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“Hmmm.” She side-eyed him. “Does this breakfast come with coffee?”
“Who do you think I am, an imbecile? If it’s breakfast for you, of course it comes with coffee.”
June sighed and plopped back down on the bed. “Okay, okay. I guess I’ll stay.”
“Don’t make it sounds like such a hardship,” Dragan laughed, turning on his side so he faced her. “If you want something to be a hardship, I could always make you go down on me.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Oh honey, that’s not a hardship,” June laughed. She looked up a him, taking in the playful look in his eyes but the serious expression on his face. “You like being in control, don’t you?”
He looked away, biting his lower lip. When he looked back at her, it was with intent. “I like to be owned as much as I like someone to own me. Do… Is that okay?”
As if he couldn’t be any more perfect.
June nodded. “More than okay. I’m the same way.”
“Of course you are.”
Dragan kissed her before getting up, telling her to stay while he made breakfast. He didn’t have to tell her twice — June was so in love with everything around her, but especially with the man who went from being her best friend to being the love of her life in the span of one night.
43
Looking around in the wake of June leaving, Dragan was hit with just how barren his apartment was.
Hell, even his life had felt like a big gaping hole before last night.
He logged into his bank account, still in shock over the number of zeros just sitting there.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, one he didn’t think he’d ever get over.
The financial planners and advisors were going to implement their suggested strategies the following week, and Dragan had spent a relatively small amount on a few choice items. He just had one more purchase, one more gift, and he needed the help of Missy Beaumont to pull it off.
Trusting her with winning June back had been one thing. While she’d always treated him like a son, he knew she wasn’t particularly close to June. At least not as close as she would’ve liked, or so she confided in him several years ago when he was helping out at the bookstore and he accidentally let slip how June would spend hours sitting with him by Deer Creek, reading and lying in the grass.
Missy had little to no idea how June spent her time, and she wanted a stronger relationship with her granddaughter. Helping Dragan win her heart made the situation a win-win, and he hoped he could call on her again.
The knock on his door made his heart jump into his throat. He looked around, knowing that he’d cleaned up the room after his night with June hours ago, showering twice and airing out the place to get rid of the heady smell of sex that seemed to permeate every room.
He wiped his clammy hands on his jeans and opened the door, Missy’s silver hair in loose waves around her face. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the way her smile faltered ever so slightly when he asked how she was and she responded only with, “Fine.”
She wore the same cloak his mother did, tiredness and apathy seeping from her pores. Like she was ready to throw her hands up and walk away at a moment’s notice.
Dragan closed the doors behind him and walked into the kitchen, glancing at her while she looked around. She’d never been in his apartment, and he carefully watched as she milled about, looking at every bare wall, the worn couch and dining table. He could’ve sworn the look she gave was disapproving, and why wouldn’t it be? He had nothing to offer, no real home.
It didn’t matter how much money he had, he would never have enough, offer enough, be enough. He’d always be Dragan Carter, poor son of an immigrant and a dead-beat wife-beater in a town full of loving households and brand-name lifestyles.
He cleared his throat, trying not to let it knock his day down. “Can I offer you coffee?”
She shook her head politely and he poured himself a fresh mug, gesturing to his dining table for Missy to sit. She set her purse down and folded her hands on the table in front of her, only kindness in her hazel eyes. Her and June had the same heart-shaped face, and Dragan’s heart constricted. It was almost like looking into the future. Missy smiled.
“Our last partnership worked out so well,” her voice low and warm. “What did you have in mind this time?”
“I’m going to pay off the mortgages on the bookstore.” He looked at her, firm in his will.
“What?” Her smile dropped.
“Archer and I sold an app for a fuck-ton of money. Not many people know, and before they do there are some things I want to take care. This is one of them. June — and you and Walter — gave me a home when my own wasn’t safe. You gave me a home when no one else would. Let me save your home, in return. I love June, with every cell in my body. Whatever happens, let her know this is one thing I could do.”
Missy stared at him, before sighing and leaning back in her chair, the used seat creaking with the shift. It echoed through the apartment while they sat staring, another mark of the only life Dragan knew how to live.
