Page 186 of With Us

“Ready to head back?” I asked Niall as we tossed out our garbage.

He nodded, holding the door for me and then signaling a taxi as soon as we stepped outside.

I spent most of the ride to the hotel with my eyes closed as I clutched the door handle. My legs were even wobbly when I climbed out.

And I thought Boston driving was panic inducing.

Niall walked me to my room before taking off to do God knew what.

Collapsing onto the bed, I closed my eyes.

I’ll set an alarm for a half hour and grab a power nap.

In one second, I’ll do it.

One quick second.

I fell asleep.

???

Opening my eyes, the room was dark except the glow of Theo’s laptop. He sat at the desk, quietly working.

“What time is it?” I asked.

He turned toward me. “Little before six.”

“AM or PM?”

Chuckling, he got up and moved to sit at the side of the bed. “PM. Dinner is in an hour. Want me to cancel the reservations?”

I shook my head. “I can be ready. Casual or dress?”

“Dress.”

“I’m on it.”

After showering and blow drying my hair so it wasn’t dripping, I quickly did my makeup and pulled on my strapless black dress. I had a pea coat, but worried my legs were going to freeze. Stepping into blue and purple swirled pumps, I made a mental note to put my flats in my bag.

“How hungry are you?” Theo practically growled when I stepped out of the bathroom.

“Very,” I answered honestly, though reluctantly.

He nodded, helping me into my coat before putting his own on. We walked from the room to the elevator in silence. Only when the elevator doors closed did he speak. “I’m going to put a mirror wall in the elevator at Amaric.”

I looked to the side that was all mirror. “I like that idea.”

“And then I’m gonna fuck you against it.”

“Ilovethat idea.” I also loved the way we looked together. It was times like those, when I caught our reflection randomly in a mirror or window, that I couldn’t believe how my life had changed.

Never, in my absolute wildest dreams, would I have imagined being with someone like Theo. Especially not standing next to him, both of us looking like we just stepped out of an upscale advertisement. My shoes, dress, and coat were as far from the taffeta thrift store nightmares as they could get.

Walking outside, I barely registered the cold as we walked the short distance to the restaurant. We sat and ordered drinks before I asked, “How’d the meeting go?”

“Good. We helped narrow down the choices, but Luc is going to do more thorough digging than Miller did.”

“And Luc’s side mission?”

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