Splendor (Inevitable #2) (40 page)

Wanting to spend every possible minute together until his departure, Tessa had stayed overnight at his house and risen at a very early hour this morning to accompany him on the drive to the airport. Simon was at present circling around the terminal until she re-emerged, and then he would drive her to the office. Or, at least, within a couple of blocks so that no one would notice her alighting from Ian’s car and putting two and two together.

“You’re certain you won’t stay at the house while I’m away?”

Tessa nodded as she smoothed down the lapels of his black wool overcoat. “I’m sure, yes. If I’m going to give notice to my landlord soon, then I’d better use this time to start packing things up and cleaning. I’ll have to decide what to keep and what to donate. I want to ask my landlord if any of the other tenants might need some things.”

He gave the belt of her raincoat a little tug as he tightened his arms around her waist. “Well, if I get a vote you know what item will be on the top of my donation pile.”

She grinned up at him. “I thought you had other plans for this, plans that included a fireplace and a book of matches.”

Ian eyed the much-maligned raincoat dubiously. “You’re right. I’m not certain there would be any takers if you tried to give it away. Even thrift stores have certain standards.”

Tessa gave him a playful swat on the arm. “Hey, it’s not that bad. Besides, it’s not for much longer, you know.”

“I know.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ll also get to work on that letter of resignation while I’m away?”

“Yes, I promise. Will you tell Andrew the real reason I’m leaving?”

Ian considered her question for a moment or two. “Most likely, yes. If anyone can keep a secret, he can. Not to mention he’s paid a pretty penny to be discreet. And, of course, he probably already guesses that there’s something going on between us. It’s rather terrifying at times how nothing escapes that boy’s attention.”

She nodded. “He’s terrifying, all right. Wouldn’t it be something to have him and Mrs. Carrington in the same room together some time?”

The look of mock horror on his face made her giggle. “God, that would truly be a battle of wills for the ages, wouldn’t it?” he asked. “I wouldn’t even know which one of them to bet on.”

For long seconds after that they just held each other, two lovers who were postponing the moment they would have to part for as long as possible. It was Tessa who finally, reluctantly, lifted her head from his chest and gazed up at him sorrowfully.

“I guess you’d better go,” she said slowly. “And I shouldn’t keep Simon waiting any longer.”

“Simon doesn’t mind,” he assured her gently. “He knows I’m mad about you. But unfortunately, you’re right, it is time. Now, give me a kiss good-by, darling, and I’ll call you as soon as I land.”

Tessa kissed him with an almost desperate hunger, her arms clinging to his neck as he groaned beneath her lips. Tears shimmered in her eyes as he lifted his head.

He cupped her cheek in his hand, his thumb brushing away her tears. “I’ve got to go. Dream of me, will you, love?”

“Every night,” she whispered. “You, too.”

Ian smiled, the look of love on his handsome face causing her heart to ache. “Darling, don’t you know? I’ve dreamed of you every night since we met. I’m not going to stop now.”

With one last, quick kiss, he picked up his laptop bag and walked away towards the security line. She watched him for another minute or two before turning away hastily, not wanting to burst into tears in the middle of a crowded airport.

Simon tactfully didn’t comment on her teary-eyed state when he assisted her inside the Town Car, and was mostly silent during the drive back into San Francisco. But as they drew closer to the office, his deep, gentle voice startled her a bit.

“He’s head over heels in love with you, too, Miss Tessa,” he said kindly. “I’ve never seen him this way with another woman, not even close. And you’re definitely the only person who’s ever seen him off at the airport before.”

Tessa sniffled. “Oh. Well, thank you for telling me, Simon. And I – I love him very much. I hope – that is, I know how all this must look to you. I mean, he’s so distinguished and handsome and – well, rich. And I’m just an ordinary office employee, no one special.”

