Simon: Rockstar Romance (The ProVokaTiv Series Book 3) by Cara Nelson

smells great.”
    “So, what time are you headed back today?” he asked as he headed back to this kitchen.
    “My flight leaves at 4 p.m.”
    “Do you need a ride to the airport?”
    “I don’t think so. I’ll take a cab or Brynn can take me.” I could have kicked myself. This would have been the ideal time to state my desire: yes I do need a ride to the airport and I need it from you.
    “Oh, well let me know if you need one. I’m happy to help out,” he said.
    I looked at him and thought I sensed a bit of disappointment. That was huge! Not that I wanted him to be disappointed, of course. It was the thought of him maybe liking me. I realized I didn’t just want to be his business partner. I really wanted him to like me. For this to not be a one-time thing.
    In those few minutes Simon was gone, banging around in the kitchen, my mind went on a full-out alert, making me think about things I really didn’t want to. Why couldn’t I just enjoy a moment? We could have sex one time and still go about our project in a professional manner, right? Damn me. Now I had to bring it up. If I didn’t, I’d dwell on it and end up Skyping about it or something lame like that. Face to face was the best, but it was so hard!
    Poor Simon walked back into the room and I must have had an odd look on my face to alert him because he immediately asked, “You okay?”
    “I am, but I was just thinking about something. We need to talk about last night, just for a bit, maybe.” Oh, real smooth. I’d practically said yes, no, and maybe in the same sentence.
    “Okay, what’s up?”
    I looked at Simon, who sat back down next to me. Why did he have to be so close? It would have been less awkward if he was sitting in that chair on the other side of the coffee table, a safe distance away from me.
    “Well, I just want to make sure that last night doesn’t come between the project and everything we have going on. I’d hate for things to get awkward or cause any problems,” I said. I breathed in and waited.
    “I absolutely agree. We’ll be fine. After all, we’re adults. Our team is about West Africa now, nothing else. No worries.” Simon got up and went to refill his coffee and I don’t mind admitting that I was a bit bummed out about his answer. I was so mental! He’d given me the answer I thought I was looking for, basically mirroring what I’d said to him, but now it bummed me out a bit. I wanted…I don’t know, to feel like he’d feel lousier without me in his life on a more personal level.
    My phone beeped and I sprung up to get my purse from the corner, where it had been since I’d arrived last night. Digging through it, I pulled out the phone and saw that it was a text from Brynn. I was thankful for the diversion so I could recompose my face and hide any signs of disappointment lingering there from Simon’s answer.
    Brynn: Thought you would be back home. Hmm…
    Me: Me too. I’ll be home in a bit.
    Brynn: Need me to pick you up?
    I really didn’t know. I had to turn around and look at Simon now. He was reading his paper, acting like he didn’t have any concern on his mind except the stock market. Lucky bastard! “Hey, should Brynn come pick me up?”
    “If you can wait an hour, I can drop you off on my way to Blaze Line.”
    “Okay, I’ll have you do that,” I said.
    Me: Simon will drop me off…about an hour.
    Brynn: Excited to interrogate you.
    Me: I’ll never talk. ;)
    Then I put my phone away. “Well, I’m going to get dressed. Then I happened to catch sight of the table where we’d eaten the night before. It was all cleaned up.
    “When did you clean the table up? I really should have helped.”
    Simon glanced up at me and smiled. “After you fell asleep.”
    “Was it driving you crazy?” I felt kind of bad.
    “Not until I couldn’t sleep, which is pretty rare, actually.”
    Okay, I think that was a twisted kind of compliment. I’d take it!
    “Well, thanks for picking it all up. I wouldn’t have