She had no intention of being stubborn and sitting on a train. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”
“Mind if Oscar hops in the back? He loves the car and doesn’t get to drive around much because we live in the city.” He gestured to the dog who lay frog-legged on the floor, staring up at her with moony eyes.
She did her best not to laugh. “I’d love the company.” She knelt down and petted the dog’s furry back, and he rolled over for a belly rub.
A smile lifted the corners of Derek’s mouth. “You have a fan.”
“He kept me warm last night,” she said. And she’d enjoyed the sensation of the big, comfortable body against her legs.
“I would have kept you warm.” Derek glanced at her, his gaze simmering at his more sensual meaning.
“Maybe I wish I’d let you,” she admitted, her nipples tightening beneath the soft sweater. She’d held off for reasons that still made sense, but a part of her knew she wanted more from Derek than a one-night stand. She liked him a lot. And she wanted to see where things could go.
A pleased smile lit his handsome face, giving her hope he felt the same way.
“There’ll be another time,” he assured her with a wink, and her stomach flipped in the most pleasant way while her sex had a clenching reaction of its own.
A little while later, with Oscar in the back, hooked up to his seat belt harness, panting in her ear, they headed for Long Island.
“You know, there’s a park near the house where you can take Oscar off-leash. He’d love the snow. And I’d love to see him flying around with the white stuff all over him.”
He laughed. “Sounds like a date.”
She liked the sound of that idea. He pulled off the familiar highway exit to her house. “So … is it okay if I shadow you at your office this week?” she asked, bringing up the interview. “I’d like to see what a normal day in the life is like. Plus, I can talk to your assistant and partners, if that’s okay with you.”
He grumbled something under his breath.
“Now you sound like Oscar when you asked him to do something he didn’t want to do.”
He shot her a sideways look before turning back to the road. “Yes, you can shadow me.”
“Thank you.” She already knew he wouldn’t enjoy the process, but it was necessary.
From memory, he drove the back roads to the estate, but when they reached the secondary driveway that led to her house, it hadn’t yet been plowed. “Can you pull through the gate and drop me off at the front of the main house? I’ll go through the back. I hope they at least shoveled the walking path.”
“Hard to get good help these days, hmm?” he asked sarcastically. His father used to shovel the walkways and plow the driveways.
She ignored the comment.
He pulled into the driveway and put the car in park.
She bit down on her lower lip. “You know, if we’re going to spend time together apart from the interview, you’re going to have to really get past our history, and at this point, I’m not sure you have.”
She reached for the handle before turning around to face him once more, her heart pounding hard in her chest. “I’m not giving up on the interview. But you should think about whether or not you want to see me outside of a working relationship. Because I don’t want to deal with the snide remarks and sudden change of temperature when something you don’t like comes up.”
She yanked open the door as he called her name.
“Cassie, wait.”
She ignored him, climbing out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her. Within the last twenty-four hours, he’d snapped at her twice, and she didn’t appreciate it. Let him deal with her attitude for a change.
He met her around her side of the car, grasping her by the shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
“Maybe you are. For the moment. I just don’t know if you can really separate us now from the past. You need to think about it. And I need to get inside. It’s cold,” she said, grabbing on to the excuse she needed.
Although it was warmer than yesterday, her nose was already cold from the wind. And Derek did need time to think.
He released her and she headed for the front door. “Thank you for last night,” she said over her shoulder.
“Cassie—”
Instead of answering, she lifted a hand in a wave before letting herself into the house, aware of her snow-covered boots on the marble floor. She shut the door behind her and blew out a long breath.
She released the zipper on her jacket as a combination of sadness and anticipation rolled through her. Who knew what decisions Derek would make about her once he gave it some thought. Still, she didn’t regret her outburst. She didn’t want a man who was only half in when it came to anything beyond business between them. She’d had enough of relationships built on lies and partial truths about the other person’s motives.
“Where have you been?” Spencer asked, walking out of the study to the left of the front door.
“You scared me!”
“I was doing work when I saw the car pull up by the front door. Who was that guy? New boyfriend?”
“None of your business! What’s wrong with you? I don’t question your relationships.”
He raised one eyebrow over eyes the same brown as her own. “Oh, so it’s a relationship.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He studied her, his gaze going from her feet, all the way up. “You didn’t have to. You’re in the same clothes you were in when I came by your house yesterday.”