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Haley shook her head with what was a distinctly relieved look. “Part of the job.” She laughed.
“Rude,” Leann huffed.
I shot Leann a look and pressed a finger to my lips. She was still mad until I gave her a little wink to show her that she was in on a secret. Then she wiggled her eyebrows at me and attempted to wink back.
Perhaps Haley should refrain from letting Leann fall off a mountain after all.
Dinner was long, but only because Dad wanted to tell Haley every single one of his own Olympic stories as a champion skier which Haley listened to politely with grace. I couldn’t help but adore her for it. He told stories like he was reading obituaries. The fact that she managed to look so engaged was nothing short of a miracle.
After dinner, I sent the kids in their pajamas to have a sleepover in Grandpa’s suite. It was so adorable to watch them all march out of the penthouse with their tennis shoes and sleeping bags. The three of them were yawning before they even left so at least Dad was going to have an easy night.
Once they were gone, Haley and I cleaned up the dinner in silence while some Michael Bublé played in the kitchen. Once or twice I took her hand and spun her, or pulled her into a kiss, but mostly it was just quiet contentment.
As soon as we could justify walking away from the remaining mess, Haley and I went to the parlor for a nightcap.
“Long Island, I presume?” I asked her, jumping over the bar to make it.
Haley laughed and nodded. “Why thank you. Nice to meet a man who can actually remember my order.”
I watched her look out over the dark, snowy landscape from where we sat in front of the picture windows. You could just make out the peaks of the mountains in the background and it made for a lovely sight.
I walked to her with the drinks in hand, sitting down beside her and bestowing her with one.
“Mademoiselle,” I said with a wink. “As reparations for your suffering tonight.”
She laughed and shook her head. “It was no trouble, honestly. I can tell your dad has a good heart and loves his grandkids. He wouldn’t be the first handsy old man I’ve dealt with.”
I scowled, not liking the idea of him or any other man putting their hands on her without her explicit permission.
She must have picked up on my ire because she turned her head to the side to look me in the eyes and asked, “What?”
I looked up, swooning as I saw those gorgeous eyes looking at me from beneath her thick, dark lashes, and sighed.
“I think it’s time I admitted that I have real feelings for you, Haley.”
The room went silent minus the faintest tones of Michael still playing from the kitchen. She looked up at me, her chest heaving as her heart pounded visibly in her chest.
“I have feelings for you, too,” she said at last. “And they scare me. This isn’t just a fling, is it?”
I shook my head, “I don’t think so. There’s something real here. Don’t you think?”
She nodded and took a long drink of her cocktail, then said, “Does that scare you?”
I shook my head no, reaching for her free hand and bringing it to my face. “The only thing that scares me is the idea that you might not feel the same.” I slid forward from my chair until I was kneeling on the floor before her, gazing up, her palm still pressed to my cheek. “I need you, Haley. We all do.”
I leaned up and gently pressed my lips to her neck, and she tangled her fingers into my hair. An intense pulse from my groin alerted me that I was ready for more, and that if she’d have me, tonight could be the night I finally have her.
“I want to be with you more than anything right now,” I admitted.
“Me too,” she agreed. Then she leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. “I’ve… I’ve been thinking about you inside me all week.”
It was a damned miracle my cock didn’t rip right through my jeans at her directness, but a growl slipped through my lips as I wrapped one of my huge hands behind her neck and squeezed.Her eyelashes fluttered and she sighed with pleasure, and I could see her nipples harden through her shirt.
“You want me to take you, Haley? You want me to claim you so thoroughly that no one else will ever do?” It was taking everything I had to keep my desire in check. I couldn’t rush this or be too intense. She needed to set the pace.
But with a pouting nod and tiny whimper from her, I lost my fucking mind, every atom in my body needing to be inside her.
Now.
