I wasn’t ready to speak my mind. I still needed to process my thoughts. So, I opted for levity instead. “Your mother actually questioned me about our sex life tonight.” I slapped his shoulder when he dropped his head, looking mortified. “She didn’t ask for details or anything, just questioned when we were intimate the first time.”
He scowled as he bent to reach for his clothes. “I swear that woman has no filter. And doesn’t respect boundaries.” He handed my clothes back to me before slipping his boxer briefs back on. “I hope you told her to mind her own business.”
“Hey.” I winked at him. “She’s going to be my mother-in-law, remember? I have to play nice.” That looked passed between us again. Awareness…that we were crossing that line again. I pushed against his chest, needing some space. “I’m going to slip into my robe. You?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll grab a shower before I throw some sweats on.” He hauled me back against his chest before I could slip away. “Care to join me?”
Yes, please.But shower sex represented another line we probably shouldn’t cross tonight. “I might do bubbles before bed. But you go ahead. I’ll find something for us to watch.”
He groaned. “No sappy shit, please.”
I back-handed him in the stomach. “I’ll let you choose tomorrow night.” And just like that, we were settling into a routine of domestic bliss. What the hell was happening to me?
ChapterTen
Rhett
Because I had friends in high places, I knew exactly when Briar’s dirtbag ex was going to be arrested and I got the distinct pleasure of standing outside my vehicle, watching him being led out of his workplace in handcuffs while one of my friends on the force read him his rights.
I wanted that bastard to see my face. To know I was behind this. I’d gotten my pound of flesh for the hell he put Briar through and because he’d been stupid enough to target the wrong woman, who had powerful friends, he’d be spending the next decade or more in a federal prison for committing cyber fraud, stealing from the financial institution he worked for. Life was good.
Except now that he was no longer a threat, there was no reason for me to stay with Briar any longer. No sense pretending we were a couple. No excuse for sleeping with her every night. I knew this would happen when her ex was arrested. It was the end of our ruse, time for both of us to return to our real lives. Time for Briar to re-claim her freedom. I was happy for her. But sad for myself. I was gonna miss that girl like crazy.
She’d crawled under my skin, just like I feared she would. But the privileges she’d afforded me since that night in her laundry room more than a week ago were messing with my mind. She’d let her guard down. Let me claim her body in a way no other man ever had. Trusted me… completely. And I didn’t want to let her go now.
I was picking her up from work, rehearsing the words I wanted to say while I waited for her in the parking lot. I considered waiting until the next morning to tell her about the arrest, so I could have one more night with her, but that would be an asshole move, since she double and triple checked the locks and windows before we went to bed every night. She could sleep easy now, knowing he was behind bars. Too bad she’d be sleeping alone. Or worse, not alone, with someone else. That would gut me after all the time we’d spent together… all the time I’d spent falling for her.
I’d planned to tell her as soon as she got in the car, but she’d leaned over and stroked my cheek, looking into my eyes, before dropping a kiss on my lips. And I had a hard time remembering how to breathe.
“Hi.” Her voice was soft as her eyes connected with mine.
“Hi.” I cleared my throat as her sweet greeting put the squeeze on my heart.
Packing my shit and leaving her house tonight just might be the hardest thing I’d ever done. I wasn’t ready. But I had no choice. I had to man up and play the part.
“Hey,” I said, when she settled back in her seat and fastened the seat belt. “Did you have a good day?”
She sighed, sinking her hands into her hair and massaging her scalp. “It was long. And tiring. How about you?”
I’d miss the ride home, talking to her about my day, hearing about hers. Holding her hand. Kissing her lips. Seeing her smile when she spotted me waiting for her in the parking lot. I’d miss all of it.
“It was good.” Now would be the time to tell her the highlight had been seeing her dirtbag ex get led away in handcuffs, but I held my tongue as I pulled out of the parking lot.
“All the ladies at work are green with envy.” She laughed as she held out her hand, admiring the engagement ring I’d slipped on her finger. “And not just because of this gorgeous rock, but because my fiancé just happens to be one of the sexiest and most eligible bachelors in the state.” She winked. “Lucky me, huh?”
I groaned. Stupid lists, articles, blogs, written by people with nothing better to do than list and assess a guy’s attributes to decide whether he was a millionaire or billionaire worth bagging. I had no interest in that distinction, but I seemed to earn it without trying every year. And Briar loved to tease me mercilessly about it. Along with Jake, her brother, my family—
“What’s wrong?” she asked, slipping her hand through mine. “You don’t like having to dodge all those gold diggers who work their way through those lists in alphabetical order?”
I’d like to claim she had it all wrong, but I couldn’t. There were too many women who targeted guys like me just because of a hefty bank balance. It made me appreciate Briar even more because she’d liked me even before I had two nickels to rub together. No wonder my mother said she was a gem, and I couldn’t afford to lose her.
“You know I hate that.” Which gave me a brilliant idea to ensure at least one more date with her. “Hey, speaking of which, I have to go to a fundraiser for the children’s hospital this weekend. My company donated the funds for some new state of the art equipment for the NICU. Can you come with me?”
Her smile spread slowly. “Since I am your fiancé, I guess I have to. How would it look if you showed up all by your lonesome?” Her eyes widened dramatically. “You’d be a target for every beautiful predator in the building. We can’t have that, can we?”
That’s when I realized I could cash in on our arrangement. A little quid pro quo. And more time with my fantasy girl. “You know, if you really wanted to thank me for helping you out with the stalker situation, I can think of a way.”
She grinned. “Aside from all the ways I thank you behind closed doors, you mean?”
