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I won’t be his little secret forever. I refuse to be. But he makes me believe that somewhere at the end of all this, there is an us. He asked me to trust him, and I’m trying. I just worry. I’m offering him my heart on a silver platter, and he has the power to destroy it.
His silence creates a pit in my stomach. I’m falling too fast. What if this is all a dream?
“Let’s get out. I have something for you.”
He doesn’t say the words back, creating a bigger hole of doubt. We climb out of the tub, and he wraps me in one of his soft towels. I follow him into his bedroom and sit on the bed while he disappears into his closet. My heart is racing. I wish I didn’t push it. Telling him that ruined the moment. When he returns, my right leg is bouncing with nervous energy. “Hey, I didn’t mean to spoil the moment by saying that. I just felt—”
He places his finger over my lips. “Shh. . .” He kneels in front of me and places a box on my lap.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and find out.”
I look at him, then work off the bow. Opening the box, my breath catches, and I inhale sharply. In the box is a necklace, a large flawless diamond hanging from the clasp. “Theo. . .”
He takes the necklace from the box, unclasps it, and reaches forward to place it around my neck. “Do you like it?”
My fingers brush over the jewelry. “I. . . I love it. But isn’t it your birthday party?”
He chuckles. “It is. And trust me, I’m not done with my present.” He admires the necklace on me. “It doesn’t compare to your beauty. But I wanted to give you something because I don’t show you enough how much I love you.” His words catch me off guard. Never did I expect him to affect me the way he does. “You’ve changed my life. In more ways than you know. I know I’m a bastard, but fuck, I want to be around to watch you make your dreams happen.”
“Theo.”
“I don’t deserve you. And there’s a good chance I’m going to fuck this up.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Just don’t give up on me, okay?”
I wrap my arms around him. “Why would I do that?”
He looks at me, and I can almost see the fear in his eyes. “Hey.” I cup his cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere. Well, unless your pizza oven breaks, then probably—ouch! Okay. I can live without it.” He holds my gaze, and I swear there’s more worry in his eyes. “Mr. Monroe, you’re not getting sappy on me, are you?”
“I wouldn’t dare, Miss Evans.” I squeal when he grabs me, tosses me onto the bed, and rips off my towel. “Now, do I need to remind you that it’s still my birthday celebration? Spread nice and wide for me. It’s time for my birthday dessert.”
Chapter twenty-three
Fay
Ilookdownatmy phone as I race to work. There’s no way I’m going to be on time. The Monday morning commute is the worst. Theo can blame himself if he’s upset. He’s the one who wouldn’t let me out of bed when my alarm went off, knowing I had to run home for a fresh set of clothes.
Boohoo for me,I snicker to myself. I’m not going to lie; it wasn’t a bad place to be. Especially since I barely left his bed all weekend. My belly swarms with butterflies, and another giggle falls from my lips. Who would have thought Theo Monroe could be so attentive? He was controlling and selfish when it came to what he wanted, but since that was me, I allowed it. I can feel my cheeks flush at the way he made me submit. In the end, he had me crying from the most glorious orgasms I could ever fathom. He’s everything I ever imagined I would want in a man when I fell in love.
God, I’m in love! I want to scream it to the universe. This feeling of being so consumed by a person, an emotion, is scary, sure. But it’s also. . . beautiful.
I open the doors of Monroe Investment Corp and wave to Amy. “Morning, Amy! Great top.” I hurry down, drop my jacket, and grab the latestBon Appetitmagazine I snagged from my mailbox.
Going into Theo’s office, I wave the magazine around. “Morning.”
He’s on a call and puts his finger up, pausing me. “Then get it done. By lunch.” He ends his call. “Morning to you, too.” He glances at his watch. “You’re late.”
“Oh, bologna. That’s on you. But I know how to make it up to you.” I shut his door and open the magazine.
“You’re going to seduce me with a magazine?” he asks, standing and walking over to me.
“Kind of. It’s what’s inside the magazine that’s going to seduce you. This month’s edition is about all things Italian. This chef, who’s like super renowned over there, shared one of his super exclusive dishes. And I’m going to make it for you.”
“Are you now?” He pulls me into him.
