Chapter 43

He was all packed and ready to leave at first light tomorrow morning, but Val was actually nervous when it came time to pick Cora up that evening. Since their flight was early, they'd decided it would be smarter to spend the night together at his place.
Yeah, even he knew that was a lame excuse. But he did want Cora to see his loft and he didn't want to spend the night alone. So, he was having dinner at her place, meeting her roommate, and then taking her home with him afterward. From what she'd said, her roommate was the closest thing she had to a family, so he figured he'd better make a good impression. He stopped for flowers and a bottle of wine along the way.
Cora answered the door, all smiles and rosy cheeks in jeans, heeled boots and a fluffy pink sweater. She'd put on makeup, he noticed, and even a tiny pair of silver heart-shaped earrings. Something in his chest clenched that she'd gone to such effort just for him. Mindful of the other woman looking on, he settled for a quick kiss on the cheek as he stepped inside.
"Are those for me?" Cora looked down at the bright bundle of gerbera daisies in his hand, and Val grinned.
"Nope. Didn't figure you'd be here to enjoy them. These are for Marla, since I'm depriving her of your company for the next few days."
The cool blonde in jeans and a silk blouse raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, but her smile looked genuine as she stepped up to take the bouquet. "Thanks." She held out her right hand. "Marla Evans. You must be Val."
"Valentine Holiday," he admitted, shaking her hand. She had quite a grip for a woman who looked so dainty. Probably had to do with being in sales. "Pleased to meet you, Marla." He turned back to Cora. "Dinner smells wonderful. Did you really have time to pack and cook today?"
She shook her head. "Actually, it's takeout lasagna from the Italian place around the corner."
"Cora loves to cook, but we had shopping to do." Marla winked.
Val looked Cora up and down. She had been primping. "You got your hair trimmed and your nails done, didn't you?"
"Toes too," she agreed. "And picked up a couple new bathing suits since I think my last one dates back to college." The bright blush that spread across her cheeks had him wondering just how revealing those new swimsuits were. He was hoping for string bikinis, but he'd take whatever he could get.
"Well, not that you needed it, but you look great." He couldn't resist dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm glad you took some time to pamper yourself."
Val opened the wine while the women set the food on the table then they all sat down and Val lifted his glass. "To two lovely dinner companions." Then he winked at Marla. "Let the grilling commence."
"You took that all very well," Cora told Val as she stood beside him in the elevator of his apartment building. She held her small carry-on bag behind her while he pulled her bigger suitcase. Since she had luggage, they'd actually taken a cab the few blocks from her place to his. "Even the part about me having you investigated."
Val shrugged. "I have two sisters. I'd want them to make good and sure they weren't getting involved with a loser. Why should I expect anything less of you? Especially since in your line of work, I'm sure you encounter a lot of the dregs of humanity."
She sighed. "True enough. Still, I'm sorry."
He winked. "I'm sure you'll think of a way to make it up to me."
She could. Her pussy clenched and her nipples swelled against her satin bra. They could sleep on the plane in the morning. Tonight she had plans for the two of them.
The elevator opened and they stepped off into a small hallway with rough plank floors and exposed brick walls but expensively decorated with modern art and a comfortable sofa and chair at the end of the hallway by the front window. The building was an old factory, and based on the landing, there were only four apartments per floor. Therefore, she wasn't shocked when Val opened his door and she walked into a loft that was bigger than the house she'd grown up in with her foster parents and four other kids.
The huge open space was grouped into distinct areas - black leather couches grouped around a humongous television, a workout area in one corner and another with a computer array that must've rivaled NASA. Along the back wall was a kitchen area, separated from the main space by a long breakfast bar, and next to that were a couple of walled-off rooms. A steel spiral staircase led up to a hallway with three doors opening off of it.
"Wow." It was all she could think to say. Lush plants, black-and-white photos and a few good paintings - stylized landscapes, mostly - decorated the space while the bright cabinets in the kitchen provided contrast.
He shut and locked the door behind them. "My brother Noel did the paintings. The photos are my Dad's, and Sam designed the kitchen. It's handy having an artistic family. All I can take credit for is the computer system."
Cora smiled back at him. "I had a foster brother once who painted. He did the heart in my bedroom for my eighteenth birthday, right before I left for college."
"And what's he doing now?"
She looked away. "He died not too long afterward - an overdose, they said, though he never did drugs while I lived there. He was only sixteen when he painted the heart, seventeen when he died."
Val set down her suitcase to give her a hug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Are you still in touch with your foster family?"
"No. As soon as the State quit sending money, they quit pretending to care. Stephen was the only one I stayed in touch with." She faked a yawn, desperate to change the subject. "So, where's the bedroom? I'm exhausted after shopping and packing all day."
"Mm, not too tired I hope." He winked and picked the suitcase back up. "Bedroom's upstairs, if you think you can make it that far."
"Oh, I think I can manage." She hefted her carry-on and followed him up the twisty steps. The first door opened into a bedroom. Though it was mainly done in more black and white and steel, softer touches of blue in the comforter and the painting above the bed kept it from being stark and cold. A soft slate-blue window seat added an inviting touch on the far side of the room. Hmmm, that posed some ideas. One door was open to reveal a luxurious bathroom while another probably led to a closet since one medium-sized suitcase was waiting outside that door.
"Nice," she told him with a smile as he set her case down beside his. "What are the other rooms up here?"
"Empty," he told her. "One has a futon and a dresser for the rare guest. The other is just storage at the moment. If, for some reason, I ever had someone else living here, it could be an office."
Or a nursery. Where the hell had that thought come from? Cora had no intention of having kids - maybe ever, but certainly not yet. And if she did, she'd want some green space for them to play, not just the steel and concrete of downtown. More importantly, Val had made it clear he wasn't looking for anything long-term either.