Heart Robber (Lifestyle by Design Book 2) (15 page)

'Hey. There in 15 mins. Do me a favour and keep prowling singles away from my girl. Thanks.'

Clarise's smile was smug and content as she gave Rob his phone back. It was the same expression Jessa had on her face when Rob put an arm around her shoulder and steered her to the restaurant.

*******

"Mmmm. It's still early." Jessa wrapped her legs and arms tighter around Rob to keep him from getting out of bed. She wanted to feel him against her for a little longer.

Rob laughed softly in her ear as he shifted to his side, taking her with him. "I'm driving to Parramatta to meet my new client's marketing team. I want to avoid the peak hour traffic." He stroked her naked back and buttocks and it made her arch her body closer to him. "Damn, you're tempting even after I just had you. Please stop or I'll be very late," he pleaded hoarsely.

She pouted and reluctantly untwined herself from him. He gave her a deep, toe-curling kiss before rolling off and heading for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Rob was getting dressed as she watched from the bed.

"Where will you be having drinks tonight?" she asked casually.

For the two months they'd been together, she had not gone out with Rob on a Friday night. He was usually with clients, prospects and influential business contacts for after-work drinks, sometimes extending to dinner. She would have loved to accompany him and get to know some of his business associates, but he'd never invited her.

"I'll be around Circular Quay tonight. What about you?"

"We're having dinner with Faye. It'll be interesting to see how many matches she has from last night."

"That's right. The speed date," Rob murmured distractedly as he put on his tie.

"I bet one of her matches will be Kevin."

"Who's Kevin?"

"One of the triplets, remember? The one in black."

"Oh, one of those dimpled idiots," Rob muttered as he sat down close to her on the edge of the bed to put on his socks and shoes.

She snickered as she remembered the staring duel Rob and Julian had when they bumped into the triplets outside the restaurant.

"What's so funny?" Rob glared but the slight upward tug on his lips betrayed him.

"Nothing."

He leaned down on her, his face inches away. "No speed dates or any other dates for you, my little witch. Not while I'm in this city." He gave her a quick kiss and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe."

She followed Rob with her eyes as he left the bedroom. Her heart thudded with painful beats as she replayed the words in her head. 'Not while I'm in this city.'

What happens when you're no longer here?

You know the answer to that, Jessa,
she answered her own question.
The arrangement hasn't changed.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jessa couldn't remember the last time she had been so listless at work. She was glad when Clarise poked her head in her office to inform her that she and Victor were ready to call it a day and meet Faye for dinner.

She didn't get much done that day and knew next week would be doubly busy. She was grateful for it. At least that would be a welcome distraction from the nagging worry digging at her heart.

"Are you okay, darling?" Victor asked as they walked to the nearby restaurant where they would be meeting Faye.

"Just tired," she said with a mirthless smile.

"You coming down with something, Jess?" Clarise asked with concern.

"No, no. I'm fine."

Clarise slowed down and peered closely at her face. "Jess, did you and Rob have a fight?"

She looked up from the ground she had been observing to meet Clarise's scrutinising gaze. She should have known her face couldn't keep a secret.

"No, we didn't have a fight."

"Then what's wrong, honey?" Clarise asked softly.

"Me. I'm what's wrong. I'm stupid," she answered morosely.

"What?!" her friends cried out together.

"What do you mean?" Victor asked. "Wait. We're almost at the restaurant. Hold that thought and you can tell us when we get there. That way we can all concentrate on what you're saying."

Faye was already there saving a table for them when they arrived.

Jessa put on a bright smile for her friend. "So how many matches, Faye?"

"Five."

"Woo-hoo! All five of your choices!" Victor clapped in glee.

"So who are you going out with first? And is anyone getting a Saturday night?"

Faye laughed. "Kevin's getting a Saturday night. The others I'm cramming in next week. One for each day except for Friday night."

