Shay's POV
It's funny how situations can quickly change in such a short span of time. You expect things to happen a certain way, but they don't turn out as planned. Your mind might tell you to stop, but your heart tells you to go on. I guess the reason I let things happen this morning was because I listened to my heart.
Before I even left the house, I had been rehearsing everything I was going to say to Jason in my mind. It's weird how a single moment can change everything so quickly. I went from crying and spilling the truth (which wasn't planned) to kissing him, and now, sitting in his car, enveloped in silence, sorting out my thoughts alone.
I didn't get to resign from work today because, the minute we left the rooftop, we talked in his office, and he didn't let me leave until now, when it's time to get off work. He offered to drive me anywhere, since I told him I didn't want to go home yet. We haven't stopped anywhere so far, and I actually think that's a good thing because I really needed this long drive to clear my head.
The sound of my ringtone broke the silence, and I quickly reached into my handbag to take out my phone. I frowned when I saw Shelby's name flashing across the screen.
Well, this is weird. Why is she calling me at this time?
"Hello?"
"Shay, where are you?"
"Nowhere in particular. I'm driving right now, so what is it?" She sighed loudly, making me frown even deeper.
"There's something I need to talk to you about. What time will you get home?"
"I'm not coming home tonight."
"What?" I could hear the frown in her tone. I saw Jason glance at me.
"I'm not coming home tonight. We can talk next time. Bye, Shelby."
I ended the call and exhaled a sigh before leaning back in my seat. Jason glanced back at me with a smile. I chuckled and tilted my head to look outside the window.
"That felt great, telling them straight about what I want and what I think. I wasn't able to do that when my brother was still around. Maybe because I had gotten used to him always defending me and taking my side during tough situations at home."
His hand suddenly grabbed mine, and he intertwined our fingers together, making me smile.
"Well, I'm with you now, so you have nothing to worry about."
His words warmed my heart. I lightly squeezed his hand and grinned happily at him.
"By the way, what do you tell them when they ask where you are when you're working?"
"I tell them I'm at the gym or going to my Pilates classes. Sometimes I tell them I'm at Sylvia's place, if I'm really there."
He chuckled lightly and glanced at me again.
"And they never know?"
"Yep."
He suddenly stopped the car, and I looked out the window, noticing we were parked right in front of a huge apartment building. Jason unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. I also released my seatbelt and stepped out when he opened the door for me. I looked around and saw Jason pass his car keys to the valet posted near the entryway. He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me inside.
"Do you stay here?" I asked as we entered the huge lobby, which had golden lighting radiating warmth and luxury.
"Sometimes. I own two other apartments and a house." He replied coolly.
Wow.
We took the elevator up to the 14th floor, the last floor in the building. The button for it was separated from the rest of the floor buttons. When the doors opened, my guess was confirmed as we stepped into the huge living room area of his penthouse. My jaw dropped open in surprise.
The huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the big flat-screen TV on the wall, black leather couches with dark blue cushions, and a clear coffee table sitting between the TV set and seatsâit was clear this penthouse screamed luxury. From the white tiles on the floor to the entire interior, everything felt homey yet extravagant.
Jason turned on the lights around the room with a click of a button on a small remote and even had a button to open the big long curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the room.
The view of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge from afar was breathtaking. I walked toward the window, folded my arms, and stared at the moving cars below and the lights in nearby skyscrapers. I would love to have my own place like this someday with a big window that has a view like this one.
Jason's brief conversation on the phone suddenly pulled me out of my daze. I turned around just as he finished talking and smiled at me, gesturing for me to follow him. He led me down a small hallway and opened the door to one of the rooms. We both walked in. The room was big, with a queen-sized bed in the middle, two nightstands on each side, and a vanity on the other side near a closed walk-in closet. I assumed the other closed door in the room must lead to a bathroom.
"You can sleep here tonight. There's a bathroom over there, and I already called someone to bring over a new change of clothes for you. I hope you don't mind. When you're done, I'll have your clothes sent over for dry cleaning."
I chuckled and ran my fingers through my hair. It felt like he already knew what I was thinking and just took the words right out of my mouth. I hadn't even asked him if I could sleep over at his place tonight, or told him where I wanted to go on the drive hereâhe just did it anyway.
Because of the trust we had built recently, the comfort we shared around each other, he knew I would be okay with all of this. Besides, we were both adults and could do whatever we wanted with clear understanding.
I'm falling even harder now.
