Page 125 of Playing With Love

Figured.

“Then hop off and let’s get a move on it.”

Her eyes turned into slits.

Right, sexy time was over.

She’d allow me to boss her when an orgasm was in her near future, but other times besides…not so much.

“Oh, no, you don’t go rushing me now that you’re worried about being late.”

I could give two shits if we were late.

But she was all about impressing her new bosses. Which, just to say, they were already impressed with her and it had nothing to do with her being prompt. Though she had to know this seeing as Jason, Nick, and Carter approached her with a job offer. Something they did tell me they were going to do. Liza did not consult me before she sat in the conference room with the three men and negotiated a deal with a starting pay package larger than mine.

I struggled with this. Not that her salary was higher than mine. My woman was skilled, she was competent, and she damn well deserved to be compensated for both. I was also proud she understood her worth and hadn’t settled for less than she knew she merited.

We argued about her accepting the job. I was of the mind she shouldn’t uproot her life, and explained I was more than happy to quit and move to Virginia to be with her. The argument took a turn when she told me how unhappy she was in Virginia. She hadn’t made a lot of friends there, she lived in an apartment she didn’t like much, was smack in the middle of a city she didn’t care much for, and the only thing tying her to her job was Shannon. She hated Frank, was burned out, and was looking for a new opportunity—which Nick, Jason, and Carter had presented her with. Bottom line, she wouldn’t be swayed. She’d accepted the job. Though she did compromise and agreed getting her own place would be a waste of time and money. We drove up to Virginia and packed her apartment—which wasn’t a great one. I was alarmed to learn she didn’t own much and what she did, she had no attachment to. So we sold all her furniture, packed her clothes and minimal personal items into my truck and her car, and brought them back to Georgia. It had taken her less than two hours to unpack—now she was home.

“Baby, I could sit here all day with you on my dick.”

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling.

“Is that a challenge?” I asked.

“No, you proved that true last Sunday.”

Making up for lost time.

Lizzy swung off me, rolled out of bed, and was on her feet when she asked, “Oatmeal or bagel?”

“Bagel.”

I laid back and watched my woman walk out of our room. I did this thinking I finally had everything. I glanced to my nightstand.

No, not everything, but close.

I had a mouth full of bagel when my phone on the counter next to Liza’s rang.

She was hip to the counter with a bowl of oatmeal.

Two coffee mugs next to our phones.

This, or a version of this was how we started our day.

My Liza, home, eating breakfast before work, drinking coffee.

This wasn’t normalcy or routine; it was a dream come true. Something I’d never take for granted. Ten years I’d waited for this. Ten years for the time to be right. Now, the time had finally come.

“It’s Crystal,” she announced.

I hid my smile behind my chewing and jerked my chin to the phone.

Liza rightly read my request to answer it, snatched up my cell, and answered.

“Morning, Crystal.” There was a pause but Liza was nodding. “Oh, no, is she okay?” Another pause, this one accompanied by a frown. “Poor little thing. I hope she feels better. And no worries, family first. Tomorrow’s fine but if you need to skip this week it’s no problem. I’m sure Tucker will live.”

I shook my head, thinking I wasn’t the person who had to live with our housekeeper not coming. It was Liza who was in fits of glee to learn she’d be moving into a house that came with a professional cleaning once a week. To say my woman had an aversion to vacuuming and dusting wouldn’t be too far from the truth. I didn’t mind doing either, but Crystal was a life saver.