Chapter 9 He Was Wet, Steamy And

• Leilani
• I smiled at Neil as I walked down the stairs, watching his eyes light up with appreciation as his blue gaze took in my appearance. He was sitting at the glass dining table, a phone in his hand, looking handsome as usual. He motioned to me to come over to him. When I got to him, his hand held my waist and pulled me against his body.
• “You look so beautiful, babe.” He gave me a flashy smile. I giggled and leaned down to kiss his lips, caressing his jaw. He tried to pull me down to sit in his lap but I pulled away, smiling.
• “Come here,” He protested, holding my hand.
• “Baby, I’m helping Sara set the table,” I cooed. “I don’t want you to get to work late.”
• He scoffed. “I’m the fucking manager, I do whatever I want.”
• “Getting to work late won’t get your project going faster.”
• He bit his lip. I obviously had a point. Then he grinned. “You’re really trying to get rid of me so bad?”
• I laughed, shaking my head at him. He chuckled, watching me with gleaming blue eyes lovingly. Then his gaze slid down to my fingers in his palm. His smile grew thoughtful as his thumb brushed over the diamond ring on my finger.
• My heart started to ache.
• “I really love you, babe.” He said, face turning serious as he gazed back up at me. He looked so endearing. And it made me feel uneasy.
• “I-I love you too, Neil,” I said, my voice small. My guts churned, just like they always did each time I had to say those words to Neil. He obviously loved me, but I could not say I really love him back. Like, crazy-in-love type shit I saw in movies. I cared a lot for him, I cherished him, he was the most important man in my life. And he was the most handsome, sexually attractive man I had ever met. Until Adonis. But madly in love? I don’t know, to be honest. I think I do love him…
• He kissed my hand and slowly released it, a sweet expression on his face as I turned and walked towards the kitchen. I reached the doorway and glanced back. He was still gazing at me. Oh, Neil.
• I winked at him and he grinned. With that, I stepped into the kitchen.
• Sara was hovering around the kitchen table groaning with food in the far end of the kitchen. Delicious aromas filled the air and I inhaled, impressed as always. Sara's hair was rolled into her usual perfect bun and her hands were everywhere at once, almost making me dizzy from watching her.
• She was humming a tune under her breath and as she turned, our eyes met and a smile immediately appeared on her face. “Good morning, Miss Waters. How was your night? I saw Mr. Giles earlier, he’s looking really radiant. You’re really taking good care of your man.” She finished it off with a teasing wink.
• I felt my face heat.
• Yeah, Sara loves to talk about everything. I mean, everything. She even told me once that I could come to her if I needed advice about anything at all. But at the same time, she doesn’t get too casual or intrusive. It’s a nice balance, really.
• “Good morning to you too, Sara.” I smiled, walking towards the table of food.
• “Oh no, I’ll handle that, Miss. Just go relax at the table and I’ll bring breakfast over right away.”
• Sara always does this. And I always insist on helping out. “It’s fine, Sara.” She probably wanted to do as much work as she could before leaving. I made sure her job was so flexible that she could come over, do what she had to do, and leave immediately so we don’t have to bump into each other and I could have my privacy. And Sara was so good at it, that sometimes we don’t even set eyes on her for a long time.
• I busied myself for a moment and I realized I hadn’t seen Adonis this morning. I paused, straightening up. Did he leave already?
• “Sara?”
• Sara glanced at me, smiling, her hands still busy.
• I tried to sound as casual as possible. “Did you see Neil’s brother this morning?” I felt guilty just asking about him. I should relax. I have no reason to feel guilty. It’s normal for a fiancée to ask after her fiancé's step-brother. It’s a good thing.
• She was quiet.
• I blinked, feeling my stomach flip under her scrutiny. “Upstairs maybe? Or in his Jeep outside?” Shut up, Leilani. Just. Shut. Up.
• The silence seemed to go on for centuries before a huge smile split her lips. “That dashing young man? Oh, Miss Waters. That man is a work of art, I tell you. He’s really Mr. Giles' brother? My goodness. I have never in my life come across such a gorgeous hunk like that-”
• She abruptly stopped talking, eyes wide. I stared at her. She stared at me.