He left me in the room and went out. I smiled to myself before dropping my bag on the bed and heading to the bathroom to shower. Afterward, I put on a new bathrobe from one of the big open cabinets nearby, which also had other showering necessities. I walked out of the bathroom and smiled when I saw the neatly piled clothes on the bed. It was a pair of sweat shorts and a white t-shirt with "CALI" printed boldly across the front.
I changed into the clothes, dried my hair with a hairdryer, and walked out of the room. A delicious smell drifted into my nose, so I slowly made my way back to the living room. Turning a corner, I found Jason in the kitchen, cooking. I had always imagined marrying a guy who could cook, and seeing Jason chopping ingredients with ease, looking relaxed, made my heart do a double backflip.
He had taken off his suit jacket and was wearing just his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His hair was a little disheveled, with a few strands falling over his eyes. It only added to his attractiveness.
He looked up, saw me standing nearby, and smiled before pointing the wooden spoon in his hand to an empty barstool at the marble kitchen island.
"Don't just stand there, take a seat," he said with a playful smile.
I chuckled and sat down on one of the red barstools, propping my arms on the counter while watching him continue his work.
"I didn't know you could cook."
He smirked at me, stirring something in the saucepan.
"There's still a lot you don't know about me."
Something flickered in his eyes but disappeared too quickly for me to tell.
"But you're getting there since you're the first girl I've ever cooked for and also the first one to invite overâexcluding my mother."
I chuckled and watched as he grabbed two plates and served delicious spaghetti on them.
"Oh, that reminds me, I've met your mom." His eyes snapped back to me, and he frowned in confusion.
"You have?" I nodded with a joyful smile.
"Once. At work, when she dropped her necklace in the elevator, and I returned it to her. She offered to buy me coffee to thank me, and we talked for a few minutes. That's when I found out you were her son."
The corner of his mouth turned up, and he grabbed a bottle of wine from the top cabinet behind him, along with two wine glasses.
"Well, I'm glad you've met. That way, when I introduce my girlfriend to her, she'll be happy to see that it's someone she already knows."
The word girlfriend made my heart skip a beat. After what had happened on the rooftop, I believed we were going to have a fresh start. So far, everything had been going smoothly between us, but had it now reached a level where we were referring to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend?
The look he gave me confirmed everything when he leaned over the kitchen counter and placed the plate of spaghetti in front of me, along with a spoon and fork. The aroma of the food was so tempting that I wasted no time in eating. I nearly moaned at the heavenly taste.
He can cook, but is he really this good?
"So, how is it?" he asked with a smile, placing my glass of wine in front of me.
I covered my lips with the side of my hand, pointed my fork at him after chewing, and said, "Are you secretly a five-star Michelin chef or something?"
He laughed and came around to sit beside me.
"It's really good. I think your spaghetti will be my new favorite food from now on."
He chuckled and slowly nod his head.
"I'm glad you love it."
We continued eating and talking about many things. After dinner, I helped him with the dishes and we continued our conversation on the couch with our wine. I had never felt this good or this relaxed in my entire life, and the best part wasâhe was the reason for it all. It's really nice to be able to talk so freely with someone who already knows the real you.
He listened and didn't ask questions when I shared some of my worst moments at homeâlike having the Falcon nameâand some of my most memorable moments with my brother. I'm glad he truly understands me, and I think meeting him is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
"Wow, is that the time?"
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and looked back at me with an amused smile.
"Yeah."
I placed my empty wine glass on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch.
"That's enough...wine...for me tonight. We should really get some sleep."
He chuckled, put his glass away, and moved closer to me.
"Do we really have to?" he whispered in my ear.
My face started to feel hot as he slowly leaned in and kissed me. I kissed him back, enjoying the rush of excitement from feeling his lips on mine again. He pulled away, changed angles, and kissed me again. When he gently tugged on my bottom lip, it did something to my whole body.
I wanted to keep going, but my mind and body were ready to shut down from having too much wine. I pulled away and leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I wanted to say something, but my mind was too tired to allow me to speak.
Then, I felt his arms go under my legs and around my waist. He stood up, carrying me bridal style back to the room. Even though I couldn't see, I could feel everything. He gently placed me on the bed, adjusted the pillows beneath my head, and covered me with the blankets. I could sense he was about to leave, but I grabbed his arm before he did.
"Jason? Can you stay with me...just until I fall asleep?"
The bed dipped when he sat beside me. Without a second thought, I turned to lie on my side and wrapped my arm around him, loving the feeling of his body so close to mine. He gently played with my hair, and that's when I felt sleep slowly taking over.
If this is what it's like to be in love with Jason Cartwright, then I could get used to this anytime.