"Oh, good," Victor responded. "You could update us with the first four next Friday."

"Would you like to ask your men to join us for dinner then? It's good to have them with us every now and again," Faye asked.

"I'll ask Will. I'm sure he'd love to join us," Clarise answered.

"I'll ask Evan, too. By the way, the whole meet-the-family episode last night wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. They were all wonderful. I had a fantastic time."

"Good for you, Victor," Faye cheered.

The server came to take their order. When she left, Faye turned to Jessa. "So Jess, do you think Rob could join us next Friday?"

"I'll ask him, although I doubt he can make it. Friday nights are his business development nights." Jessa kept her face impassive but somehow, it must have been too impassive because Faye started looking at her with concern as well.

"What's wrong, Jess?"

She glanced at her friends and sighed. "Just me and my stupidity. I let myself expect something that isn't going to happen and just ended up hurting myself."

"Rob?"

"Yes. I thought things were going so well between us that he might have been having thoughts of, you know, having a more serious relationship than one that doesn't go past four months."

"You've talked to him about it?" Clarise asked.

"No. It was just something he said this morning. He said no speed dates or other dates for me.
Not while he's in this city.
It was a sweet thing to say but it was clear I could go on all the dates I want when he leaves." She sniffed as she forced herself to maintain composure.

"There was always that risk, wasn't there? That you'd get really hurt by your arrangement, knowing you'd already fallen for him when you went into it," Clarise gently reminded her.

"Yeah. I started out with no expectations. I just wanted to have my time with him. That was way easier to manage. I need to get back to that state. But how do I do that? It feels like I've opened up a wound that I can't easily close up." Her face pleaded for her friends to give her an answer.

"Let's think of all your options," Victor suggested.

"Okay."

"Well," Faye started, "you could forget he said what he said and you could continue with where you were at before he mentioned those words. You guys looked super hot for each other last night and if you have that for two more months, then at least you still get what you originally wanted."

She nodded. "That would be great. But how do I stop myself wanting more?"

There was silence at the table until Faye responded. "I don't know how you can. It'll be hard to stop yourself from wanting something when you're currently enjoying it."

"I know!" Victor raised his hand. "Ask Rob to stop being so sweet to you. Tell him to just give you hot sex then leave. No cuddling, no staying overnight, not even having dinners together," he proposed with slitted eyes.

Her face fell. "You can't be serious! I don't think I'd like that. I love it when Rob acts like a real boyfriend who cares for me." She buried her face in her hands. "And that's what I won't have in the future."

The three looked at each other in consternation.

"See?" she continued. "I'm so stupid. How did I get myself in this position?"

"What do you want to do, Jess?" Faye asked. "Do you want to continue seeing him, knowing he doesn't want a long-term relationship, or do you want to end it now so you can start healing and move on?"

"Is there another option?" she begged.

"You still have two months to change his mind," Clarise said quietly.

She looked at Clarise eagerly. It was what she really wanted to do. She just didn't have the confidence to pull it off. "You really think I can?"

Clarise gave her a small smile and shook her head. "No one can guarantee you that, Jess. You do know how much more it would hurt if you tried everything and you still failed to change his mind. It's just a question of whether you think he's worth it going through all that pain and effort."

She pondered Clarise's words. Was Rob worth it? The answer came to her swiftly and loudly.
Hell, yeah.

"He is worth it," she said out loud. "Now, I need some ideas."

*******

Rob jumped at the sound of his intercom buzzer going off.
Who could that be?

"Who's there?" he said as he lifted the receiver.

"I have a special delivery for Mr. Rob Granger," a soft female voice answered.

A big grin spread on his face. This was totally unexpected. "Sure, come on up."

He opened his door and stationed himself there as he waited impatiently for Jessa to arrive. When she rounded the corner, his heart pounded as he took in how attractive she was with a small carry bag in one hand and a beautiful smile on her face. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he last saw her. Yesterday he left her place just after lunch, like he always did on Sundays. To say he was pleased at seeing her again so soon was an understatement. He missed her so much already.

