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“Um…” He didn’t get it. Was she just an amazing actress? “I thought you were pretty good at it,” he ventured.

She flashed a quick smile. “It’s different with you, Eric.”

He stopped so quickly that she had to turn and take a step back. “Is it?”

“Yes. I’m comfortable with you, and you can’t know what that means. I…” She reached up to smooth his hair off his brow. Eric took her hand and pressed it to his mouth.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I want to be honest. And I want to trust. And I want to do that with you, if you’re willing to try. No lying about anything. No sneaking around. Just…us.”

“Us.”

“When you said those things to me, I realized that I was closer to you than I’d been to anyone in years, but you didn’t know anything about me except sex. I—”

“That’s not true,” he cut in, angry now. “That’s not true at all. I said that because I was pissed. But I know a lot about you. I know that you laugh at terrible jokes in movies. I know you’re generous. I know that when you sleep you tuck your hand under your chin like a little kid and it makes my heart melt. And I know you don’t trust anyone, but you’re going to trust me.”

She ducked her head. “Am I?”

“Yes.” He pulled her closer and she slid her arm around his waist. “I’m making changes, too. I’ve been living my life for other people for thirty-seven years. I’m done with that. I don’t want to be perfect anymore. I just want to be me. With you.”

“With

me?” she whispered. “Does that mean you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. I know what it’s like to be scared.”

She tucked her head against his neck, and the scent of her hair set off an ache in his chest that nearly brought tears to his eyes. It hadn’t just been sex with her for a while now. In fact, it hadn’t ever just been sex. They’d just used that as an excuse to feel this connection.

“I told my dad,” she whispered. “I told him the truth. And I’m buying the White Orchid.”

“What?” He pulled back, and when Beth looked up she was smiling.

“I’m going to make some changes, and it’s going to be exactly what I want it to be, instead of being everything to all people.”

“Yeah?” He touched her chin, brushing his thumb against her bottom lip.

“I’m going to make it a little calmer. Fewer novelty items. More lingerie, especially for larger sizes. And the classes will be run by a real therapist, not just me pretending I know what I’m talking about.”

“More lingerie? I like that.”

“But just the higher-end stuff. Really pretty things that compliment women’s bodies.”

“Wait. You’re not getting rid of that black leather number I saw on the wall, are you?”

Her eyebrows rose. “Leather, huh?”

“I just thought it would look great on you.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth while she was still laughing, but he pulled back when a startling thought hit him. “That whole toy thing in your column?”

She grinned. “Yeah?”

“Was that you?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Eric felt the blush begin at his throat and work its way up in a slow path of scalding heat. “I see.”

“It wasn’t my column, but I definitely had fun pretending it was.”

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