Page 178 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“You’re welcome,” Cayden said, putting his pants back on. “I had a feeling that you wouldn’t regret it.”
He was right. I didn’t regret it. I felt stupid for initially fighting against it. I was falling for Cayden, and I did not want to stop myself. He made me feel good, both mentally and physically. I deserved to feel good after everything I had gone through, didn’t I?
After we were fully dressed, we headed back toward the bar to grab Cayden’s car. Surprisingly, we didn’t pass a single person on the way back. I mentally noted this, hoping we could come back together soon. Sex on the beach was quickly becoming a new favorite of mine.
“It’s a gorgeous night,” I commented, looking up at the moon. Cayden nodded.
“Gorgeous night, gorgeous girl,” he said.
Heat coated my cheeks. I still couldn’t believe I had landed someone like Cayden. While I was still worried that it was a joke, I felt those fears slowly fade the more I had one-on-one time with him. He was starting to build up my self-esteem, which had been ruined after Brad had left me. However, I still wasn’t going to completely let my guard down. I wasn’t ready for that, no matter how good the sex was.
As we reached Cayden’s car, I desperately tried to fight off a yawn, but finally gave in.
“Tired already?” Cayden asked. I nodded. Even though it was early, I was completely exhausted. Cayden Lewis had drained me, but in a good way.
CHAPTER 13
CAYDEN
“Happy Friday, Boss!” Maurice appeared at my door. He was in a much more cheerful mood now that he was hanging out with Nikki.
“TGIF,” I said, looking at my clock. Two more hours until I could officially escape. I wanted to ask Tiffany to come over tonight, but I hadn’t seen her. However, I knew she wasn’t purposely ignoring me this time. Besides having a major deadline that we were both working on, I had spent last night at Austin’s school watching him play the part of a reindeer in the school play. The holidays were a busy season, both at the office and family-wise, but I still wanted to make time to see Tiffany.
Despite being busy with work, I had also purposely tried to leave her alone. I didn’t want to cause her any distractions, especially at a critical time like this. We had to finish up this issue before Christmas. Everyone was working hard to get it done, especially Tiffany.
I, and others, had noticed a big difference in her attitude. She was more outgoing and talkative. A co-worker told me that he didn’t even notice her before, she was that quiet. She had slowly begun to come out of her shell, and I loved it. She was smiling more and more and engaging with her co-workers. Other people were beginning to depend on her for fact checking because they knew she did a great job.
I also noticed that she had begun to dress sexier. Not that she didn’t dress great to begin with, but I noticed that she was experimenting more with bright colors and patterns. Everything she wore looked great on her and complimented her curves. She was one of the best dressed people in the office. I thought she looked better than the former model in the finance department.
As corny as it sounded, she really started to blossom right in front of my eyes. The scared, shy girl was replaced with a woman with confidence and personality. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was responsible for this? Regardless, I was glad to see her so happy.
I started to print out my latest article when an error flashed on my computer screen. Low ink.
“Of course,” I muttered. I would have to trek across the office to the supply room to grab a new ink cartridge. I didn’t have time for this but hoped I would catch a glimpse of Tiffany on the way. Her office was on the way to the supply room.
I made my way down the long hallway and slowed down as I reached her office. I peeked in, but Tiffany wasn’t there.
“Hey, Cayden.” Nikki looked up from her computer.
“Hey, Nikki,” I responded. “Did Tiffany leave for the day?”
Nikki shook her head.
“Nah,” she replied. “She ran out of paper. She should be back in a minute or so.”
“Thanks,” I said, picking up my pace. Tiffany may have been in the supply room. If so, it would be fate intertwining. I could ask her about coming over tonight. My mind and my body needed a dose of Tiffany. Sure enough, as I got to the supply room, Tiffany was walking out with a bundle of paper.
“Hey there,” I approached her, a smile on my face. “Fancy meeting you here.”
She laughed and ran her fingers through her dark hair.
“I must be working hard today,” she replied. “I ran out of paper. What are you here for?”
“Ink,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Unfortunately, nothing exciting, but I am glad that I ran into you.”
“Why’s that?” Her face had a mischievous smile.
“Do you want to come over after work?” I asked. “I can make you dinner. I’m not a great cook, but I can make a mean grilled cheese. Austin is the world’s pickiest eater and it’s his favorite. It’s that good.”
