Page 37 of Kiss Me Again
“Have a seat.”
“Before I do, do you have any aspirin?”
He frowns. “You okay?”
“Screaming headache all of a sudden.”
He pulls out a bottle from his desk drawer. It’s so empty that the bottle sounds like a maraca when he tosses it. “Ibuprofen work?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Down it with some coffee. It’ll work better.” He gestures to the coffeepot on the table near the door.
“Sounds good.” I pour a paper cup full and down the pills as he begins.
“The estimates have come back from the architecture firms…”
A high-pitched whine fills my head the longer Beau speaks. It’s not that I don’t want to hear him, but it’s hard not to blow off his requests for more money when my head keeps throbbing. He blinks at me, finished speaking. Crap, I should say something.If I ask a question, maybe he’ll fill me in.“And?”
“And I think it would be great if you could…” he rambles on.
The pills kick in faster than expected, which is nice, but I still can’t focus on Beau. It’s as though my brain has replaced thoughts of pain with thoughts of Lily’s smile. A pleasant distraction, to be sure, but a distraction all the same. Dammit, he’s staring again.Say something clever.“Well, what do you think about it?”
“I think they’re a joke of a firm, and I’m not willing to hire them with that kind of attitude.”
“That’s harsh.”
He chuckles. “A modern American resort and hotel does not need Greek columns around the entire building, Cormac.”
I half-laugh. “That’s their suggestion?”
“I just said…weren’t you listening?”
“Yes. Must have missed that part. This headache is a killer.”
“That’s worrisome. When was the last time you saw Doctor Hamilton?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s nothing, Beau. I swear, you’re as bad as Mom with these things.”
“Whatever. Anyway, I don’t want an architect who wants to make our resort into their showpiece, you know? This is ours. It should beourspecifications.”
“Agreed.”
He smiles. “Good. Because I think we should…”
And I’ve faded out again. Only this time, it’s not the pain or Lily’s smile. It’s her naked body in the hotel…maybe it’s because we’re building our own hotel and resort, but I can’t help but think about what happens there. All the nasty, sweaty sex you can have without worrying about the neighbors or washing the sheets after. All the ways being in a hotel feels so much freer than in your own home…the way you can experiment—
“Cormac!”
“Yeah?”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“What else would I be doing, Beau?” Definitely not fantasizing about a bending Lily over in every bed in our resort.
He frowns. “I don’t know. But you’re not here, and this is important.”
“Apologies. I really am trying to focus. I promise you have as much undivided attention as I am capable of right now. Go ahead.”