“I suppose I’m simply happy.”

“I’m glad. Really glad.” I pushed the button to the elevator then had a horrible thought. What if his unusual demeanor was meant to distract me from the David situation? “Hey, I meant it when I said we’re not finished with the discussion about management at The Sky Launch.”

“Persistent little vixen, aren’t you? We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it on our flight to Japan.”

I scowled. “Now who’s being persistent?” I stepped in the elevator. “We’ll talk later. About all of it.”

The door was closing when his hand stopped it. “Alayna.”

I pushed the Door Open button and looked at him questioningly. He continued to lean against the elevator door, his brows knit. “Why did you…come to me last night?”

His wording was tentative, and I suspected he was tiptoeing around the words I had used. He seemed to avoid the L word with quiet precision, I noticed.

Regardless, he wanted to know what had spurred my need for him the night before. It made sense—it must have seemed odd when I’d been so mad and then so desperate for affection. “It’s sort of hard to explain.”

“Would you try?”

I pursed my lips, wondering if I could put into words the strange epiphany that I’d experienced. “I was unpacking. And I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed it before, but I realized the books you ordered—and the DVDs—that they were for me.”

His brow furrowed even further. “I told you they were yours. You know I prefer to read on my Kindle.”

“No, I mean, that they were the books I wanted to read. That you’d thought very specifically about what I wanted. It made me feel good. Made me feel loved. Made me feel loved by you.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat, and I swear his cheeks seemed pink. “Well, yes. Good, then.” He backed out of the doorway, stumbling and catching himself as he stepped.

“Wow. I had no idea I had the power to fluster you.”

His smile returned though his face still appeared flushed. “Don’t get used to it.”

My grin remained all the way to the lobby.

***

My smile was long gone by the time I’d returned to the empty penthouse.

Instead of bringing me into a calm, meditative state, my run only jumbled up my thoughts. There was so much to sort out, so many conflicting emotions to wade through. Hudson had handled the Paul situation fairly well, and he was going to fix it for me. He deserved me to give something in return. What compromise could I make regarding David? I didn’t want him gone, and I didn’t want to run The Sky Launch. If I went to Japan, would that show him the extent of my love and gratitude? It would be a real sacrifice for me—I really wanted to stay in town, set up an advertising plan with Aaron Trent, and start over with another event planner.

I had come to no conclusions by the time I’d showered and dressed. Then, as Jordan dropped me off at the club a little after eight, I received a text from Brian.

“I’m headed into the city. I’ll be at the Waldorf. What time can we meet?”

“What’s wrong?”

I jumped at David’s question. I’d known he still must be in the club—the alarm hadn’t been set as I walked in—but I hadn’t expected him to be standing at the top of the entry ramp.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to shake off the bulk of the weight hanging on my shoulders. “Nothing. Just overwhelmed with… stuff.”

He reached to take my laptop bag from me, his expression inquisitive.

I handed him my computer, deciding what, if anything, I wanted to share with him, because obviously stuff wasn’t going to cut it. Hell, maybe talking would help me put some things in perspective. “I moved out of my apartment this past weekend,” I said as we made our way toward the offices. “And my brother wants to meet with me to get my key. But we’re not getting along. Not since I started dating Hudson.”

“Hmm.” His shoulders tightened, his face contorted in…what? Jealousy?

Okay, perhaps David did like me more than I realized. He was so much easier to read than Hudson. How had I missed how deep his affection ran?

He held the door to the back hallway open for me. “So you moved in with Pierce?”

I brushed past him and led the way up the stairs. “I did.” Well, better that he knew the truth. He had to come to terms with my relationship with Hudson if I had any hope of helping him keep his job. “I know. It was fast.”

“That’s not what I was thinking.”

“What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I should have been faster.”

His words stopped me mid-step. I turned back to see if he was serious.

He was. He did look at me like Hudson did. I’d never recognized the intensity because it was completely absent of the electricity and heat that Hudson’s stare always contained.

The color drained from my cheeks.

David cleared his throat. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.” He brushed past me, continuing on to the office. “Anyway, congratulations. I’m happy for you.”

I fell into step behind him. “I’m happy for me, too.” My voice had lost its earlier enthusiasm, still shocked from David’s proclamation. Maybe we couldn’t work together.

I couldn’t stand thinking about it. I changed the subject. “And I’m stressed. Hudson wants me to go to Japan with him tonight.”

David pulled out his keys and unlocked the office door. The room was dark, the computers off—he must have been on his way out when he met me at the entrance.

“Why are you here so late, anyway?” Usually closing managers were out by six-thirty, tops.

He shrugged. “Waiting for you. And, yeah, Hudson told me about Japan.”

I flicked the office light on. “What? When?” I’d only found out about Japan that morning. I didn’t even want to acknowledge the first part of his statement.

“About an hour or so ago. He wanted to make sure we’d be covered without you.”

Hudson had already talked to David that morning? This day was getting more interesting as it progressed. “I haven’t said yes yet.”

“But you will.” He didn’t bother to hide the ache in his voice.

I sank on the couch and rubbed at my forehead. “Is that the only reason Hudson called you?”

David sat on the front of his desk. “Actually, he didn’t call. He stopped by.”