Page 34 of Niall

We looked at each other for a moment. “Are you okay, Anna?”

She traced my mouth. “Perfect. I like fucking you.”

I dropped my head to her neck. “Don’t,” I warned. “Just you saying that makes me hard, and I want to buy you clothes, not get kicked out.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. “Is everything okay in there?” Liz asked, her annoyance mixed with amusement.

Anna’s panicked gaze met mine. I kissed her then turned my head. “Great. We might need more items.” I kissed Anna again, silencing her protests. “A lot more.”

“Oh.” Liz’s annoyance disappeared at the thought of the commission she would be earning. “Let me know, and I’ll get whatever you need, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Anna’s eyes shot daggers at me. I grinned at her.

“Bring us everything.”

Back at the hotel, I carried up some bags, Anna taking the rest. She had protested, fumed, and threatened, but I held my ground for the most part. I’d purchased clothing, lingerie, some dresses and shoes, as well as a new purse. And unbeknownst to her, I’d left instructions for other items to be delivered, when she’d seemed genuinely upset at my generosity and I thought she was going to refuse everything.

It was something else different about her. I was used to giving expensive gifts. Trinkets that meant nothing to me, except a transaction on my bank card. It never meant anything when the woman I gave it to wore it, cooed over it, or coveted the item. It was usually a gesture of goodbye, prompted by guilt.

Simply seeing Anna in an outfit I bought her gave me great satisfaction. Watching her delight over a soft sweater or a pretty pair of shoes that cost me less than a meal out most of the time warmed something inside me. The fact that she wanted to be independent was a turn-on, but it didn’t stop this unknown desire of wanting to spoil her for the next while.

Upstairs, she unpacked the items, confused when I helped her hang things. “This is your closet,” she protested. “Shouldn’t I be hanging them next door?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. I kissed her. “You’re not sick of me yet.”

She caught the back of my neck, holding me to her mouth. “What if I never am?”

All I could do was kiss her again.

She drew back, offering me a sad smile. Then she clapped her hands. “I need a grocery store.”

I laughed. “I’ll take you down to the kitchen, and you can get what you need for today. Later, you can order what you need online and get it delivered. I have to go see Finn and do some work.”

“Okay. I might call Una. See if she wants to bake with me.”

“Okay. If you leave the suite, take your phone.”

“I will.”

I paused, hesitating. “Anna,” I began.

She frowned, looking anxious. “Yes?”

I had planned to remind her this was just now. Not forever. To assure her she would grow tired of me, or I her, and things would change. But the words wouldn’t come, and I hated seeing her smile fall. So, I grinned.

“I like chocolate chip cookies. I prefer the term biscuits since that is what they are, but I like the ones with chocolate.”

Her dimple popped as she grinned back. “Okay, then. Chocolate biscuits it is.”

I winked. “Good plan.”

ANNA

Una laughed as we pulled another cookie tray from the oven. The head chef had been more than generous when Niall explained what I wanted to do. All sorts of kitchen implements, all the ingredients I asked for, had been brought up to the suite right away. He also told me if I needed anything else simply to call, and he would send it up. Una had been thrilled at the idea of baking, and we got right to it. Soon, the suite smelled of chocolate and ginger. It seemed Finn’s favorite cookies were dark ginger molasses, so we made a batch of each.

It felt good to feel normal. Baking with a friend. Laughing and chatting.