed my face before bed. While I peed, I scrubbed my fingertips under my eyes to remove the last traces of mascara. I washed my hands and pushed the toothbrush through my mouth.

Mateo already had his shoes on and his keys in his hand when I sprinted back into the living room. While I toed on my shoes, he leaned over. “You look beautif—”

“No time!” I held up a hand. First my presentation, now this. Why did I always screw up when Mateo was involved?

He pulled open the door, and we raced to his Jeep. He tried to open my door, but I said, “I’ve got it. Go!”

Dutifully, he slid into the driver’s seat. Only after I’d tucked my skirt under my naked ass and buckled my seat belt did he steer the Jeep down the narrow drive past Cooper’s house to the street. “To the office?”

“Yes, we’re meeting in the first-floor conference room.” I checked my phone and winced as I tapped the button to listen to Larissa’s voice mail.

Hi Miriam, we were supposed to meet at seven. Are you still coming? We need to approve the budget today.

“The budget! Shit!”

“What is it?” Mateo glanced at me.

“I don’t have my laptop with me. I can’t make any updates to the budget in the meeting. Do you have any paper? A pencil?”

“Check the glove box. You can’t do it on your phone?”

“Oh. Possibly? My spreadsheet would be awfully small. I guess I could try it.” I fished in the compartment and came up with a stub of a pencil and a spiral-top notepad.

“Make do with the spreadsheet on your phone. Meanwhile, I’ll run to your apartment and fetch your laptop.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course, cariño.”

“Thank you.” I wanted to kiss his stubbly cheek, linger there at the crook of his neck where he smelled divine, but he was driving. I settled back into my seat and dug my keys out of my purse. I set them in the cup holder. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Mateo knew the shortcuts and ways to avoid San Francisco rush-hour traffic and, sooner than I’d hoped, we were at the office. Grabbing my phone and my purse, I pecked his cheek and pushed out of the Jeep.

I heard a strangled gasp and turned to look over my shoulder. Mateo stared at my ass.

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