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She arched an eyebrow. “What would you do? Defend my honor?”
Hell yes.“Maybe.”
She gave a rueful smile. “It’s not that big of a deal. But I guess he’s the one I’m most worried about finding out. If he knew I was committing insurance fraud through the company...”
“Stop saying that,” Noah said, firming his tone again. He lowered his chin and looked at her pointedly. “We’ve been secretly dating for months, and tonight I popped the question. We don’t see any point in waiting for a fancy ceremony, and we decided to get married next week. Now that you’ll be a kept woman, you decided to go back to school like you’ve always wanted. I don’t mean this to come out wrong, but I don’t think anyone at the office cares enough about you or me to think otherwise. People are concerned about their own business. They’ll believe what we want them to believe.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if convincing herself his words were true. Slowly, she nodded. “Right. Okay.”
“Want me to get down on one knee?”
Her eyes went wide. “No!”
He gave her a few seconds to process before asking his next question. “What about living arrangements?”
Her mouth opened and closed, and she stilled. “Wow, I really didn’t think this through.” Her eyes darted around the room as if she hadn’t been there a thousand times. “If we want everyone to think this is real, we have to live together, don’t we?”
Had she not considered that part? He sure as hell had. The idea of her being around all the time was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. They hung out enough that he was used to daytime Mia, going-out Mia, and lazy, let’s-stay-in-tonight Mia. It was the thought of first-thing-in-the-morning Mia that had made his heart lurch. It was the only side of her he didn’t know. The side reserved for roommates and lovers.
What was she like in those quiet, intimate moments just after she woke up, before makeup touched her skin or a stray thought made her anxious? Did she listen to music while she got ready or turn on the TV when she made coffee? Or did she, like him, enjoy starting her day in silence?
Would that version of her become his favorite?
He swallowed. “We probably should.”
She nodded, though she seemed a little dazed. “You have a house, so it would make sense that I’d move in here.” Suddenly she frowned. “But what’s Claire going to do? Our condo is too expensive for just two people. And Reaganjustmoved in. I’m not even sure Claire likes her yet.” She buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
Noah squeezed her shoulder. “We don’t have to,” he said. “This is a choice, and you can back out anytime until we sign the papers. But don’t let things like living arrangements stop you. We’ll figure all that out. It won’t cost you anything to live here, and we could keep paying your share of rent at the condo until Claire finds another roommate. Hell, Graham might want to move in with them. He’s been complaining about his place and talking about looking for something else.”
She shifted and peeked up at him, a small grin on her face. “Claire, Graham, and the vegetarian living together? I’d love to see that.”
He slid his palm down her back, enjoying the soft brush of her ponytail along the back of his hand, before pulling it back into his lap.
“How am I ever going to repay you for doing this for me?” she asked.
“You probably can’t,” he said, smiling a little. At her dejected expression, he changed tactics. “Don’t do that. I don’t want anything.”
“Too bad. The guilt will be unbearable.” She squinted, tilting her face to the ceiling. “I’ll make you homemade breakfast every morning. And I’ll make carrot cake every weekend.”
His mouth watered at the mention of his favorite dessert. “Wow, I’m gonna gain like fifty pounds, aren’t I?” It would totally be worth it.
“I’d say I have ulterior motives to stop other women from checking you out, but it wouldn’t matter. They’d want you no matter your size.”
He grinned at that, flattered and far too pleased at the thought of Mia feeling possessive of him. Her face simultaneously transformed to a frown.
“What?” he asked.
“What about—” She stopped short, her cheeks flushing. Her eyes flashed to his waist and quickly away.
Oh, shit.
He wanted to tell her not to say another word, but his tongue was suddenly glued to the roof of his mouth. Could they just ignore this part? Not talk about it, like normal adults?
“I, um. I don’t want to hinder your sex life...” she started, pressing her balled fists together near her stomach. “But I’m not sure how that could work. I mean, it’s probably not a good idea to bring anyone back here, but going elsewhere would just require discretion, you know? It could look bad if—”
This was so fucking uncomfortable. “Don’t worry about that,” he interrupted.
She nodded, neck flushed. “Yeah, you get it. Sorry.”