“You’re special to Mr. Gregson,” declared Simon. “And he’s an excellent judge of character. If he thought for one minute that you were some type of fortune hunter, he wouldn’t have bothered with you. He told me soon after the two of you began seeing each other that he was crazy about you, and not just because you’re a very pretty young lady. He said that your real beauty was deep inside of you, and that your kindness and goodness were what really drew him to you.”

Tessa felt a warm glow spread through her at Simon’s words. “He really said that?”

“He did, Miss Tessa. And he meant every word. And he’s absolutely correct. You’re a good girl, I can tell, not like all the others who would only be after his money or his looks. You truly care for him, too – for the man he is inside and not just the image he projects. You two make a lovely couple.”

Impulsively, she reached forward and squeezed him on the shoulder. “That’s so kind of you to say,” she told him tearfully. “It will help me get through these next two weeks without him.”

Simon gave her hand a reassuring pat. “Trust me, my dear, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him and he knows it. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. I hope you realize he would do anything for you, absolutely anything.”

“I do, yes. And the feeling is mutual.”

As instructed, Simon let her off a short distance from the office and in a very discreet manner. Before she began to walk away, he reminded her yet again to get in touch with him if she needed anything during Ian’s absence.

“I’ll be visiting my sister and her family up in Oregon for about a week,” he told her, “but I’ll be back in town next week. Even if I’m not around I can easily arrange for anything you might need.”

Tessa thanked him but assured him she’d be fine, that she was used to taking care of herself and wished him a pleasant vacation. Then she was off to work, where she hoped to keep busy enough over the next two weeks so that she didn’t feel like crying nonstop.

She knew that if she didn’t want to endure anymore painful separations like this one that she would have to remain firm in her resolve to resign. But it was one thing to know it, and quite another to actually accept it. As much as she loved Ian and wanted to be with him all the time, she couldn’t quite let go of the feeling that she needed to depend on herself and not simply rely on him for everything. That had been what had eventually happened with Peter, and when he’d left it had felt like her whole world had caved in.

And, if she was being completely honest with herself, she was still having doubts that her relationship with Ian would last. Her misgivings had nothing to do with her own feelings. No, those were rock solid and she couldn’t imagine ever loving another man the way she did him. Rather, it was her fear that he would tire of her, that perhaps having a much younger girlfriend was only a novelty for him, and maybe something of an ego booster (not that someone as undeniably hot as Ian needed to pad his self-esteem by any means). What if she became an embarrassment to him once they went public with their relationship – if he determined that she simply wasn’t refined or educated or mature enough to live in his world full time?

He would never abandon her, or leave her to fend for herself. That she knew without a shadow of a doubt. He was too good of a person, too much a gentleman, to ever even think of doing something like that. No, if he ever decided to end things between them he would make sure she was taken care of, settled with a good job and a place to live. But there would be nothing at all he could do to heal the gaping wound in her heart that a breakup like that would cause.

As the workday ended and she headed to the office gym for her workout, Tessa forced herself to stop being such a pessimist. Ian had made his feelings for her very clear, and she ought to be doing cartwheels of happiness right now that such an incredible man was in love with her. Instead, she was letting herself fall back into her old, bad habits and starting to imagine the worst. If she was going to get through the next two weeks without her lover, she was going to have to keep as busy as possible and, more importantly, maintain a positive attitude and not succumb to the depression that often hovered on the edges of her emotions.

The workout helped block out a lot of the insecurities and worries that tormented her, as did the call that came through from Ian shortly after she arrived home. He sounded tired, and she knew it was already the middle of the night in England. Even though she longed to keep him on the phone, she didn’t prolong the conversation when he bid her good night.

She kept herself busy the rest of the evening by starting to inventory her kitchen and living room, beginning the process of packing up the apartment. By the time bedtime rolled around, she was sufficiently tired to actually fall asleep fairly quickly.

But the next morning – which happened to be a Wednesday – started out on a sour note when she discovered her period had started. One of the major side effects of the IUD she used for birth control were the heavy, painful menstrual cycles she suffered through. Her periods were also irregular, making it difficult to pinpoint when they were due to occur.

