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“Let me finish.” She lifts her head, her eyes soft and pleading. “It makes me feel like—like—I owe you something.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“But—”
I tip my face to hers. “Your turn to listen. I’m not doing this because I feel like I have to. I’m doing this because I want to. Because you’re mine—” When her lips part to tell me that she isn’t really mine, I cut her off again. “Because while you’re under my roof, spending your time at my gigs, standing under my arm, sacrificing your time for me—you’re mine to take care of. My responsibility, and fuck, my honor. So, let me buy you a jacket and a few outfits, yeah?”
She wets her lips, pulling that pouty bottom one into her mouth again as she thinks. I can see she still doesn’t like it, but this girl also likes to please. She’s not defiant by nature. Not argumentative or volatile. She’s sweet to her core, and the last thing a man like me deserves.
Still, I’m taking her. All of her.
“One condition,” she says firmly. “I get to buy you lunch.”
“Nope.” I never said I wasn’t defiant, argumentative, and volatile. I’m all those things and more.
Her face twists into the cutest expression of frustration, I’ve gotta clench my back teeth to keep from hooting when she stomps her foot. “You’re unreasonable.”
I shrug. “This is me, baby.”
Her eyes start to roll, but she pins them to me instead. “I’m not going to win this, am I?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” She glares at me, her mind clearly working. “I’ll just do more around the condo. Either way, I’ll earn these clothes.”
“Stubborn.”
She gives me a wry look. “Says the pot to the kettle.”
“Come.” I slide my hand around her back. “Let’sfeed you before you become even more irrational from hunger.”
This time, she does roll her eyes.
When I start to guide her to a restaurant, she shakes her head and scowls as she throws down, “Food court.”
I think about arguing just for the sake of getting her riled up but decide to give in with a grin. “Whatever you want.”
Wrenlee scoffs cutely. The girl is adorable. I have a feeling I could watch her all day, every day. She fascinates me like no one else I’ve ever met. She decides she wants a big greasy burger and fries, so I double her order, we get our grub and pick a table in the crowded space. She’s not shy about digging in, clearly starving.
“You eat breakfast?”
“No.” When I narrow my gaze on her, she shrugs as she pushes a fry between red lips.
I have something else I’d like to push between those lips.Damn, when did I start thinking like a sex-starved teenager? Right, when I moved this pretty little thing in with me and agreed to celibacy.
A moment of lunacy.
“Why not?”
“As I recall, someone distracted me in the kitchen before I could get to the eating part.”
I take a bite of my burger. “Making you squirm was worth it.”
She blushes. My dick feels heavy. I want to know this woman. I’ve never wanted to know a woman. Not like I want to know her.
“What’s the goal after school?”
She blinks in surprise, but it’s the joy that hits her face that arrests me. “I want to be an editor. Find all the great stories people need in their lives and bring them into the world.” She sighs. “That’s my dream. And maybe one day, if I’m good at it and I’ve got what it takes, I want to own my own publishing house.” She waves her hands like the dream is silly. “But that’s way off in the future.”
