“Em, baby, wake up.” Travis’s voice came to me through a dream.
“Hmm?” I mumbled, my eyes fluttering open. “I fell asleep,” I stated in surprise.
He sat at my side, his hand on my waist. “It would appear so.” He grinned. “Dinner is ready, but if you want to keep sleeping I can—”
“No, no.” I shook my head. “I’m up.” I sat up blearily, knowing my hair was in disarray, and I probably had lines down the side of my face. “Where’s Buster?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Downstairs on the sofa, acting like he owns the place.” Travis chuckled. “I came up to check on you earlier, and he shot out of the room like a cannon. I figured I’d just let him be.”
“Damn cat,” I muttered. “Let me just freshen up, and I’ll be right down.” We may have been staying in, but I still wanted to look cute.
“All right.” He nodded. “You want me to pour you a glass of wine?”
I’d switched to over-the-counter ibuprofen, and a glass of wine sounded perfect. “Sounds great,” I agreed, watching his gorgeous backside as he left the room.
The second he was gone, I launched into the bathroom, knowing I didn’t have long to get myself together. I winced at my appearance; my cheeks were red from sleep and my hair was… well, my hair was a lost cause. It was going up into a bun.
I threw on my favorite pair of leggings, paired with a long cozy sweater that though big somehow still managed to be flattering. With a quick swipe of mascara, some lip stain, and a spritz of perfume, I was as ready as I’d ever be.
“It smells amazing in here,” I complimented as soon as my feet hit the last stair. Able came barreling over as though he hadn’t seen me in years instead of hours.
Travis came over, pulling me into him and kissing me softly. “You smell amazing,” he murmured. “Come on, let’s eat.”
He guided me to the dining table where he’d laid out mouthwatering-smelling steak, salad, and potatoes.
“I’m impressed,” I remarked as he pushed my chair in and handed me a glass of wine.
“Good.” He winked as he found his own seat.
“Any luck getting hold of Mabel?” I asked as I sipped at the delicious wine.
Ever since the break-in, Travis’s team had been trying to contact her. I hoped she could stay with Charlie until things were sorted out.
“Not yet.” He shook his head regretfully. “But if anyone can locate her, it’s Declan. What do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked, and I knew he was deliberately trying to get my mind off my concern for May.
I shrugged. “I’m open tomorrow. I usually keep Sundays that way since my weekdays tend to be busy.”
“You aren’t going to cancel your yoga classes this week?” he asked, concerned.
I shook my head. “I don’t need to do all of the moves to teach the class. I already had to get a sub today, so I really don’t want to miss any more.”
“So you work six days a week,” he stated.
“Yep. I would work Sundays too, but I found I just couldn’t keep up when I tried it,” I admitted.
He lifted his wine glass, taking a sip before he cocked his head to the side as though trying to understand me with a look. “Why so much?”
I debated how much to share with him. Anything would be more than I told most people. “I have obligations,” I replied, knowing it was a vague answer but deciding I wasn’t ready to delve into the details just yet.
“Obligations,” he stated. “And you don’t want to get into that now.” It wasn’t a question.
“No,” I admitted.
He leaned forward in his seat. “I’m not going to push you on this. Not yet. But Em, I want us to move forward, together. I can honestly say that I’ve never wanted that with another woman. Now, I’m no relationship expert, but I do believe trust and getting to know each other is fairly fundamental.” He smiled self-deprecatingly.
I offered a soft smile in return. “I want that too. I just…. I haven’t let many people into my life. There have been very few that I could trust. It goes against my instinct to share certain things. I’ll work on it, promise.”
“All I ask.” He nodded easily. “If you don’t have plans, I have to head to headquarters for a few hours. I’d like you to come with. We can bring Able, too.”