She’d tried using the pill - several different brands in actuality – but had experienced rather severe allergic reactions to each one – terrible headaches, constant nausea, a red, itchy rash. The nurse practitioner at the free clinic had steered her towards the IUD as an alternative method but Tessa wasn’t so sure the side effects with it were much better.

Making sure her purse was well stocked with tampons, Tessa swallowed two Tylenol with her breakfast to lessen the pain of the severe cramps she knew would follow shortly. Her period would last for well over a week, with more of the killer cramps and heavy bleeding, enough so that she always felt a little weak and dizzy as a result. She tried to lay low during her cycles, cutting back on her exercise routine, trying to get some extra sleep, and eating as well as she could.

The timing of her period with Ian’s absence was just about the only positive note. She was reluctant for him to see her this way, especially when she felt bloated and uncomfortable and on edge. Her periods also tended to make her weepy and depressed, and she knew she’d have to force herself more than usual to get through the days.

It didn’t help a bit that things at the office were slow. Not only was Ian away for two weeks, but several of the other managers were either traveling on business or attending a conference somewhere. However, it seemed that Tessa was the only one of her co-workers who wasn’t pleased at the lack of work assignments. The others took full advantage of the lull by arriving late and leaving early, taking longer than usual lunch hours, and spending the better part of the day gossiping, searching the Internet, and making personal calls. Of course, Andrew was still very much on top of things, and they had to exercise at least a little caution. But Tessa was quietly convinced he knew exactly what was going on, and was making very careful notes of who was slacking off. Determined not to take advantage of her relationship with Ian, she kept to her normal schedule and routine, and strove to work as hard as possible.

And she couldn’t help feeling just a little bit smug when Alicia shared the latest rumors about Ian and his love life with the rest of them. The speculation that he had a new girlfriend was apparently really running wild now, given the facts he’d been a no-show at several important events lately, and that his other two former escorts – the news anchor and the ballerina – had been seen out with other men.

“Most everyone seems to think this mystery woman is someone back home in England,” Alicia informed them with a little sniff of displeasure. “They think he met her when he went home for the holidays, because it was very soon after his return that he stopped being seen in public with other women.”

“Hmm, so he was probably looking forward to this trip big time,” chimed in Kevin. “Two months is a long time for someone like His Hotness to go without a woman.”

Tessa had to bite back a retort that Ian had actually gone two
years
without a woman – if she could truly believe what he’d told her about being celibate. And while she still had her doubts that someone as virile and sexual as he was could really go without sex for so long, she also knew he was too honest and moral to lie to her about something like that. Besides, there was always such a desperate, urgent hunger in the way he took her that it was easy to believe he’d abstained for such a long time.

Rather than put herself through a grueling workout in her weakened physical state, Tessa elected to take a restorative yoga class at SF Flow instead. The unlimited monthly membership that Ian had surprised her with had been one of her favorite and most cherished gifts, and she loved the luxury of being able to take classes whenever she wished.

She knew Julia took a 6:00am class at a different studio during the week, so she didn’t worry about running into her apparently very nosy friend. She did see Sasha as she arrived, since the curly-haired teacher also taught classes in the evening. Tessa had heard from other students that Sasha was not only the most popular teacher at this studio but also one of the most sought-after in the entire city. She wasn’t the least surprised to see the throng of students crowding into the larger of the two practice rooms where Sasha’s class was held.

“Hey, I’m not used to seeing you here in the evenings,” Sasha told her. “But why aren’t you going to my class? Restorative is way too easy for you, Tessa.”

Tessa grimaced and placed a hand on her belly. “It’s that time of the month, I’m afraid, and it’s pretty awful. I figured it would be a good idea to take it a little easy.”

“Ah, absolutely,” agreed Sasha. “No inversions on your cycle, okay? Backbends, handstands, not a good idea. If you have bad cramps, try drinking some chamomile tea. I wish I wasn’t already so booked up tonight with classes or I could try to squeeze you in for a massage. That would do wonders for you right now.”