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Inside, she turns to me. “You demanded I spend the night. What now?”
“I didn’t demand—” She lifts an eyebrow, and I grin. “Okay, I did. Now I make up for bailing on you the other morning.” And I plan on spending hours doing just that.
She exhales. “It’s fine. Let’s move on. Shouldn’t you be worried about your lawyer, who stole your money and tried to manipulate me?”
“Unless she’s planning a heist to take my billions, she can wait until tomorrow.”
“Spending the night with me is more urgent?” Incredulity rings in her tone.
“Of course it is.”
Color floods her cheeks and her eyes flash with amusement. Her breathy laugh causes a kick in my pants, or maybe it’s the way she peeks up at me through her lashes while she blushes. I’ll never tire of the shy innocence she exudes. It pulls me in until I’m leaning close to her. Our lips are inches apart and her eyelids flutter closed. But I don’t kiss her as she clearly expects. Instead, I pull the same stunt I did earlier—I throw her over my shoulder.
She shrieks. “Rowan!” Her giggles float around us. “You know, in this context, I like it when you manhandle me.”
Smiling, I make my way up the stairs. I glimpse the puppy in her usual spot under the coffee table, curled up and asleep. I don’t have to worry about her chewing on everything on the first floor for now.
In my bedroom, I make a beeline for the bathroom.
“You’re passing the bed,” Grace notes.
I chuckle at the disappointment in her tone. “I need a shower, and I want you to join me.”
When I put her back on her feet, she gazes up at me with that trust and admiration I’ve come to appreciate.Thank fuck. I have to make sure no one else—including me—pulls any crazy stunts to make those sentiments vanish from her eyes again.
Grace takes the initiative, already unbuckling my belt. She’s focused on the task, but I want to make something clear before we continue. Curling my index finger under her chin, I force her to meet my gaze. “If anyone else tries to come between us, we talk to each other before losing our minds. Got it?”
Grace’s lips part on a sharp inhale and her wide eyes move over my face. I realize right along with her what I just said.If anyone tries to come between us. I pretty much just declared that we’re together. Tilting my head to one side, eyes locked with hers, I wait for the surge of aversion. It doesn’t come.Interesting.
“Answer me,” I demand.
“I got it,” she whispers.
With a satisfied sigh, I shrug out of my shirt and get busy unwrapping her like a gift.
Once she doesn’t have a stitch on, I take a moment to drink her in. Admiring her generous curves will never get old.
She ducks her head. “Aren’t we going to get into the shower?”
“What’s the rush?” I joke.
Her face flushes. “No rush. It’s just a little disconcerting when you look at me so intently.”
“You can’t be shy. I’ve seen you naked a couple of times.”
“Sure, but in bed. This lighting is...” She looks up and swallows. “I know there’s a few extra pounds I could shed.” Her face gets redder with each word. “So, I’ve heard, anyway.”
My eyebrows snap together. “What are you talking about? You’re perfect.”
Her wry smile says she doesn’t believe me. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
I stare at her for a moment before spinning her around. Palms on her shoulders, I walk her over to the full-length mirror on one wall. “What are you doing?” she asks. I planned to have our fun in the shower, but we can start right here.
“You need to see what I see,” I tell her.
Looking at our reflection, I see her frown. “Can we just—”
“No, we’re staying right here. You’re going to watch.”
