Page 77 of Bound To Be Mine

“In that case, I guess this is goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I said, watching her walk away.

I grabbed a water from the fridge and headed upstairs to my room. The bed was comfortable, the sheets high thread count. Everything about this place screamed success and good taste.

I knew she was successful, but I had no idea she had this level of success. No wonder she was offended when I insinuated she wasn’t worthy of sitting in the room when we made the deal.

I should have been tired. It had been a long day, but I felt wired, my mind refusing to settle. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, hyperaware of the fact that Mandy was just down the hall. This was going to be more difficult than I’d thought.

Not the campaign or the photos or any of the business stuff. That was straightforward.

But living with her? Seeing her every day? Pretending this was all just a convenient arrangement when every time I looked at her, I remembered what she felt like in my arms?

That was going to be a problem.

I woke up early the next morning, my internal clock still set to New York time. I padded downstairs in sweats and a T-shirt.

Coffee. I needed coffee.

I found the machine easily enough. Top of the line, of course. I got it brewing and explored the kitchen more thoroughly. The cabinets were well stocked with basics, but I could tell Mandy didn’t cook much at home.

My laptop was still in my bag upstairs. I grabbed it and set it up at her kitchen island, opening my emails while I sipped my coffee. The depositions I’d handed off to the team were scheduled for later in the week. I’d need to review the prep work, make sure everything was in order.

But first, I had other priorities.

I opened a new browser tab and searched for the nearest Erewhon. Fifteen minutes away. Perfect.

Mandy appeared around nine, already dressed for the day in white pants and a flowing blouse. Her hair was pulled back, makeup subtle but polished. She looked every inch the successful wedding planner heading out to manage someone’s biggest day.

“Morning,” she said, heading straight for the coffee. “You’re up early.”

“Old habits.” I closed my laptop. “You have meetings today?”

“Site visit for a wedding next month, then a tasting with a bride who can’t decide between three different cake flavors.” She poured her coffee, adding cream. “I should be back around five or six.”

“I’ll be here. Working mostly, but I need to make a grocery run at some point.”

She raised an eyebrow. “For the grill?”

“For the grill,” I confirmed.

“You weren’t kidding about that, were you?”

“I never kid about steak.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Alright then. I’ll leave you to it. Help yourself to anything you need.”

“Have a good day,” I said.

“You too, Husband.”

After she left, I dove into work.

Around one, with most of the team in New York going home for the day, I closed my laptop and headed out to Erewhon. The place was exactly what I expected. It was full of beautiful people buying beautiful food. I grabbed a cart and made my way to the meat section.

I picked up a couple of steaks, then added some asparagus, baby potatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs. Butter. A good bottle of red wine.

I threw in some breakfast basics too because I could not survive on protein bars and yogurt. If I was going to be staying here for a few weeks, I might as well stock up. The total at the checkout counter made me wince slightly, but I didn’t care. This was worth it.