Page 28 of Working For Her Attention

“Why?”

“Why?” I laughed roughly. “Honestly, I was done with hookups, but I didn’t think I could meet someone I wanted more with.”

“Oh.”

“Until you,” I added, and she blinked.

“Really?” Fuck! She was killing me. One day, she wouldn’t even blink believing this. She would be so fucking settled as mine, she wouldn’t remember what it had been like to be alone. I’d make it my life’s mission.

“What did I warn you about last night?” I asked, needing to remind her.

“No take-backs,” she whispered. I nodded, pressing my forehead against hers.

“I meant it,” I whispered, close enough to feel her every breath against my lips. “Now, we can do one of two things, but either way, you’re absolutely not leaving my place. Not without me.”

“Really? You keeping me hostage, Daddy?” She might be teasing, but I needed her to know just how serious I was about her.

“Fuck,” I growled, loving the easy way it just rolled off her tongue. “Hell yeah.” I stroked her face. “I would do anything to keep you with me, princess. You belong with me. I’d lie, steal, cheat, kidnap and chain you to this very bed if I had to.”

“Hmm.” Her eyes brightened, and I knew that bratty side of hers was about to show. “Maybe that can be some of the… stuff we do later?” she suggested. It was not the time to get hard. Not when my sisters were just in the backyard.

“I promise.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Okay, then, two choices. I kick them out and reschedule my mom’s birthday lunch⁠—“

“Reschedule your mom’s birthday?! Are you crazy?”

“Or we get dressed and do this together.”

“This?”

“You already met half the other women in my life. Well, three quarters since you met Stella.”

“Baby, this is a little fast. We don’t have to rush into⁠—“

“This isn’t me rushing into shit, Avery. I told you what I want. I’m not the kind of man who changes his mind. You’re mine and I’m yours. They’re going to see that and are going to love you.”

“What if they don’t?” she whispered. I could feel her fear of not belonging vibrating through her tone.

“They will. I promise.”

“How do you know?” she asked, obviously needing hard, concrete proof, and even though I was probably going way too fast for her, I couldn’t stop the words.

“Because I love you.” She froze and stared at me, unblinking. Her blue eyes never left mine as they slowly started to turn glassy with emotion.

“I love you, Avery. I’m not sure how it happened or when, but I do. From that first day I saw you, I knew you were different. That there was something special there, but after? Talking and hanging out when you locked yourself out? Baby girl, you had me. And you don’t have to say it back yet. I know it’s stupid fast and probably a little crazy, but trust me when I tell you I know how I feel, and my family, they’re going to see it and fall just as hard as I did.”

“Sam.” She licked her lips but didn’t say a thing, and I didn’t push. Instead, I got us back on track.

“So? What do you want to do? Meet the crazy women in my family to celebrate my mom’s birthday, or we can reschedule and you can tell me in detail about all that stuff you want to do. Though the stuff can still happen if you meet them; we just have to wait until they leave.” When she laughed, sound filled my chest with something wholesome and pure.

“Meet them and then the stuff.” She blushed, and I grinned.

“I promise they’re not as… chaotic as they seem.”

“Windy and Rainy are really nice,” she said, then added, “They’re part of the reason I showed up at your house out of the blue.”