"Mr. Granger?" she asked as she got to his door.

"Yes," he responded with a goofy grin.

"I have a wagyu beef burger and piping hot chips for you, sir."

His mouth salivated and he realised he was starving. It was almost lunchtime and he hadn't had a break. "Yum. To whom do I owe this special delivery?"

"I don't know, sir. I'm not privy to that kind of information. I'm just the delivery girl. And I was asked to make sure I put this on a plate for you."

He moved and indicated for her to go in, the goofy grin still plastered on his face.

Jessa went to his kitchen and arranged the burger and hot chips attractively on a plate for him. She set it down on the dining table next to his laptop. Then she refilled the glass of water that was already sitting there.

He inhaled the delicious smell that wafted through the room but frowned when he saw there was only one burger. "You're not having lunch with me?"

"Lunch with you, sir? Sorry. That's not part of my job description. Although this is," Jessa murmured as she curved her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

He moaned as he slid his arms around her waist and crushed her to him. They kissed hungrily for long minutes, until Jessa pulled away. He tried to re-capture her mouth but she resisted.

"I have to go back to the office," she giggled as she tried to evade his seeking lips.

"But your customer is not satisfied yet. I'll complain to your boss and say you've done a poor job of delivering what your customer wanted."

"No, I really have to go back to work, baby." She cupped his face and put on an apologetic expression. "We're having a staff lunch for our new writer. He started today."

He stilled. "So you're really going now?"

"Yes."

"But you just got here," he complained, feeling like a child who'd been denied his favourite thing.

"I just sneaked out to bring you lunch so you don't have another one of your microwave dishes."

He pouted. "And I thought I was going to have some midday sex, too."

Jessa chuckled and extricated herself from his embrace. "I'd love to stay but we're both very busy today. I'll see you tomorrow night," she promised. "And you should eat your lunch before it gets cold."

He pulled her back in his arms and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she answered softly. She looked up at him. "By the way, I know you're usually busy on Friday nights, but would you like to have dinner with the gang this Friday?"

"The gang?"

"Us three girls and Victor. Will and Evan will be joining us, too, I believe."

"This Friday?"

Jessa nodded.

He surveyed Jessa's upturned face. She looked eager and hopeful. He discovered he didn't have the heart to say no to her. He'd just have to re-arrange his earlier plans for that Friday. "Okay. I guess I can do that."

She beamed at him. "Great. Well, I really have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow night."

He walked her to the door, wishing she could stay. He didn't know how he became so needy of her, didn't know what she'd done to him. "Bye, witch," he said, thinking how apt that term was for her.

"Bye," she responded as she gave him a swift kiss.

He watched her disappear around the corner. He wanted to run after her and give her a thorough kiss. He wanted to tell her he already missed her and he'd be counting the minutes until he saw her again tomorrow. The urge was so great it scared him that he might actually act it out.

He hurried back inside and his eyes fell on the lunch Jessa brought him. His stomach growled. He sighed, a mixture of contentment and longing, and started attacking the food.

She is just the sweetest thing.

*******

"There they all are," Jessa burst out as she saw Rob, Will and Evan standing outside the restaurant entrance from across the road. They were busy chatting as they waited for them.

"Don't they all look handsome," Victor commented as they waited for the green 'walk' sign. "But of course, Evan is the most attractive of them all. Even if he's got those dorky glasses and he's shorter and he doesn't have the face and the body those other two have, he's still the one for me."

The women laughed.

"Yes, the love bug's bitten another one." Faye sighed theatrically. "Next time we all meet with your men, I better get myself a date for the night or I'll feel left out all the time."

Jessa put an arm around her friend and gave her a squeeze. "Oh, Faye. In less than two months, I could be the one who's dateless." She tried to sound teasing but her heart contracted at the thought.