“You’re worried.Why?”
“Do you know why I never wanted more than a one-night stand?Seeing my dad’s betrayal and mom’s hurt definitely played into it, but I think it might have been deeper than that.I never wanted to set myself up for disappointment.Not just in relationships, though.It was everything.I never aimed too high.I never went after what wasn’t realistically achievable.Even fashion, which I passionately love, I never let myself get too attached to anything.With all the financial issues mom kept having, I knew I might need to sell whatever I bought.”
I rolled over to face him.“You changed things.Me.I let myself want you, not for a night, but forever because what we have right now is perfect.I’m not afraid of you leaving, but I am afraid that something is going to change this.”
As I spoke, his eyes erupted with gold, and his pupils dilated.“Tell me exactly what you like about right now.”
“Sleeping next to you.Being kidnapped right after I’m fed.The sex.Having your attention before I even know I want it.Being respected, listened to, and cared for.Feeling valued and important, not just as your girlfriend or future mate, but as a person too.”
His hand captured the back of my neck as he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Thank you,” he said.“Now I know exactly what never to change to keep you forever.”
He kissed my forehead then scooped me out of bed in a way that had me squealing and laughing.
We were late for breakfast again.
“You might want to choose a different top if you’re trying to keep your romance private,” Mom said as she passed me my plate.
I used my phone to look at my neck, where Konni had briefly kissed me before leaving the bedroom.The stark red mark there earned him a warning glare.
“You know I have the Southside presentation today.”
He shrugged lazily.“The owner should be looking at the design, not your neck.”
His mom swatted the back of his head for me in passing, and I went to change into something with a higher neckline.
By the time we arrived at the office, I understood why he’d done it.Distraction.I’d spent the ride scolding him and reiterating boundaries instead of obsessing over the design I planned to pitch.
Once we were in the office, though, he switched to boss mode and asked Edi to set up the meeting room while I tested the presentation in there.
I was still mid-presentation when one of the marketing people opened the door.She paused, visibly surprised, but recovered quickly.
“How long until the room is set?I’d like to test our presentation too.”
“Another ten minutes,” Edi said.
She left, and Edi stared after her thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking about?”I asked.
“How I would try to sabotage your presentation at the last minute.”He collected the presentation copies he’d been setting out and called IT to monitor the network connection for the meeting room.Then, we left to put the 3D rendering on our tablets, just in case.
When we returned, the marketing team had finished the room setup with presentation folders for everyone.They’d printed out the draft version of my presentation.Edi collected all the copies and tossed them.
The correct version was in the folders by the time the client arrived.He didn’t say much as Konni explained the issue with the original plan, but seemed interested in what we wanted to propose.
The marketing team pitched theirs first.They’d made some last-minute changes, adding more design elements for cohesion, but with an old-town feel like I’d done with mine.The owner was impressed.
When it was my turn, the network went out.I used a cord to directly connect to the projector and wowed the owner with my proposal.
Thirty minutes later, someone from PR was snapping pictures of him signing the contract and shaking my hand.
Before the press release about the new immersive shopping experience planned for the Southside was even finished, the marketing team member who’d entered the room early was walked out of the Steele building.IT had proof she’d tampered with the network connection to the projector.
I was sitting at my desk, feeling pretty good about removing yet another of Lianna’s underlings from Steele, when Bomir mumbled angrily under his breath.
“They just won’t stop trying, will they?”
