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I grinned. “You do know that I don’t care, I’m just glad I know it’s your birthday so I can spoil you.”
He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. “You already spoil me.”
“Not nearly enough,” I murmured. “You put up with a lot from me, and to be around me—”
Pressing a finger to my lips, he gave me a firm look. “There is no putting up with. I am where I want to be.”
If that didn’t make me want to swoon. I didn’t know what would. Kissing his finger, I lifted my hand to catch his. “Accepted. You’re where I want you to be too.”
That earned me a real grin.
“Tonight, I want to take you out to dinner, then go do something you’d enjoy.”
“We don’t need to go out anywhere for me to do something we’d both enjoy.” The sensual delivery made my thighs clench.
“I promise,” I told him. “You can have all of me and more when we get back…”
“More?” He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t need more if I have you, Mayhem.”
“Stop it,” I ordered, giving him a gentle smack. His deep chuckle threatened to undo me completely. “I planned tonight for you—with a little help from your friends.”
Now, I had his interest. “You’re not encouraging me to abandon my idea. If anything, I think I should just strip you down and have my favorite feast right here.”
I swore my heart did a little flip-flop at the suggestion. “You’re going to have fun,” I said. “I promise.”
Head back, he groaned. “If it were anyone else asking me to do this…”
Delight speared me, and I cradled his face in my hands. When he dipped his head to kiss me, I smiled against his lips. The fact that he deepened the contact pulled a groan from me with every tongue stroke. My pulse thundered in my ears.
“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to skip and stay in?”
“So tempting,” I murmured, then leaned back against his arm. “If you really don’t want to go out—we can stay in.” Maybe I shouldn’t cave, but the point was to take him out and let him have fun, not make him more miserable.
“It’s not that I don’t want to go out with you, Mayhem.” He gave me a gentle squeeze.
“But?” I prompted.
He sighed.
“Talk to me.” I rubbed a slow circle against the center of his chest. If this made him uncomfortable, we were going with a different plan.
“I don’t want to risk you. We have to do a lot of going out for your social and business commitments. I respect the need for those, even if I think you are involved in an insane amount of charity organizations—”
I bit back a smile at the bafflement in his tone. The warmth weaving through the bewilderment made it far more affectionate.
“—but I don’t want you to put yourself in danger for me. Not after what you got Ezra to finally tell you.” The last came out gruffly. Telling him about the car accident had been dangerous. His protectiveness had already been ramped up, the desire he had to stand between me and the world had been such a source of friction in the beginning. I wasn’t sure if I was growing more used to it, or if he had relaxed some, or if it was because we were working together.
In all likelihood, it was some combination of all three. However, I’d been serious when I told Ezra that secrets didn’t work. I had to trust Milo with the information for the same reasons I’d needed it myself. We couldn’t defend against what we didn’t know.
“These are good arguments,” I told him as he pressed his lips to my forehead.
“But?” He mimicked my tone from earlier and I couldn’t suppress my smile anymore.
“But,” I said, picking up the thread. “I’ll be with you for one and Karagiani for two, and we’re not going to the usual places, so—I’m changing up the routine.”
That made his eyebrows raise. “I almost want to say yes just to see what you think is changing up the routine, Mayhem.”
“You’re going to say yes, anyway,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
