What Would It Take

Chapter 11

“Well, dinner is on me tonight. Is pizza okay?” “Pizza is great. Thank you so much.”

“I’ll order. What would you like? Pepperoni okay?” “Sounds great. Thank you again.”

“No need to thank me. I’ll have them leave your pizza with you before they bring up mine. Good night.”

“‘Night, Mr. Sax. ‘Night, Ms. Sailor.”

Saxton walked up beside her, and they headed to the elevator. Once they were inside, he grabbed her hand, and a flutter went through her chest.

“That was really sweet.” Sailor examined his profile, noting his cheeks were a little pink.

“Nah, he’s a good guy. It was the least I could do.”

They rode up to their floor in silence, still hand-in-hand. Saxton walked Sailor to her door and pulled her keys from his pocket.

“I guess you’re gonna need these back now.”

Sailor smiled, then her face fell. “Shit, those are just my car and work keys. My house keys are on a separate ring…which is sitting on the kitchen counter.” She immediately banged on the door. There was no answer, and she heard neither of her roommate’s yell from inside.

“Guys, open up. It’s me. Anyone home?” Silence. “Damn it,” she cursed as she banged her forehead on the door.

“It’s Sunday. They’re probably at Gypsy’s parents’ for Sunday dinner. That means they’ll be out late.” Banging her head on the door and trying the doorknob again, she sighed.

“I guess, I can go back to the office and hang out there.” Looking down at herself, still clad in her workout gear, she felt defeated. “I’m not dressed to go anywhere else.”

Saxton wrapped his strong arms around her from behind and whispered into her ear, “You can come hang out with me. I’ll order pizza, and we can watch TV and relax.”

Turning to face him, she peered up into his eyes. “That is really sweet of you. Thank you.”

A huge grin spread across his face, and he opened his mouth to speak. She covered it with her hand.

“But let make something perfectly clear. This will be pizza and TV only. Nothing more. I’m not a Netflix-and-chill kinda girl. I know what that’s code for.”

He nodded, his eyes twinkling, and she felt him grinning under her hand.

Removing it slowly, she pointed at him.

“Stop looking like the cat that ate the canary.”

Chuckling, he grabbed her hand and led her to his loft. “I cross my heart. I’ll be on my best behavior.” He pulled out his keys and opened the door, then motioned for her to step through first.

As she did, he flipped on a light, illuminating a vast space with sparse furnishings. There were some unpacked boxes and artwork against one wall. He had the biggest couch she’d ever seen. It was U-shaped, and each end had a long ottoman attached. As she walked farther in, she saw a flat-screen TV taking up most of the wall across from the couch. A few end tables and a coffee table made up the rest of the living area. It was clean and masculine. She liked it.

Saxton had headed into the kitchen area that looked much like her own. He was on the phone and looked up at her, “Any special requests?”

“I’m good with whatever. Thanks again.” She wandered over to the big picture window with a gorgeous view of the city. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful, orange-and-purple glow on the horizon. Soon, Sailor felt Saxton’s presence beside her.

“I’ve missed this city. I’ve been a lot of places in the past ten years, but none of them compared to home.” His voice sounded wistful.

“I’ve never lived anywhere else, and I don’t think I could. I love this town way too much. It has everything, but still feels like a small community, if that makes any sense. I’ve traveled a lot, but I’m always happy to be back here.” She turned toward him, and he was nodding as if he understood what she meant. “Hey, can I ask you for a favor?”

He turned to her and smiled. “You can ask me for anything.”

She looked down at herself then back up to him. “Can I borrow some clothes and the shower?”

His eyes got a mischievous glint to them, and she raised her hand to stop him from speaking. “Clothes, and a shower…alone.”

“Follow me.” He led her into his bedroom, and she surveyed the space. Damn, he liked big furniture. His bed had to be the biggest she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with my bed? You have a funny look on your face.”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all is wrong with it. I just think all your furniture is massive.”

He chuckled at her.

“Tiny Sailor, it has to be. I’m six-four.” That made sense, and she nodded. He disappeared into the walk-in closet and quickly returned with a T-shirt and sweatpants. He looked her up and down.

“These will swallow you whole, but they’re the best I can do. You could probably get away with just the shirt. It will be like a dress on you.”

She took the clothes, and she gave him a pointed look. “Unless you have panties in my size, the pants will do just fine.”

He placed a hand over his heart. “Why must you torture me?”

With a roll of her eyes, she pointed. “Shut up. Best behavior, remember? Is that the bathroom?”

“Why, yes, it is, and it even comes with a lock.”

As she headed for it, she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Good to know. For the record, I’ll be utilizing it, just in case you get any ideas.”