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“You know, Stella, you only need to ask. I won’t hold it over you or gloat.”
“Ask you what?”
“Ask me to fuck you. You may need to say it a few times, though, but you’ll eventually get what you want. Over and over.”
I wonder if he can smell my arousal. “Ryan?”
“What?”
“You’re in my space.”
“We’re married, of course, I’m in your space.” He takes a step back, though, and I instantly miss the warmth radiating from his naked chest.
“But I mean it, if you’re bored or you want to talk, just knock on my bedroom door, okay?”
I scoff. “So you think I’m that woman who will wake you up because she’s lonely for a chat?”
No, but you’re the one who’ll set an alarm and sprint out so you can speak to the guy.
“I wouldn’t mind either way, as long as you do what makes you happy. Done?” He gestures to my barely-touched orange juice.
I nod, watching as he picks up both glasses, rinses and places them in the dishwasher.
“I’m leaving for work in thirty. Have some French toast.” He points at the smart oven. He starts to leave, then turns back. “By the way, we have dinner at the Richard-Fairchilds this weekend.”
A wave of panic hits me. “And you tell me this on Thursday!”
“Relax, it’s not the sharks. It’s just my parents, Gina, and her boyfriend. Or ex, depending on how she’s feeling at the time. You don’t need to break out the scripts. They already love you.”
“They do?”
“Yes, and my parents believe we’ve mated for life, so you’re good no matter what.”
“And Gina?”
“Piece of cake. She’s desperate for a ‘sister’. Her last venture didn’t quite work out, so you’re her last chance.”
“What do you mean?” I call after him.
“Brooke. Only God knows what she did to piss the woman off.”
Yep. Gina and I have that in common. And I’m not the only one who can keep a grudge. Brooke is still not speaking to me, which I totally respect because if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d be doing the same.
Chapter Eighteen
Stella
“Stella, I hear you now own Whirlpool and BodyLift.” Diana Fairchild remarks as soon as we settle down to eat. “I’m curious: why did you choose those two?”
Ryan and I had arrived late, deliberately, he’d said, to avoid any messy grilling his mom and sister had in store for me.
I wouldn’t have minded getting questioned. In fact, I think I would actually have loved to talk to them, but since Ryan and I aren’t seeing each other much these days, there was no way to tell him that.
I stubbornly refused to get him out of his bedroom, resolved not to be the needy type of woman but it’s getting harder to stay away.
I catch the look Ryan sends his mom, but before I can open my mouth to tell her it’s okay to ask, Gina who is sitting right beside me, steps in. “Whoa, Whirlpool and BodyLift? Savage, girl. Talk about a fucking entrance into the Seattle beauty industry!”
Richard Fairchild raises a single eyebrow at Gina, which earns him a pout. He briefly glances at me. Then he continues cutting into his tenderloin, a smile playing around his lips.
