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“Oh, right!” Hattie sounds amused. “We’ll talk about it later over brunch and mimosas.”
“Okay,” I agree, finishing my climb and smiling at the sound of snoring drifting from the bed. “Thank you, Hattie. You’re a really good friend.”
“I am.” She laughs. “Love you, girl.”
“Love you too.”
We hang up, and I jump onto the bed, noting with disappointment that Michael is wearing a shirt.
“Michael!” I yelp when his strong arms wrap around me and pull me down over his chest.
“You bounced on my bed, so expect to get morning cuddles, Rockstar,” he mumbles, tightening his embrace, his minty scent enveloping me. I sigh and shift around until I’m comfortably burrowed against his toasty-warm body and lift my phone over our faces.
“We went viral!”
“Youwent viral.”
“No, Mikey, look.” I wait for him to crank an eye open. “Wewent viral.”
His full lips stretch into a lazy grin when he sees the photo. Then he kisses the top of my head and lays back down on his pillow, eyes drifting shut.
“That’s a good photo,” he declares before yawning, seemingly already on the way to falling back asleep.
“Because it’s real,” I observe.
“Yeah.” He brings his other arm up to pull me closer, and in no time, it becomes heavy, and his grip loosens, soft snores resuming.
I stay snuggled against his chest longer than I should, scrolling through my phone and replying to messages, enjoying the comfortable intimacy of being with him like this. But as the minutes pass, the feel of his large hard body against mine and the scent of his skin have my mind wandering to the decision I made last night and to how much I want to see it through.
And the next event is the perfect opportunity.
* * *
Michael
I watch closely as Kenny Kolte, star of the historical drama hit TV show about Scotland and a friend from our days back in Julliard, chats Lauren up, making sure he’s keeping his boundaries without crossing any myself.
Not that it’s been easy. Since the gala, I’ve been looking for excuses to touch Lauren every chance I get, and the opportunities keep magically popping up. Like how she asked for help with dinner last night, and my arm kept grazing hers as we worked together.
Or what’s shaping up to be a daily routine of morning cuddles. This morning she wanted to ask me which necklace would work better for the party, a legitimate reason to sit on the edge of my bed, at a safe distance. I didn’t have to pull her against me, spoon her warm and tempting body as I inhaled her jasmine blossom scent. But I did.
Then, while we were getting ready for the party, she asked me to help with her zipper, located in an easy to access spot on her jumper. Paired with the hooded gaze she gave me over her shoulder when my fingers brushed against the small of her back as I slid the short zipper up, there was no denying she was seeking out my touch, too.
It’s a dangerous game to play, and I resolved myself to nip it at the bud, but now she’s standing there, throwing her head back with that laughter that lights upeverything, looking at Kenny with joy in her beautiful bright eyes, and it’s getting to me. Kenny’s a good-looking guy, six-foot-three with wavy bright brown hair and baby blues, a pearly white killer smile, and the charisma of, well, an A-list actor. And I’m keeping my eye out for any sign of distress on Lauren’s part.
Since Sandra’s mixer, she’s been getting more attention than she can handle. And what Joanna did to her? Threatening to fire her if she keeps promoting her brand instead of using our arrangement to represent Garderobe?
She cried for hours.
Lucky for Lauren, both Trista and I agreed that under the circumstances, pulling my exclusive was the right thing to do. Tris can handle Joanna, and whatever happens if her quitting without notice goes to court. I’ll personally pay any indemnities, but no way is Garderobe bullying Lauren and getting away with it.
Joanna was smart enough to retract when I called, though, giving some bullshit excuse on how Lauren misunderstood, and what Joanna waskindly requestingwas that Lauren mentions that she works for Garderobe as well. And just to sate me, she threw in a complimentary day off after each event so Lauren can be well-rested when she comes to herabsolutely securejob.
It’s been a crazy couple of days for Lauren. She admitted to being overwhelmed and not sure how to handle this sudden shift in her life. So, I’m feeling a tad overprotective today. And the silver screen star in a kilt that has women falling at his highlander feet and more than one of my buffer dates falling into his bed is putting his sticky fingers onmygirl, pushing against my last nerve.
“Hands off, Kenny.” I try to sound mocking, but I’m honestly about to punch him for touching Lauren.
I never really cared before, but not Lauren. No way.
