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“Hello.” She could feel herself blushing.
“You’ve forgotten to do something.”
She had? What? She tried to think. Had she forgotten to put something on? Oh my God.
“I’m so sorry! I forgot to say thank you!”
“Thank you?”
“For the flowers.” How rude. “No one has ever bought me flowers before.”
His gaze narrowed. “Never?”
“No. And those are so beautiful and I didn’t say thank you, I was just so shocked—”
Leaning down, he kissed her. It was hot. Her skin sizzled and her brain turned to mush. She leaned into him and he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck.
She had her hair up in its usual bun, and once again, he reached up to pull the tie out so it lay down her back.
Drawing back, she stared up at him, feeling dazed.
“That’s what you forgot to do,” he told her.
“What?”
“Kiss me. If you haven’t seen your man in a while, then the first thing you do is kiss him.”
“How long is a while?”
“Hmm, five minutes?” He grinned, winking at her.
She huffed out a breath, resisting the urge to grin back. Just.
“I’ll try to remember in the future.”
“You do that, baby. I’ll be sure to remind you if you forget.”
“I’m certain you will,” she said dryly. “Can I have my hair tie back?”
“Why?”
“I need to fix my hair.”
“No, you don’t.” He took her hand in his and tugged her toward the door.
“Maxim! Yes, I do!”
He picked up the handbag that was on the hall table. “Do you have your phone and keys in here?”
“Yes. But I need to do my hair and get a coat.”
“No, you don’t.” He drew her out the door, then shut and locked it with the keys he’d pulled from her handbag.
“Maxim!”
“Yes?” He wrapped an arm around her.
“I can’t go out with my hair like this.” She knew it was silly. It was just a hairstyle. But it helped her feel safer.
He stopped at the elevator and turned to her. Crap. He wanted to take the elevator?
“Baby, look at me.”
She stared up into his knowing gaze.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”
She sucked in a breath. She’d never had anyone’s protection before. It was both overwhelming and amazing. It might take some getting used to.
“I know.”
“You’re safe with me. I will protect all of you. Body, mind, and emotions. If anyone ever threatens you, then you tell me immediately. I will take care of it. I will look after you.”
“I know you will. I’m sorry I’m like this.”
“There is nothing to be sorry about.”
She nodded. Although she wasn’t so sure. She was filled with silly fears and habits.
“Do we have to take the elevator down?”
He pulled her close and she pressed her face against his chest. To her surprise, he suddenly lifted her with an arm under her ass.
“Maxim.”
“Just hold on tight, Rainbow,” he whispered as she nuzzled her head into the curve of his neck.
Then she felt him moving into the elevator and she tightened her hold on his shirt, letting his heartbeat soothe her. Strangely, it felt like they were going up rather than down. It didn’t take long before he was stepping out and putting her on her feet. He lightly kissed her cheek.
She looked around the small foyer in surprise. “Where are we?”
Instead of answering straight away, he moved to a door and unlocked it before ushering her in. “Welcome to my apartment.”
Aston studied his apartment in surprise. “We’re having dinner here?”
“Yep.”
Relief filled her and she walked farther into the penthouse. She should have realized something was up when he wouldn’t let her grab her coat.
“I’ve ordered in. It should be here soon. I never really learned to cook. I hope you like Thai food?”
“Love it. This is . . . it’s gorgeous.” She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. The rest of the building was fairly plain. It was in a good area of the city, but it was an older building.
However, the penthouse had obviously been refurbished. It had pale wooden floors and light gray walls. The living area was huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the view of the city.
She walked over there, staring out with her hands pressed to the glass like a small child. “This is magical.” It wasn’t dark yet, but she knew it would look even more impressive when it was.
Maxim moved in behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and then brushing her hair to one side so he could kiss down her neck.
A shiver of arousal rushed through her.
“If you’d left my hair up, you’d have easier access.”
“But I like your hair down,” he replied. “And this just means I have to work for access to your skin. So pretty.”
Lord. She leaned back into him as he held her tight. They didn’t move until the food arrived. While he was collecting it, she turned to take in the rest of the space. A doorway led to a hallway beyond where she guessed the bedrooms and bathrooms were. There was an enormous kitchen at the back of the living area with sparkling granite counters and a long island.
