Page 107 of Auctioned To Be Mine

I laughed softly and looked out at the view. Then I reached over to touch his knee. “I love you, Callum. I’ve never truly loved anyone, but I love you. I’ll try to be a good girlfriend, but I think it’s something I’m going to have to get used to. I have a lot of very specific requirements about my professional autonomy that I need you to respect.”

“I know. And I’m going to have to get used to being a boyfriend.” Callum grinned. “We’ll figure it out together.”

“I love you. And I know you love me. I know you will do things for me out of that love and I will try my hardest not to take it personally. It’s your love language.”

He chuckled. “I swear I will try and do better but of course I want to protect you. Yes, I have a bit of a savior complex. I’ll try to rein it in, but you’ll just have to put me in check.”

“Oh, trust me, I will.”

He set his glass down and leaned forward to kiss me. His hand came up to cup the side of my face. I sighed into his mouth and felt the last of the evening’s tension dissolve completely.

When he pulled back, he pressed his forehead to mine. His thumb moved in a gentle arc across my cheekbone.

“I love you,” he said quietly. “I’m probably going to be overprotective. I should probably also warn you, my family is always this intense.”

“They’re great.” I kissed him again.

And then he was unzipping my dress. He slid the sleeves down slowly, watching my face as he did it. The night air brushed over my bare skin. It felt so good. So freeing.

I stood and let my dress fall. His eyes moved over me with an expression that made my body come alive. He stood up and shrugged out of his jacket. I reached out and undid the buttons of his shirt while he watched me with those dark, patient eyes.

“Inside,” I said against his jaw.

“In a minute,” he murmured.

He kissed me again, his tongue slipping into my mouth. His hands moved to my waist, pulling me against him. I stopped thinking about the fact we were outside and very exposed. But he assured me it was all very private. No one could see us.

Then he bent and scooped me up with one arm under my knees and one at my back. I burst into laughter, feeling ridiculous.

“Callum!”

“I’ve got you,” he said.

He carried me through the open doors and to the bedroom, where he laid me down on the bed. He stood over me, staring at me like he was memorizing every detail of my naked body. I reached for him and pulled him down to me.

I threaded my fingers into his hair and let the night take over. There was only him. Us. Always. I could see a future with him.

The next morning, I woke up to sunlight and the smell of coffee. For a moment I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. I had slept like a rock. He’d made love to me and then we both passed out. After a week of sleepless nights, we both needed the rest.

I stretched my arms above my head and thought about the night before. It had been incredible. Even the embarrassing part about being in the spotlight. I had bought him for a dollar. I pressed my hands over my face and laughed into my palms.

That man was absolutely unhinged. I loved him so much it scared me. I borrowed one of his shirts and padded into the kitchen in bare feet. He was standing at the stove in gray sweats and nothing else, his back to me. His hair was slightly disheveled. He hadn’t bothered to fix it. I leaned against the wall and just watched him for a moment. I stared at his bare back and thought about my lips on his skin. That’s what I wanted for breakfast.

He turned around with a spatula in his hand and caught me staring. “Morning,” he said.

“What are you making?”

“Sit down and find out.”

I climbed onto one of the kitchen island stools and pulled his shirt down over my knees. He slid a coffee mug across the counter before I could even ask for one. I inhaled the strong scent, appreciating the fact he liked the good stuff.

“You’re in a good mood,” I observed.

“Best mood of my life,” he said.

He presented me with a plate. Eggs, perfectly cooked with the yolk still soft. Toast with real butter. Sliced fruit arranged on the side. And then he opened the oven and put a plate stacked with fluffy pancakes on the counter.

“This is a lot of food.”